Pubdate: Fri, 27 Sep 2002
Source: Nunatsiaq News (CN NU)
Copyright: 2002 Nortext Publishing Corporation
Contact:  http://www.nunatsiaq.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/694
Author: Jim Bell

OKALIK SHARES OWN TALE WITH WORLD ADDICTIONS FORUM

"My optimism is personal," Nunavut premier says

Nunavut Premier Paul Okalik: "My name is Paul and I am an alcoholic."

Paul Okalik brought his own inspiring tale of addiction and recovery to the 
opening in Montreal this week of the first worldwide forum on drugs and 
dependencies.

Nunavut's premier opened the week-long international gathering, which 
attracted more than 3,000 delegates from about 50 countries to Montreal's 
Palais de Congres, with a dramatic declaration: "My name is Paul and I am 
an alcoholic."

Because he overcame his dependency on alcohol, Okalik said, he's optimistic 
that other Nunavummiut can do it too, despite what he called the "daunting 
challenges" that substance abuse poses for the Nunavut government.

"My optimism is personal. I have known dependency," Okalik told forum 
participants. "In Nunavut, I have made no pretense about my past. I am a 
recovering alcoholic and I am able to say that last June marked 11 years of 
sobriety for me. I am able to say to Nunavummiut that I am working at it 
and so can you."

Called the "World Forum on Drugs, Dependencies and Society," the gathering 
was backed by the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the 
International Labour Office, and a long list of governments, research 
institutes, law enforcement agencies, and non-governmental organizations.

Delegates looked at the social, economic, and environmental effects of 
drugs and dependencies such as gambling, and shared information through a 
long list of workshops and presentations.

They also reviewed implementation of the 1998 United Nations Declaration on 
Drug Demand Reduction and implementation of the 2001 U.N. Declaration on 
HIV/AIDS.

Okalik told delegates that the strengths of Nunavut's communities and 
families helped him overcome his dependency. He later went back to school, 
graduated from university, graduated from law school, became a lawyer, ran 
for office, and became leader of the government of Nunavut.

"In battling my dependency I was not alone," Okalik said. "I had the strong 
support of family and friends. I returned to my roots, my home community of 
Pangnirtung, and sought strength in the network of close-knit families. I 
embraced the tradition of reverence for elders and inter-generational 
caring. So I am optimistic about the future."

He told delegates, however, that in Nunavut the situation is not always so 
optimistic.

"The statistics documented within our health, justice and social services 
portfolios indicate that Nunavut has many serious challenges in terms of 
levels of debilitating illnesses, chronic suicide and addiction problems, 
low education and high unemployment, severe housing shortages and 
escalating crime rates. All these challenges have a direct and/or indirect 
impact on mental health," Okalik said.

Addictions are most prevalent in Nunavummiut younger than 30, especially 
those between the ages of 25 and 29, but closely followed by those aged 20 
to 24, Okalik said.

The binge use of alcohol, marijuana, glue, solvents and narcotics is the 
most common form of substance abuse in Nunavut, Okalik said.

"But these are more than just dry statistics. They represent real people in 
our communities. They are our neighbours, our friends and our families: 
Inuit and non-Inuit," Okalik said.

He told delegates that Nunavut has no addictions and mental health 
treatment programs, and that the justice system often becomes a substitute 
treatment provider for people with dependencies.

"Current services, where they exist, rely almost exclusively on the 
staffing mix and service models that were developed before the creation of 
Nunavut," Okalik said.

To cope with all that, Nunavut is at the very beginning, Okalik said, but 
is starting with the addictions and mental health strategy that his 
government approved last spring.

He said the government is working to strengthen the skills of Inuit 
counsellors in communities. "Treatment must be a community effort and 
local, trained counsellors are a vital link in the process," Okalik said.

Some new efforts include the creation of a detoxification centre, a 
residential psychiatric treatment centre, and a system of referring clients 
to the addictions treatment centre in Kuujjuaq. The Kuujjuaq treatment 
centre is now the only one in Canada that's able to serve Inuit in Inuktitut.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens