ESCAPE ROUTE FROM 'METH'

Youth Detox Helps Teens Battle Addiction

Within three weeks of arriving in Victoria, she was a 16-year-old
crystal meth addict.

Emily -- we'll call her Emily -- had been doing drugs since 14, but
nothing had got a grip on her like this. "I was addicted to it the
first time I did it."

She used heavily for five months, lost contact with her family,
stopped going to school. Didn't eat, didn't sleep, was full-out wired.
Emily tried to quit, more than once, but couldn't. She spiralled down
in flames, out of control. "It got to the point where I was going to
do anything for it."

Then one day, Emily found herself walking around with a bacterial
infection on her face -- a common result, she says, of the witches'
brew of chemicals found in crystal methamphetamine. "I woke up and
said 'what am I doing?'"

That's when, with the help of her old school counsellor, she turned to
Victoria's Specialized Youth Detox.

"I was there for 11 days." Physical withdrawal, with its aches, shakes
and wild mood swings, was followed by plenty of support after she left.

Emily got a cleaning job, went back to high school, graduated with
honours, got a scholarship to Camosun College. Now aged 20, she is
headed into social work, is a success story. Not everyone is so lucky,
or determined, or has the help necessary to escape the wave of crystal
meth washing over the city.

On this day, Emily is on lower Yates Street, up in the rambling
offices of the Youth Empowerment Society, which runs the youth detox.

The detox opened in 2000 -- two beds, 11 days a month. Last year, as
demand grew, the Vancouver Island Health Authority came up with the
money to expand and keep it open 365 days a year, around the clock --
four beds in an old character home, plus another in a family setting.

It's free to anyone who is 13 to 18 years old and in need of
withdrawal, but not hospitalization. Referrals can come from anyone,
but admission to the detox must be voluntary. The typical stay is
seven to 10 days, but that's just the start.

"The people who stay clean long term are the people who have long-term
support," says Chris Goble, the youth detox co-ordinator.

One of the keys is addressing other needs at the same time: housing,
health, education. YES runs a drop-in centre, a drug-and-alcohol
outreach service, programs for sexually exploited youth and those in
need of life skills. It can refer teens to places like the Kiwanis
Emergency Youth Shelter. "It's so much more than just detox."

The full-time, larger youth detox got up to speed (no pun intended) in
September. Demand fluctuates, but is generally high, and Goble said he
can't see it decreasing.

Withdrawal is tough. "It's not what you typically think when you see
Hollywood, but it's not easy, either." Heroin addicts will endure
diarrhea and vomiting. Cocaine users get the shakes and symptoms like
a bad flu. Those addicted to crystal meth plunge into a deep,
prolonged sleep, then go on an emotional roller coaster ride that
gradually flattens out.

Many, perhaps most, people entering detox also wrestle with such
issues as depression, panic, anxiety, eating disorders, suicide.

"We see a lot of concurrent disorders," says Goble, things that need
addressing at the same time as the physical addiction.

Meth users accounted for 100 of the 154 people who were referred to
the detox between its expansion and the end of 2003 (though, unlike
adults, who tend to stick with one intoxicant, teens often dine at the
smorgasbord: meth, GHB, pot, alcohol, Ecstasy, whatever.) Girls make
up almost two-thirds of the meth users. The average age is 16. Imagine
that.

Why so many girls? Blame body image. "Crystal meth is a quick diet,"
says Goble. Users can lose 30 pounds in a month. They can also lose
kidney, liver, heart and lung function, as well as their sanity.

"They think they can control it and they can't," says Goble. "With
crystal meth, things fall apart really quickly." It can go zero-to-60
in lightning speed, from weekend party to full-blown addiction. Kids
will still be going to school, playing sports, even as things spiral
out of control.

Emily can attest to that. She came from back East, where crystal meth
was relatively rare, to Victoria, which is ankle-deep in the stuff.
"It's a hard drug and it's rampant," she says. It's dirt cheap -- $10
a flap -- and the effects are incredibly long-lasting. It took no time
at all for Emily to get hooked.

"I never felt so not in control of my life as I did then," she said.
"You lose your appetite and you stay up for days." Sleep deprivation
took a heavy toll. Like a car being driven pedal to the metal, all the
time, meth pushes mind and body past the breaking point, increasing
heart rate, blood pressure and the risk of stroke.

Permanent psychological damage can include paranoid or delusional
thinking. Emily has seen the effects first-hand: "I have a friend who
has become schizophrenic from using crystal meth."

It's amazing how readily available it is, all over town. "It's easily
accessible. I can't believe the number of people who are into it."

She has a friend whose sister has been hooked since age 14. An addict
so young would have been a rarity a couple of years ago. "Now it's not
a surprise to see someone that young. They're getting younger and
younger, which is scary."

They also come from all over the demographic. Forget the image of the
baggy-butted teens hanging around Crack Corner. Think of the
university student looking for that extra edge at exam time.

"We get kids from private schools and we get kids from public
schools," says Goble. "We get kids from two-parent families and we get
kids from one-parent families. It crosses all socio-economic
boundaries."

Emily speaks glowingly of the youth detox staff who helped her. "They
don't make you feel like they're the reason you're stopping."

But she says getting clean -- and staying clean -- requires broad
support: parents, friends, professional counsellors.

You must be able to turn to people who aren't in the lifestyle. It's
too easy to get sucked back in if your friends are using.

"I had a lot of low self-esteem from it, and it took a while to build
that back up." Doing well in school, diverting her energies to her
studies, helped. So did having great teachers and the services of the
Youth Empowerment Society.

If you -- or someone you know -- can use the help of the youth detox,
call YES at 383-3514.