STUDENTS GET LESSON IN ADDICTIONS

SUTHERLANDS RIVER - Tammy Kontuk doesn't go around scaring people
about drug use; that's not her way.

She'd rather educate.

That's what she did with the help of her model brain, quaintly named
'Herman', on Thursday afternoon at East Pictou Middle School with a
group of Grade 9 students from East Pictou and Thorburn Consolidated
schools.

Kontuk, a youth clinical therapist with Addiction Services, presented
a broad-ranging talk to the assembly at first answering submitted
questions and then branching out.

"Addiction at the very core is a brain disease," she said while using
'Herman' to illustrate this point. "We view it kind of like diabetes
or heart disease."

She explained how the "bright side" of addiction attracts and before
long the "dark side" takes over. She said drugs lead users into the
trap of needing more and more just to get back to a normal state, not
even approaching a 'high' anymore.

"The body's always trying to stay in balance because that's how we
function best."

She continued on that theme and said drugs mess up the brain's
pleasure centres.

"Eventually drugs don't bring you pleasure either."

Kontuk said the most common drugs for adults are alcohol, cannabis and
tobacco while for teens the order is cannabis, alcohol and tobacco. A
recent Nova Scotia student survey (2007) said 81 per cent of Grade 9
students didn't use cannabis while 17 per cent said they used it less
than daily; 51 per cent of Grade 9 students used alcohol in the past
year while 49 per cent didn't drink at all and 82 per cent of Grade 9
students didn't smoke tobacco in the past year and 18 per cent smoked
a bit.

Some might wonder why an addictions therapist would be speaking to 14
year olds.

"The younger that people start using drugs, the higher their risk of
developing an addictive disorder. Most people with addiction problems
got their start between 12 and 14 years of age," Kontuk said after her
talk.

One of those 14 year olds that was in the audience was Racheal
Campbell. She said she was more knowledgeable leaving the gym than
entering.

"I learned a lot about what drugs do. I didn't really know that
Addiction Services was there. If I knew someone that was using drugs
I'd tell them what Addiction Services was in case they got hooked on
drugs."

If there was one main message that Kontuk could leave with the
students it's the simple one that drugs have a long-term effect.

"Addiction steals your pleasure in life, steals your enjoyment. It's
the ultimate 'buy now pay later'."

But also, equally importantly, Kontuk wants people to know that help
is nearby.

"Help is available and accessible."

Addiction Services can be reached at 755-7017.