A ROAD TO RECOVERY

Finding The Right Peer Group Can Lift Teens Out Of Drug Life

They're young. They're invincible, or so they think. And there's a
lot of experimenting -- often with drugs -- in their teenage lives as
they grope toward maturity.

For some, this initial "trying" drugs jumps from an experiment to a
lifestyle. It's a lifestyle that isn't easily shaken.

"They really struggle," says Susie Girling of the Youth Empowerment
Society (YES), whose five detox beds are the first stop on the rough
road to recovery for many capital region's teens. "They tell me 'I
had to change all my friends.' That's really hard. Your peer group is
important to kids."

It's doubly hard for street kids. Often peers are all they have,
according to Tracey Johns of Victoria Boys and Girls Club, which has
five separate support recovery beds throughout the region plus one detox bed.

"That's their social network," says Johns. They feel disloyal
abandoning it for recovery.

Yet new friends are essential for recovery. The problem is finding
them, according to James Drinkwater, an addictions counsellor in
private practice. "They have to have people they can hang out with
who aren't using."

Vancouver Island has no residential recovery programs for those under
19. Waits at Vancouver's Peak House can stretch to four months for
its eight-week program. Narcotics Anonymous is open to young people,
but many aren't comfortable there because of the age difference.

Ideally, Drinkwater looks for several people -- friends or family --
available on short notice to help the young client through the
inevitable trouble spots. Even just one would do. "One person who
really believes that (the young person) can accomplish the things they want."

Yet those in recovery don't easily reconnect with those from their
pre-drug days. One roadblock is their embarrassment for having a
serious drug or alcohol problem, according to Lisa Roy, a youth and
family counsellor within School District 61.

Also, those in recovery have changed a lot. In some ways, they are
more mature than their earlier friends, making it that much harder to
reconnect.

"They've had to address the issues which made them susceptible to try
crystal meth or alcohol," she says. This means the sort of
soul-searching most other teens put off until later in their lives.

Boredom is a huge problem for young people in recovery, says
Drinkwater. "They need excitement. You can't go to the rave and be clean."

Johns concurs. "Can you imagine being 15 or 16 and you've been
addicted to crack cocaine. How do you picture a Saturday night without it?

"It's hard to compete with a drug that makes them feel good for a short time."

But finding that alternative -- perhaps meditation or high-energy
sports -- isn't easy or a ready fit for all, according to Drinkwater.
Almost wistfully, he says, "I'm hoping there will be a movement of
young people who will aspire to be happy and healthy without drugs."

Total abstinence isn't always easy, says Drinkwater. Instead teens
opt for the harm-reduction mode -- limited use of a less problematic drug.

"Typically, a kid will say, 'Cocaine got me in trouble. I don't have
a problem with pot,' " says Reg Fleming, a Vancouver Island Health
Authority family therapist.

Johns recognizes abstinence is the ideal, but not always practical
with young people. "It's not realistic to say to a kid who uses pot
to cope with depression for me to say 'You can't use at all!' They're
going to say 'OK, goodbye,'" says Johns. Her compromise is no drug
use, possession or paraphernalia in the recovery home.

Fleming recognizes lapses happen, particularly in a society where
invitations to do legal and illegal drugs abound and coping skills
are rarely taught young people.

"It is difficult to make a lifestyle change like this and make it
work. Mistakes happen," says Fleming, aware of the need to keep their
hope alive.

"You can learn from mistakes," he assures clients who assume a slip
kills any chance of recovery. Instead, he'll ask what they thought
tripped them up. If, for example, the client says he missed the drug,
then they'll discuss what it was they missed about it.

"My job is to get the client to think for themselves," he says.

That's something Girling sees happening when young users weigh the
pros and cons of detox and recovery with counsellors. "They end up
telling us they need to quit drugs because it's bad for (them)."

That's a promising start. At the same time, they need to explore the
triggers that might entice them to use again. Counsellors will help
them rehearse responses to trigger situations.

The real challenge comes when they go to parties with friends. They
don't like to say no to drugs. They fear being rejected.

Most friends are supportive, says Fleming. Sometimes their support is
for a questionable reason, according to one young client, who found
his abstaining means "more (drugs) for the rest of them."

Addiction counsellors can't readily peg those who will succeed in
recovery. A promising indicator is how the young person ends up in
recovery. Generally, says Fleming, they are referred by family, the
judicial system and schools.

"Next to mothers, kids are our biggest referral agents," says
Girling. "It means they are taking some responsibility for their
health and well-being."

Fleming is encouraged when a young person arrives with goals such as
finishing Grade 12, getting off probation or getting parents off
their back. The goals should be theirs, and not blindly those of
parents or counsellors.

"You have to start working on the things the kid wants to start
working on at first," one teen told Fleming. "If you do OK at that,
maybe we'll trust you with the more serious stuff."

This might not be just drugs. Fleming cites anxiety and depression
ahead of drugs for bringing young people through the door.

"We find people addicted to drugs, once they give up drugs, they've
other issues," says Drinkwater. It's those issues that next need addressing.