Recently, an article written by Cyndy Etler for The Huffington Post about Straight generated some comments from people who remembered Straight. As I read, it dawned on me how much Straight effected people who were not in the program. Those people also have a story to tell. Those perspectives do not get enough attention. So, I decided to add a page to this website for their side.
People on the outside heard horror stories about Straight Inc.'s bizare and abusive practices. Straight's bad reputation struck fear in the hearts of many kids. Newspaper articles and word of mouth got the word out, that Straight was a very messed up place.
Our "druggie friends," bewildered by our sudden disappearance, soon discovered their friend was locked away in Straight. As our "druggie friends" naively hatched unrealistic plans to rescue their imprisoned friends, as many Straight clients desperately prayed for rescue, Straight convinced phasers that "druggie friends" were a threat to their sobriety, that they would relapse if they ever associated with them. So, upon returning to school and/or reentering the community, "Straight Robots" who now inhabited the body of their former friend, rejected overtures to reconnect, saying "You are not in my best interest," leaving the "druggie friend'" confused and heartbroken. Many kids lost friends to Straight Inc.
Straight considered all friends before Straight to be "druggie friends" Even if those friends did not do drugs or did not drink, they were still forbidden. In Straight's eyes, ALL friends before Straight were DRUGGIE friends. On the surface, it does make sense to avoid people who are a bad influence. However, Straight took that concept to insane extremes. We couldn't utter a word to anyone suspected of being a druggie, or else. We could get verbally beaten to a pulp by group "confrontation" over it. We could get started over for it. We could get kidnapped over it. There was nothing reasonable about how this issue was dealt with. It was so extreme we couldn't even read words written by DRUGGIES in our school yearbooks. So parents were instructed by Straight throw them out because it was a "druggie tie."
Druggie Friends
Terrified Kids
In March 2019, an article written by Cyndy Etler for The Huffington Post about Straight generated comments from people who remembered Straight. This is one of those comments, reposted here with permission.
"We heard about Straight when I was in grade school and middle school. The stories were horrific. And anyone who came back from it was seriously disturbed and nothing of the person they were before they were sent there.
All of the people associated with this organization should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, publicly named and publicly shamed if that is the only recourse due to the statute of limitations on prosecuting them. "
, Copyright 2009 Surviving Straight Inc. All rights reserved.