A TINY RAY OF SUNSHINE FOR ADDICTS

Red Deer North MLA Mary Anne Jablonski has done this province a great
favour by reaching out to parents at their wits' end when dealing
with children zonked out on drugs.

Parents' love for their children is unconditional. They will go above
and beyond the call of duty to protect a child, and expect nothing in
return, other than knowing they tried their best. There is no greater
pain on earth for a parent than to see a child suffering and in
desperate need of professional help.

A compassionate Jablonski demonstrated such insight in the family
when she introduced an emotion-charged private member's bill in March
2005. It allows parents to apply to the provincial government to
forcibly confine a child hooked on drugs to a detox centre.

It's a tough-love approach, but one deemed necessary by Jablonski,
who was reduced to tears when introducing the bill in the legislature.

So far, confinement orders have been granted for 28 children, five
from Central Alberta. The new law is called the Protection of
Children Abusing Drugs Act. It allows parents or guardians to have a
minor child apprehended and confined to a detox centre for five days.

A short stint in detox cannot miraculously turn every child around.
But it's a start. The child might pick up something that plants a
seed of thought in mind, which could eventually lead to the eye
opener of a lifetime.

It's also to be expected that children will revolt against the-powers
of the new law, and hold parents personally responsible for their
self-induced clouded hell on earth.

Parents in that position understand that in a world of drug
addiction, there is no room for rational thinking.

Last week, a Central Alberta mother bared her soul in an Advocate
story, revealing her own personal hell in dealing with a
17-year-old-son blitzed on cocaine.

Although her son's case is far from a success story so far -- he's
back on the coke -- his mom has great praise for the new law.

Her son was given a rude awakening when police pulled him out of bed
and placed him into detox confinement for five days.

Not long after his stint, he was back on cocaine. But the mom said
the detox was the start of something good.

"I see a little, tiny ray of sunshine."

When a child is controlled by drugs, a parent loses control. The new
law shifts the equilibrium and affords families that "tiny ray of sunshine."

This teen's time in detox was also healthy for the family, giving
them a few days of respite.

It was well-earned. Her teenage son has threatened to kill himself in
front of her-with a kitchen knife. Drugs kept him awake for days at a
time and his mood swings were brutal. "He was out of it. He was so
bad. He'd come home in the morning and stay in bed all day. I think
he knew how bad off he was.

"That drug has such a hold on him."

His self-esteem plummeted.

He stole money from her bank account and has been a frequent visitor
to court, once serving a week and a half in a youth remand centre.

"They get so far down the road, they think there's no coming back,"
said the mom.

Most parents dreams of seeing their children grow up in a
healthy-environment and make their lives successful.

But addictions happen, for whatever reason. Ultimately, the decision
for rehabilitation rests on the shoulder of the victim. Often, those
decisions are not made over night -- or during five days in rehab.

Sometimes it takes a good smack-to the side of the head with a canoe
paddle to open one's eyes to reality. To that end, the Central
Alberta mom said the new law should allow for more than five days of
confinement to give children a better chance to begin to turn their
lives around.

Jablonski initially sought longer terms of confinement based on the
pleas of parents.

She expected some parents would find problems with the five-day rule
but she has not given up the fight for tougher rules and longer confinement

In the meantime, parents are urged to take advantage of this new law.
From the outside, it may appear to be harsh. But when the future of
a child could rest in their hands, tough love is the rule to follow.

Rick Zemanek is an Advocate editor.