STUDY: SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN B.C. RISING

Thousands of British Columbians are literally drinking, drugging and
smoking themselves to death, says a five-year snapshot of substance
abuse by the University of Victoria's Centre for Addictions Research
of B.C.

The picture is particularly dismal on Vancouver Island where, unlike
some other areas of the province, the number of alcohol-related deaths
is increasing, said CARBC director Tim Stockwell.

"There are considerable regional variations in trends. ...Vancouver
Island has shown an upward trend," he said.

The report estimates that between 2002 and 2006 in B.C, 4,431 deaths
were caused by alcohol, 1,814 were caused by illicit drugs and 22,972
by tobacco.

Between 2003 and 2007 there were 89,065 hospitalizations caused by
alcohol, 22,381 by illicit drugs and 134,441 by tobacco. That shows a
36.6 per cent increase over the period in people taken to hospital
because of illicit drugs, 3.4 per cent increase for alcohol and 7.8
per cent decrease for tobacco-related hospital visits.

Victoria is also singled out as the centre where illegal drug use is
more likely to be cocaine and crack cocaine, compared to Vancouver
where amphetamines, crystal meth, heroin and magic mushrooms are more
popular.

High-risk groups surveyed in all areas of the province-- such as
intravenous drug users and recreational club drug users -- said most
drugs were easy to obtain, the report says.

Cocaine use is a problem for users and for the health-care system,
especially when mixed with alcohol, Stockwell said.

"It can trigger psychotic episodes when people go on a binge," he
said.

The combination tends to "completely mess up" the nervous system,
Stockwell said.

"They complement each other so beautifully and so disastrously and
people end up using more of both."

But, while figures of illicit drug use are eye-catching and alarming,
Stockwell does not want anyone to lose sight of the alcohol-related
figures.

Those ending up in hospital are not the traditional street alcoholics
with liver failure, he said.

"Most of the deaths would not be people you would recognize as
alcoholics. There are 60 different ways in which alcohol can kill you,
even at a relatively low level," he said.

Almost a dozen types of cancer are linked to alcohol and half a bottle
of wine a day should be regarded as risky, Stockwell said.

On Vancouver Island in 2007, the report estimates 410 people per
100,000 were hospitalized because of alcohol use.

Alan Campbell, Vancouver Island Health Authority director for mental
health and addictions services, said the study, unfortunately, does
not contain many surprises.

"We have been aware for some time of the trend in the increase in
legal and illegal drugs. It is part of the health burden," he said.

Campbell would like to see more education around the risks of alcohol
use.

"Even moderate alcohol use is a problem, and our society has not
really looked at it," he said.

Since the study was completed last year, VIHA has been putting its
energy into groups at high risk of illicit drug use and outreach teams
are working with the street population, Campbell said.

"We are certainly aware that psychotic episodes can be triggered by
drug use," he said.

Another problem in which people are ending up in local hospitals comes
from the increasing purity of some illegal drugs, Campbell said.

"It may have a surprising effect on users. They take cocaine and have
a couple of beer and wow. We are seeing those cases in Victoria."

To see the report go to www.carbc.ca