Pubdate: Tue, 31 Jan 2006
Source: StarPhoenix, The (CN SN)
Copyright: 2006 The StarPhoenix
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/saskatoon/starphoenix/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/400
Author: Matt Kruchak

FOCUS ON LEGAL VICES: EXPERT

Tobacco, Gambling,Alcohol Cause Problems

Cocaine or card games? Crystal meth or cigarettes? Marijuana or rye 
whisky? Our society needs to focus on legal vices rather than the 
illicit, according to an expert in the field.

"Most of our addiction problems occur with behaviours from legal 
substances -- tobacco, alcohol and gambling," said Wayne Skinner, 
deputy clinical director in the addictions program at the Centre for 
Addictions and Mental Health, Ontario.

Skinner was keynote speaker at Moving Forward, a national conference 
on substance abuse that started Monday in Saskatoon and runs until 
Wednesday. He said addictions to legal vices have become endemic and 
the problem needs to be public. "It's not just a problem for 
government but a problem for communities, it's a civic issue," he 
said. "We all need to be thinking about what's the balance here and 
what has to be done about it, because really, what are governments 
but the reflections of the will of the communities?"

The group of people with severe addiction is the size of a shot glass 
compared to the rest of the population, but the problems facing 
society aren't pint-sized, because they affect everyone.

A study done in Ontario found that 10 per cent of people who consume 
alcohol are problem drinkers, Skinner said. That small group of 
people drinks enough to contribute more than 50 per cent of alcohol 
revenue, he said. Another study done in Ontario suggests that while 
only five per cent of gamblers have moderate to severe problems, 
those people contribute 35 per cent of casino revenues, he said.

Skinner said what concerns him is the minority of people who supply a 
sizable amount of revenue to the government. What needs to be 
examined at is how much cash goes back into helping those with a problem.

"I think what the province and First Nations have said is that they 
want to utilize gaming and utilize alcohol sales for funding of 
programs, but we want to do that in a way that doesn't actually harm 
individuals," said Graham Addley, the provincial minister of healthy 
living services.

He said the answer is the Premier's Project Hope, a three-year plan 
to prevent and treat substance abuse.

Skinner said the program focuses on prevention. Another appealing 
aspect is that the project includes many disciplines in its approach, 
such as criminal justice, health care and social services, along with 
the substance abuse system, he said.

Dealing with addictions goes beyond the traditional approach of 
treatment, Addley said, adding that the majority of addictions can be 
prevented. He said the stereotypes related to addiction need to be 
dismantled, making it "easier for people to say, 'this is a problem 
in my life.' "
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman