DRUG USER AT AGE 8

Parents must warn their elementary school-aged children about the
dangers of street drugs, a parenting conference heard on Saturday.

Cara Skjaveland's youngest brother was only eight years old when he
started using marijuana. Their 14-year-old brother, also a user,
bought the drugs through friends at school.

The younger boy turned to harder drugs to get a fix. By the age of
14, he was into crystal meth.

He also experimented with mushrooms and drank gasoline.

Two years later, he required outside intervention.

"We literally took my brother out of Red Deer and put him into a
(rehabilitation) program in Calgary," said Skjaveland at the Living
and Learning: Creating Possibilities for Parents conference at
Hunting Hills High School.

He spent eight months in recovery at the Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre.

Her younger brother has been clean for more than two years, but he
has another hill to climb. He was recently diagnosed with schizophrenia.

The family wonders if drugs increased his risk of mental illness.

"I want to make sure that the things that have happened to my family
don't happen to others," said Skjaveland, 20.

She urged parents to be well-informed about drugs. But she also told
them not to feel blame for their children's choices.

"A lot of people point the fingers at the parents," said Skjaveland.
"They are not the only ones raising their kids."

Presenter Mike Ryan reflected how easy it was for him to fall into drugs.

At 13, he was badly injured in a motorcycle crash.

Ryan became addicted to morphine, a narcotic used for pain, while
recovering in hospital.

He ran away from home and before long, he was selling hard drugs.
Ryan committed armed robberies to help feed his addiction.

Eighteen years ago, he quit his life of drugs and crime.

In 2002, Ryan started CleanScene Network for Youth Society, an
Edmonton-area organization that teaches people about the dangers of drug abuse.

During Saturday's talk, explained what each drug is made of and why
people are attracted to it.

Crystal meth is often the drug of choice for those who want less
sleep or weight loss, he said.

"People also need to know that teeth can fall out and that there's
tremors and convulsions," Ryan said. "They need to know all the
things that can happen."

Parents should talk with their children about drugs as soon as they
understand how to make choices, he said.

Red Deer Public School's City-Wide School Council committee sponsored
its first parenting conference. It included free sessions on
bullying, outdoor safety and post-secondary options.

Conference co-ordinator Janessa Wade said about 60 parents showed up
to learn more about issues facing today's children and the community
resources available to them.