TEENS FUEL CHRISTMAS RUSH FOR HEROIN REHAB

After blazing through his last stash of "recreational" heroin, Frank
Viscount knew he was in trouble.

He was broke, fast-becoming dope sick and his parents were home. Unsure what
to do as his 17-year-old body craved another quick hit, he holed up in his
bedroom to sweat it out.

His church-going parents unknowingly puttered around their Maple Ridge house
as he lay on his bed in the fetal position, knees pressed hard against his
stomach as he fought "super cramps" he thought would never end.

"I think my mom just thought I was lazy," recalled Viscount, now 20 and
recovering from his year spent "chasing the dragon" -- a common term for
smoking heroin.

While Viscount's story is disturbing, it's not that uncommon.

Increased heroin use among so-called regular kids is now fuelling a rush on
the Lower Mainland's rehabilitation services, according to some who work
locally with addicted youth.

"We're seeing more middle-class heroin smokers than ever before," said
addictions consultant Dr. Ray Baker of HealthQuest Comprehensive Care, a
private drug rehabilitation centre in Vancouver.

While there are no statistics on the number of well-heeled youth now looking
for drug counselling and rehabilitation services, some who work in the field
are calling it a Christmas rush.

Local officials have long raised alarm bells about increased heroin use in
some of the Lower Mainland's most unlikely communities -- from West
Vancouver to Port Coquitlam -- so why are we seeing such a fall-out this
season?

"When kids who have their every comfort provided for hit rock bottom, it's
usually prompted by emotional pain, not necessarily obvious signs of
addiction," says Baker, who has seen straight 'A' students and top athletes
who dabble with the highly addictive drug.

While these unlikely users can keep their weekend habit under wraps the rest
of the year, many come clean around Christmas because it's typically an
emotional time.

While affluent families have the option to pack their seriously addicted
teens off to private residential centres in the U.S. those who can
ill-afford it are forced to seek services locally.

Unfortunately, "there aren't enough services to meet the demand," said
Michael Pesut, a counsellor with the Last Door, a government-funded
residential treatment centre. He says there are only about 26
government-funded beds dedicated for youth in the entire province, and only
three of those are for girls.

"It's really sad," he said. "I had a mother call me the other day for her
daughter and I was forced to tell her there was at least an eight-month
wait."

"We need to get service for these kids before they start to gravitate to
Vancouver's Downtown Eastside," says Deputy Minister Mike Corbeil.

While no specific statistics were available on the number of young people
who died from the drug this year, more than 200 accidental heroin overdose
deaths were reported in the first six months of 1998. If that trend
continued, the province's chief coroner believes this year may be the worst
on record since 1993 when over 300 people lost their lives.

"It's not the sort of addiction you can kick on your own," said Viscount.

Checked-by: Rolf Ernst