SIGN ME UP TO HELP YOUTH

To the editor:

I have been following the progress of Parry Sound's H.A.R.T. (Helping
Addicts Restore Themselves) initiative since I attended the group's
first meeting. It was with interest that I read the findings of the
recent Building a System study (in the North Star August 9). I am
hoping that the researchers involved in this study, who aim to
"identify and address service gaps in the West Parry Sound catchment
area," as Wednesday's article explains, are as interested in
preventative measures as they seem to be in prescriptive ones. Yes,
Parry Sound needs a detox centre, but our community also needs to
invest its energies in preventing individuals, especially our
vulnerable youth, from developing addictive habits before they spiral
out of control. As the old saying goes, "An ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure."

I may not be a parent, but as a teacher at Parry Sound High School, I
know very well the worry and pain that accompanies the realization
that a promising young person has developed a debilitating addiction
to alcohol or drugs. At H.A.R.T's initial meeting, it broke my heart
to hear two of my former students introduce themselves to the
audience as "recovering addicts." I am certain that every adult in
the audience shared my sense of shame in not having identified their
addictions, and intervened, before they needed the help of a detox
centre. Part of the problem, I think, is the naivete of many adults
when it comes to alcohol and drug addiction. When I came to Parry
Sound, I arrived with the mistaken assumption that small towns don't
have big drug problems. The information I heard at H.A.R.T's first
meeting blew that illusion away; however, I still find it hard to
accept that some grade nine students arrive at our high school
already hooked, on drugs.

It's difficult to understand that for some teens, alcohol and drug
use is not a Saturday-night recreation, but a daily, all-consuming
appetite which destroys the physical and psychological well-being of
smart, talented kids.

The availability of addictive substances to minors, and the ease with
which an individual can access them, is alarming.

Even more mind-boggling is the knowledge that some addictions start
right at home -- a cycle of dependency passed from parent to child.

In the article, Mr. Deane recognizes that PSHS "has done some very
admirable things, but there are other areas where I think they could
be doing better." Sign me up. Following the courageous disclosures of
those two young men to their battles with addiction, I pledged to
work harder to prevent any young person under my influence from
suffering the same ordeal. I know that my colleagues feel the same.
Working together, I am certain that our townspeople can both prevent
the spread of addiction, and facilitate the healing of those who have
already been impacted.

Shannon Mills

Parry Sound