For 50 years, Enthusiastic Sobriety programs have offered to help teenagers kick drugs and alcohol. But former followers say ES doesn’t save lives—it destroys them.
abuse
Posted inEditor's Pick
Tampa Teens Reported a Teacher’s Sexual Comments. Then a Student’s Life Was Upended.
“Madisyn didn’t know it, but Hillsborough County Public Schools has a troubled history when it comes to protecting students from sexual misconduct.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Inside the Unlicensed Counseling That Led Boston Students to Allege Emotional Abuse
“RC’s critics say it has no place in public schools and could harm students who feel pressured to participate or burdened by peers’ psychological suffering. Steven Hassan, a Newton-based licensed mental health counselor and cult expert, considers RC a splinter group of Dianetics and a cult.”
Posted inBooks, Crime, Current Events, Highlight, Nonfiction, Quotes, Writing
‘Can You Imagine How That Felt?’: Blake Bailey’s Predations, As Told By His Students
The inside story of author Blake Bailey’s grooming of middle-school girls.
Posted inEditor's Pick
A Popular Online Learning Platform Was Actually Created by an Underground Religious ‘Cult’
OneZero investigates remote learning platform Acellus and its cult leader, Roger Billings, who has been accused of violence and abuse.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Survivors of an International Buddhist Cult Share Their Stories
Matthew Remski investigates decades of abuse at Shambhala International.
Posted inEditor's Pick
“Somebody’s Gotta Help Me”
“But abuse by law enforcement inside jails remains largely out of sight and harder to document.” Phillip Garcia was in psychiatric crisis. In jail and in the hospital, guards responded with violent force and restrained him for almost 20 hours, until he died.
Posted inCrime, Highlight, investigations, Quote Posts, Quotes
The Alabama “Corrections” System: An American Horror Story
“When you lay down to go to sleep, you better be prayed up, because there’s no guarantee you’re waking up.”
Posted inNonfiction
‘I Was Trapped Forever In This Present Tense’: Carmen Maria Machado on Surviving Abuse
“She was always afraid of my voice. That was the defining factor of our relationship — fear of what I would say and write and do. She’s afraid of … the narrative that I possess.”
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Feature, Nonfiction, Story
When Running Toward Yourself Looks Like Running Away
Amber Leventry recalls how getting sober forced them to confront and reveal important truths about their identity.