Pubdate: Wed, 18 May 2005
Source: St. Albert Gazette (CN AB)
Copyright: 2005 St. Albert Gazette
Contact:  http://www.stalbertgazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2919
Author: Mark Wells
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?143 (Hepatitis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/oxycontin.htm (Oxycontin/Oxycodone)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

PARENTS STRUGGLE WITH LACK OF ADDICTION TREATMENT

Chris Uttley's heart has been broken more than once by her addicted child.

But her grief reached new depths last weekend, when her 16-year-old 
daughter was found in a north Edmonton drug flophouse, veins coursing with 
morphine and OxyContin, otherwise known as hillbilly heroin.

The street 'graduation' from meth to intravenous drugs dramatically 
increases her daughter's risk of contracting HIV and hepatitis, not to 
mention the complications it will pitch into any further addiction 
recovery. Uttley is at the end of her rope.

"We need more treatment facilities for youth," she pleaded Monday.

Uttley and other parents' involvement in Sherwood Park-based Parents 
Empowering Parents (PEP) is acknowledged by Red Deer MLA Mary-Anne 
Jablonski as a key factor in getting the government to pass the Protection 
of Children Abusing Drugs Act. But PEP hasn't yet reached its simple goal 
of seeing more publicly funded long-term treatment beds for children.

Uttley held hope for a brief while just weeks ago. Her daughter was in 
AADAC treatment for crystal meth addiction. She was supposed to be clean. 
Then it all came crashing down.

"She told me she had been using the whole time," Uttley said.

Shortly after Uttley heard that news, her daughter disappeared into Edmonton.

Uttley goes to Sherwood Park for support because nothing like PEP exists in 
St. Albert. At the meetings she gets support and advice from a counsellor, 
a probation officer and as many as 50 parents dealing with the same issues 
and lobbying the province for help.

AADAC has announced plans to open four additional detox beds and eight 
residential treatment beds this summer, but the children of the PEP parents 
alone could fill those spots twice over. AADAC director of youth services 
Marilyn Mitchell acknowledged there is a demand for the new programming, 
but couldn't say whether it will exceed the space available in the new beds.

"We'll have that conversation six months down the road. I would hope that 
it's enough ... but on other side I would be naive not to say we've been 
looking for these resources," Mitchell said.

The new beds are specifically dedicated to children aged 12 to 17 and are 
accompanied by new programming specific to the needs of crystal meth 
addicts. An equal number of spaces are also being opened in Calgary and 
more have been planned for other parts of the province.

PEP board member Gordon Daniher has the background to provide moral 
support, if nothing else, to parents like Uttley. His 17-year-old daughter 
started using drugs at age 12. Daniher found her using marijuana first and 
he put her into an inner-city Edmonton program for kids with behavioural 
problems. That experience only deepened his daughter's exposure to those 
involved in crime and drugs.

"They taught her to run [drugs], they taught her how to hide in apartments 
and they taught her how to buy drugs," he said. "She was trained to survive 
downtown."

Daniher says if he could go back in time, he would never have put his 
daughter in the program, which he declined to name. Now, he has to deal 
with the mounting costs of private addiction treatment. Though they are 
subsidized by the government, the Daniher family still pays a significant 
portion of the $52,000 cost of her current program.

"She wants to [clean up]. Several times she has tried different things, but 
she also has an abuser who keeps bringing her back, going back and picking 
her up in his car to bring her back to the streets. That's pretty tough."

His daughter hasn't succeeded in AADAC programs available to date -- but 
she has hit "rock bottom" or "the wall." She was raped by her drug-dealing 
boyfriend. Daniher and his wife admitted some relief it happened, because 
the experience drove their daughter back home and into treatment.

Daniher was encouraged at the AADAC announcement, but still felt more needs 
to be done.

"If you took our legislators and had one or two them that have chased their 
kids downtown, that have watched others get buried, it might change a bit," 
he said.

St. Albert Mayor Paul Chalifoux has been approached by a handful of 
parents, Uttley included, who are dealing with addicted children. Their 
stories have sold him on the need for the city to lead a community response.

Since hearing from the parents he has spoken with Capital Health Authority 
Medical Officer of Health Dr. Gerry Predy and, at the invitation of Spruce 
Grove-Sturgeon-St. Albert Tory MLA Doug Horner, observed a Spruce Grove 
workshop to identify gaps in services for troubled youth. Last week, 
Chalifoux directed St. Albert Family and Community Support Services to 
request Horner assist them in organizing a similar forum in St. Albert.

"It's the whole community's awareness. I don't think it has penetrated the 
whole community," Chalifoux said. "We've got to strengthen that awareness 
and identify the gaps."
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MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman