In an effort to combat youth drug and alcohol addiction, several new youth treatment beds have been added to treatment centres in Calgary and Edmonton.

The Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC) officially opened 24 treatment beds for youths aged 12 to 17 years as part of a provincial program for adolescents.

"The strategy is something the government pulled together on how to combat substance abuse addiction," said Tom Mountain, an AADAC youth services counsellor in Calgary. "We wanted to meet the needs of as many Albertans as we could."

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An Airdrie church is partnering with local RCMP this weekend to promote drug awareness in the community.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is holding the drug awareness presentation at the church Saturday at 7 p.m.

"We would like to offer (the presentation) to the community -- to be able to recognize when kids are using drugs, to get treatment and help for that," LDS spokesman Clement Ferland said. "We like to serve the community and serve others."

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AIRDRIE ECHO -- Youth drug use has become an increasingly prevalent problem worldwide and one which is being addressed with more drug treatment programs for young people.

Bosco Homes is a not-for-profit charitable organization for children and adolescents and has been operating in Alberta for 17 years.

"Addictions across the province and across the country have reached epidemic proportions," said Gus Rozycki, the executive director of Bosco Homes. "Kids have big addiction problems."

Approximately 30 per cent of the young people the organization treats have addiction issues, Rozycki said, and lately there has been a significant increase in youths using crystal meth.

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