TEENS GET HELP WITH DRUG ISSUES

Drugs and Alcohol Can Be Big Issues in High School.

Nanaimo secondary students now have a counsellor on hand to talk to
about their problems or peer pressures surrounding these issues.

Since last October, the ADAPT Society (Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Prevention and Treatment) has been sending drug and alcohol
counsellors to all of the high schools in the district for a few
hours each week.

Adrian Maisonneuve goes to Nanaimo District secondary school and
Wellington secondary school in order to be more available to kids
when they need to talk to someone or have questions about drugs.

"There's each of us counsellors at one of the high schools," he said.
"The schools have been really great in the last year or so towards
making us comfortable there."

He said having counsellors come in to the schools is important
because that is where drug and alcohol problems are first recognized
- - the symptoms of drug or alcohol use often show up in the form of
grades dropping or classes being skipped frequently.

"We're in their schools and we can be there in that moment when they
need to talk to somebody," said Maisonneuve. "My goal is just to have
a very safe school for people."

What is worrisome to the counsellor is how pervasive drugs and
alcohol seem to be in both schools - during school hours especially.

"The majority of the time I see pot becoming really entrenched in the
every day activities of students," Maisonneuve said. "The smoke pit
seems to be a really bothersome place for advancing the use of drugs
and alcohol."

He said he talked with one 14-year-old girl who told him the subtle
peer pressure is hard to avoid, because once you say no, you are put
in a different light from the other teenagers.

"If everybody's doing it, it makes it hard to stay away from it,"
said Maisonneuve.

Students often come in to talk about problems with family members or
friends as well, he said.

Maisonneuve tries to make his services available during all four
blocks, coming in twice weekly at both schools.

At Wellington, he shares an office with the school liaison officer
and at NDSS, an office in the counselling department is made
available for him during his time there.

Lisa Peace, vice-principal at Wellington secondary, said having an
alcohol and drug counsellor on the school premises has had a positive effect.

"One of the things that really works is that he's placed right in the
school," she said. "It's a safe, trusting environment, it's confidential."

She said she has students who have received a drug suspension go to
Maisonneuve and he provides them with help to work towards positive change.