ADDICT'S STORY 'SOBERING'

Staring into the face of a man obviously scarred by his drug
addiction and suicide attempts left many Black Diamond residents with
a new viewpoint regarding the dangers of drugs.

Students and the public attended the Slaying the Dragon conference on
Sept. 29 and 30 presented by the Black Diamond FCSS, AADAC and RCMP.

Keynote speaker David Parnell from Tennessee spoke about being
addicted to crystal meth for seven years before attempting suicide,
shooting himself under the chin with an assault rifle, blowing his face apart.

On Friday, Sept. 29, approximately 200 Grade 9 to 12 students at
Oilfields High School in Black Diamond listened to Parnell's first
hand account of how his choices left him broken both physically and mentally.

Oilfields students asked questions for about half an hour after the
presentation.

"They were quite intrigued and I think a lot of them were frightened
by what they heard and saw," said Oilfields principal Tom Pitoulis.
"I don't think many of them realized how dangerous the drugs are."

He said the presentation showed the students that their choices can
have direct and dire consequences.

"I think it was quite a sobering event for the kids," Pitoulis said.

Grade 12 student Jessica Nelson agreed that Parnell's presentation
left an impact on herself and her fellow students.

"It was straight to the point and very honest," Nelson said. "It
caught your attention really well and was easy to understand. This
was a real life situation."

She added that his speech showed how easily an addiction can begin.

"He said it started with drinking, then he went to pot and then
meth," Nelson said. "I think it made them (students) go, 'I should
stop at the first step instead of going to the end with harder drugs'."

Parnell also left an impact on those who attended Saturday's session,
including Const. Chuck MacDonald from the Calgary Drug Section who
also spoke at the event. "It's fantastic the courage they showed,"
MacDonald said. "Those are the type of people we need to talk to our
young people."

He said Parnell showed that teens who have hopes and dreams can take
a different path by making a few mistakes.

"A lot of kids are good athletes, but do drugs on the weekend and
don't think about their actions into the future," MacDonald said.
"Mr. Parnell is one of those 'what ifs' that came to life. That's
what these teenagers need to hear. Rarely do you have people who
survive and come out of that kind of lifestyle."

Mike Ryan from Edmonton also shared his account of drug abuse. Ryan
turned to robbing jewelry stores and banks to support his drug habit
and eventually served time in prison. Continued on page 17

MacDonald said that Ryan's story, while it wasn't as drastic as
Parnell's, showed that suicide is one potential consequence of drug
use and a life of crime is another.

MacDonald shared with the public at the conference his part in the
fight against drugs and brought his police dog Moose, a 23-month-old black lab.

He said he wanted to let people know that RCMP are actively working
on drug cases.

"We're out there trying to stop the flow of drugs. It takes everyone
working together," MacDonald said. "It's not a problem I see as going
away soon, I think it's one we're going to be battling for years."

MacDonald said the conference will have a lasting affect on him as he
continues his part in fighting drugs.

"It helped me to want to continue to do the job I do by taking drugs
off the street," MacDonald said. "It reinforced my dedication to my
job when I meet people like Dave (Parnell) and Mike (Ryan). It gave
me a little bit more empathy for street users."

Cathy Vickery, outreach worker with Eagle Women's Emergency Shelter,
attended the conference along with another outreach worker from the
shelter. She described Parnell's speech as amazing and said he was
definitely the day's highlight.

"The slides he showed were graphic, but they made you stop and think
about them," Vickery said, adding that the conference will now help
her at work. "My knowledge on crystal meth was very limited, so it
was good for me to recognize signs and symptoms of people using
crystal meth. I hadn't realized it was that widespread. I couldn't
believe the garbage that goes into it and why anyone would put that
in their body."

She added that information from the conference should also help
parents who are concerned about their teenagers.

Speakers also included Sgt. Donna Hansen, the drug awareness
coordinator for southern Alberta, Judy Walbridge, an addictions
counsellor with AADAC who works in High River and Marvin Van Haaften
who is Iowa's drug policy coordinator and director of the office of
drug control policy.

The premier's wife Colleen Klein, who is the chair of the premier's
task force on crystal meth and the honourary chair of Alberta's
Promise, also made a guest appearance.