Pubdate: Wed, 09 Nov 2005 Source: Parry Sound North Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2005, Parry Sound North Star Contact: http://www.parrysoundnorthstar.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1618 Author: Stephannie Johnson Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) ANTI-DRUG GROUP WANT LOCAL DETOX PARRY SOUND - At the second public meeting of Helping Addicts Restore Themselves (HART) on October 27, the board committed to the tasks of creating a drug-free district and getting a detox centre here in the region. The group of about 35 had the same message as it did at the first meeting: Get drugs and the dealers off our streets, and provide immediate help for addicts. HART is made up of a board of parents who have, or had, a child struggling with substance abuse. The group was formed earlier this year following the suicide of 18-year-old MacKenzie Stevenson, who was fighting a drug addiction. West Parry Sound OPP detective constable Jeff Betts was invited by MacKenzie's mother, Angela Moffatt, to attend the meeting and answer drug-or substance-related questions. The questions included: What is the most prevalent drug in the region? Where can addicts go for immediate help? What preventive measures can be taken? What abnormal behaviours should parents look for that might indicate that their children are addicted? Const. Betts listed OxyContin, crack cocaine and marijuana as among the most popular drugs among local addicts. OxyContin is a habit-forming prescription drug used for the treatment of moderate to severe pain. When used as prescribed in tablet form, it is a powerful pain reliever. Abusers often crush the tablets and inhale the powder. "Most prevalent are the prescription drugs," said Const. Betts. "They're the most addictive drug out there. And the government picks up the tab. Oxy is the most popular drug in town and is highly addictive. People who come off it without help have told me that it's like the flu times seven. They feel like crap." People who do seek help to get off of OxyContin often use methadone treatments to curb the withdrawal symptoms addicts would suffer if they quit the drug cold-turkey. The methadone is provided to the addict by a pharmacist weekly, by prescription. "Here the pharmacies have 11 people on methadone treatment. Two years ago, there was only one person," said Const. Betts, adding that the spike in drug abuse is the same in other small towns. HART chair Gail MacDonald said that many children, like her eldest daughter who is now in recovery, will try drugs, but only a few will become addicted. "They're doing it to try it, they're doing it to experiment, to have a good time. I've never heard a teenager say, 'When I grow up, I want to be a drug addict,'" said Ms MacDonald. "Teenagers are a different species," said MacKenzie Stevenson's mother, Ms Moffatt. "You've got to know your kids, know what's normal for them. Get to know their personality, what's different and out of the ordinary." HART's board complied a list of 40 signs for which to look if parents suspect that their child is abusing drugs. While the group acknowledged that at one time or another many teens exhibit some of these behaviours, more than two or three of the signs could mean that they're struggling with a drug addiction. Among the indicators on the list are lack of motivation, sudden increase or decrease in appetite, overly tired or hyperactive, pin-point or dilated pupils, withdrawal, poor self-image and lying. Roger Desmarais, a long-time counsellor with Addiction Outreach Muskoka-Parry Sound said that all of the symptoms that parents cited as signs of addiction in their children are very plausible. "A lot of those are signs of problems that are not automatically related to drugs," said Mr. Desmarais. "But as you get down into the red glassy eyes, the drug paraphernalia, the increased need for money and loss of personal belongings, those definitely point to a problem. Of course, some of those signs will depend on the drug they're taking. Those should be wake-up calls for parents to find out what the hell is going on with their kids." There is currently no detox centre in the Parry Sound area, and this has been a bone of contention for HART board members. Ms MacDonald says that she has been driving many adolescents to detox centres in North Bay, Barrie and Sudbury to receive immediate treatment. However, for anyone seeking immediate counselling, both Addiction Outreach and Narcotics Anonymous have 24-hour crisis help lines here. (Provide the phone numbers here.) Even though there is no way to ensure that young people stay drug-free throughout their adolescence, Const. Betts recommends that parents continue to nurture their children and communicate with them. Keeping those lines open will help the child to feel more at ease about coming to parents for help, Const. Betts said. "Take more of an interest in your kids. Spend time with your son, spend time with your daughter," he said. "If you took them bowling when they were little, take them now. They probably still like it, but won't admit it." No date has been set for the next HART public meeting. Ms MacDonald said that the group is currently collecting donations to try to get a speaker into Parry Sound High School to talk to students about drug addiction. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek