METH FORUM HEARS STORY OF RECOVERY

One of the tales passed down in Mike Miller's family is about the time
his father sent him to get a beer and, a short time later, found him
passed out under the stairs.

"I mimicked what I saw in my family," Miller said. "The first rule I
learned was that alcohol was good."

Miller was four years old.

Although he had a lot of friends and did well in school, Miller said
he felt different from other kids.

That's why, when someone offered him a drink at age 12, he accepted.
It was the beginning of an addiction that Miller would struggle with
for the rest of his life.

By 15, Miller was selling dope to other kids and when he was 16, he
tried cocaine for the first time. At 18, Miller was fencing items that
other people gave to him for drugs.

That year he also went to jail for his first, and last,
time.

When he was 19, Miller tried heroin for the first time, and was
hooked.

He went through a series of ups and downs, including getting kidnapped
and held hostage in Nanaimo for a few days before he decided he
couldn't take it any more and went to the InnerVisions Recovery Society.

"I kicked, like, 20 heroin habits," Miller said. "I looked in the
mirror and I hated that guy, but he's me and I can't get away from
him."

Miller, 35, is now an addictions worker with InnerVisions and has been
clean for almost three years. He told his story Wednesday night to a
cafeteria full of people at Riverside Secondary.

About 50 people attended the forum, which was put on by the Tri-Cities
Meth Education Task Force, in conjunction with the Society for
Community Development and Port Coquitlam Community Police Stations.
The task force is one of three that were formed following a forum with
the RCMP and professionals last September.

Robb McGirr, a retired Port Moody police officer and associate member
of the B.C. Association of Social Workers, was the keynote speaker for
the evening, and told the crowd that when it comes to drugs, youth
have to be the target for prevention.

"These patterns are typeset in adolescents," he said.

For youth, McGirr said, the most trusted sources of information are
parents, teachers and printed material, in that order. Unfortunately,
most of their information about drugs and alcohol comes from listening
to and watching their peers.

"We have to combat that piece of information," McGirr
said.

When it comes to crystal meth, McGirr said the dialogue has to be
quicker and the response time faster, because the window of
opportunity is short.

"It's a really dirty drug," McGirr said. "It's a bellwether. It's a
stark example of a drug that can quickly cause problems with young
people.

Although meth is the drug being targeted most aggressively, McGirr
reminded the audience that alcohol, marijuana and magic mushrooms are
the most popular drugs with youth.

Most importantly, McGirr said, people can't forget that once meth is
regarded as a "bad" drug, another one will be waiting to come down the
pike. Once crystal meth is out of the limelight, he predicts heroin
will be back.

"It's about all drugs and alcohol," McGirr said.

Port Coquitlam Fire/Rescue assistant fire Chief John Kenyon told
attendees about the community impact of meth, showing slides of busted
meth labs and grow ops, as well as abandoned homes used by addicts and
homeless people.

"We're looking at stuff we've never seen before," Kenyon said. "These
problems are in all of our communities."