FORUM SPEAKERS GIVE OVERVIEW OF ISSUES

Twenty-five audience members - parents and youngsters - first listened to a
series of speakers talk about different areas of concern around the issue
of drug and alcohol use among teenagers, then participated in a
question-and-answer period in the Barriere Secondary Library, Feb. 27.

Speakers included Child and Family Therapist Bev MacDonald, Cpl. Bernie
Parent of Barriere RCMP Detachment, Phoenix Centre outreach counselor Donna
Bishop, Dr. Paul Bishop, a Barriere parent to talked about family
experiences, and BSS Principal Gord Davis.

The forum is the result of shared concerns by a number of BSS parents and
was organized through the BSS Parent Advisory Council.

Therapist MacDonald began the evening's presentations by discussing basic
human needs and the particular stresses and challenges of adolescent society.

Teens, she said, are often quite vulnerable and must achieve "a huge pace
of learning in six years or so."

Dr. Bishop, a Kamloops general practitioner whose specialty is addictions,
said 15 per cent of the total population carries a genetic or biological
predisposition toward addiction. He said 90 per cent of the population will
try drugs or alcohol, without long term adverse effect. Dr. Bishop defined
addiction as a disease for which treatment exists.

Cpl. Parent said while Barriere is not a hotbed of drug and alcohol abuse,
it is like many other communities. There is a problem, he said.

Parent praised the program establishing a Drug Free Zone around Barriere
Secondary, and said he and the detachment have high hopes the DARE (Drug
Abuse Resistance Education) program, now in its second year targeting Grade
5s at Barriere Elementary, will better arm Barriere youth to resist
drug-related behaviours.

"Alcohol ends up being a big part of our job here, especially in the
summertime," he said, adding that teen bush parties are a continuing
concern because of the incidence of risk-taking behaviour accompanying
those events.

Phoenix Centre out-reach drug and alcohol counselor Donna Bishop said the
single biggest complaint she hears from the Barriere adolescents who pass
through her office is "boredom." Bishop said more facilities would provide
more options for young people, but she also said youngsters' alcohol and
drug-related behaviour (or avoidance thereof) will reflect the behaviour of
their role models.

"You can't ask your kids not to do something if you yourself are doing it,"
she said.

Barriere Secondary Principal Gord Davis told the group the school's policy
is "zero tolerance" of drug or alcohol related behaviours on the school
grounds.

That means sending home kids who appear (or smell) as though they have been
indulging in marijuana.

He and others encouraged parents to check on their children's whereabouts
and activities, even though adolescents may discourage parents calling to
check or appearing at school dances.

"No child has yet died of embarrassment," he added.