By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
GLENN Munso, a former drug dealer and addict, is using his past life to save families cracking under the “ice epidemic”.
That’s what he calls it – an “epidemic” – so far-reaching that kids, users, and addicts are driving across Melbourne to attend his Hallam gym in the hope of beating drugs.
Glenn, a 29-year-old personal trainer and creator of the Youth YOU Program in Hallam, said people drove from Essendon and Melton to attend his sessions in drug rehabilitation.
But it was the helplessness he felt from parents and loved ones of addicts, that pushed him to take action outside of the individuals’ own battles.
“Parents literally put their entire lives on hold when they have a child on drugs – it’s just a vicious cycle,” Glenn explained.
“But I can give parents insight into what it’s like to be that kid on drugs and I find they appreciate that.”
With a background firmly planted in the illegal drug scene, Glenn says he can insightfully educate parents in ways no other youth or support worker can, and has created an online portal to help more families than he ever could have hoped to meet in his gym.
“It’s an online support program for anyone dealing with a loved one on drugs,” Glenn said.
An online toolkit similar to Glenn’s was recommended to support families and communities in the 2015 National Ice Taskforce – Glenn’s Youth YOU Online Support Group started up in June this year.
One of the reasons Glenn decided to start focusing on this area was due to one question he is continually asked by parents.
“They ask me how they can reconnect with their child,” Glenn said.
“They ask me how they can speak to their child on drugs.
“They tell me they feel like they have lost their child.
“Most parents’ whole world stops when they have a child addicted to drugs.
“They don’t know how they should be living their own life – and it’s really damaging, they won’t go to parties or events, or go on holidays. They lose friends, they get depressed and anxious and it isolates them.
“They can’t talk to other parents because they feel like they’re going to judge them on their parenting skills – this way they can learn and talk to me online and no-one needs to know about it.”
Glenn’s program has been running since 2014 and has helped addicts as young as 13 years old, to 28.
The user-pays online support group costs $17 per week and includes weekly videos, lessons and live question and answer sessions from Glenn.
But Glenn said one of the most important aspects of the support group was exactly that, support from other parents living the same battles.
“The live question and answers work well for the parents who don’t attend live forums and suffer with judgement, it’s a private way of asking questions,” Glenn said.
The tutorials with Glenn touch on how to react to your child and communicate with them without giving off an anxious energy which can result in the child rebelling.
Glenn said his program helped to rebuild relationships between drug addicted youths and their loved ones.
It continues to “stop and save fights” between the two parties.
“Parents message me with different situations and I tell them what to focus on to get the best results,” Glenn said.
Participants are free to exit the support group at any time.
To join, visit: http://youthyouprogram.com/join-new/
