WINNERS QUIT

Through His TV Show Drug Class and In-School Lessons, Rand Teed Has
Helped Many Teens Get Clean and Sober.

The euphoria was addictive. So was the attention he got from friends
and classmates.

But former art teacher Rand Teed did what so many find impossible. He
quit drinking, stopped smoking marijuana and swore off pharmaceuticals.

"It took me six years to get through high school because I was just
having way too much fun," says Teed. "I got into a ton of trouble."

Teed talks easily about one his life's greatest triumphs because it's
been in the rear-view mirror for so long. Today, he's a drug
counsellor in his 60s who specializes in treating young people. He
also oversees www.drugclass.ca, an ever-changing website that serves
as a portal for information about drugs and alcohol. The site is a
labour of love for Teed, the host of Drug Class, the Regina-produced
TV show that follows young people going through addiction treatment.
The show also highlights Teed's work as a teacher in the classroom.
The website, which gets corporate and government money, generates lots
of traffic - it's common for Teed to spend his morning helping a
frightened parent from Scandinavia or answering questions about
addiction from an American teen.

The son of a pharmacist, Teed was raised in Lumsden where his affinity
for drug and booze started early. Curiosity led him to alcohol and
working part-time at his dad's store meant it was easy to find
prescription drugs, mostly uppers like amphetamines and downers like
pain medication with serious sedative properties.

"I was like any kid. I wanted to see what getting drunk was all
about," says Teed, whose family name comes from the United Empire
Loyalists. He was named Rand after a river in Africa.

Teed took his first drink when he was 12. (In Saskatchewan, the
average age for a child's first taste of booze is 11).

He quickly discovered he enjoyed alcohol's effect - since drugs and
alcohol release dopamine in the brain, drinking put him in a good mood
and lowered his inhibitions, prompting him to make decisions he
wouldn't make while sober.

"I didn't like the immediate results because I would throw up. But I
liked the being drunk bit because I didn't care about anything. But
the one thing that happened to me, which is what happens to lots of
kids, - I got more attention.

"I would come back to school after the weekend and people would say 'I
heard you did this and that.' They'd say, 'I'm surprised you didn't
get killed.' "

"You start to get a bit of a reputation. And pretty soon, that's who you are."

In high school, several of Teed's teachers and coaches identified
Teed's drug issues and encouraged him to play sports. A natural
athlete, Teed enjoyed the distraction of baseball and track. But he
was already too deep into his addiction. In university, he discovered
marijuana and added that to the substances he enjoyed.

"By the time I was in my early 20s, I had pretty significant drug and
alcohol issue going."

It wasn't until he got married that Teed took steps that led him to
quitting. His wife Patty saw her husband's drinking problem escalate.
She gave him an ultimatum - get help or get lost.

"We had just become married and it became apparent that this was a
problem. It was a good push. And it was a good response," says Teed,
who's been clean and sober since 1972. Patty Teed, who was attracted
to Rand because he had a reputation as a partier, concedes she was
naive when she and Rand were married in the summer of 1971.

"It was the '70s and everyone did drugs. That was normal. I guess I
didn't know it was as serious as it was," said Patty. "He was a bad
boy. He had an edge. And I was a bit of a rebel myself."

But it didn't take long for her to realize that her new husband needed
counselling. And so did she.

"I learned so much through (counselling). I learned that I gave up so
much of myself. Later, I learned to take my life back. I got my
friends back, I got back to my hobbies," she said.

Today, life is very different. With the issues solved years ago, the
Teeds celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in July. They enjoy
life as grandparents on their acreage near Lumsden where they have
horses and dogs.

"We love our life now," she said.

The only sore spot, which was settled a few years ago, came when Rand
sometimes took calls at suppertime from a distraught young person or parent.

"As long as there's no cellphone at the dinner table, I'm OK with
that. I know that he's so dedicated to his work," said Patty.

The people Teed has helped definitely appreciate that dedication.
Travis Laliberte, 18, said he likely wouldn't have been able to tackle
his alcohol problem without Teed.

"I took his advice. I went to rehab twice and it worked great for me.
He's always sending me positive messages and he tells me to keep my
head up and he's really good about talking about anything," said
Laliberte, whose family also benefitted from Teed's counselling.

"He broke it down for me and explained how it was hurting me and what
I can do to make myself better and what I can do to get myself into recovery."

Drug Class producer Lori Kuffner said the show worked so well because
Teed had creative control over the series and was careful the young
people and parents who appeared in the show were treated respectfully.
And Kuffner knew that Teed's rapport with young people would come
across well on TV.

"You have to give Rand credit. He approaches those kids in a very
non-judgmental manner. And they respond to that. And he knows the
pattern. If you mess up or have a setback, that's all a part of
recovery," said Kuffner.

"Kids go to him and feel very comfortable talking to him."

However, Kuffner believes Drug Class likely won't ever attract
interest from a big network because the show doesn't exploit its
subjects. It puts education before entertainment.

"A lot of them are looking for more sensational TV. And we made a
decision we weren't going to do that. I suppose that if we went in and
we had a mother and daughter screaming at each other or something like
that, or if we had people fighting, it might have done better. But we
wanted to be responsible and respectable," said Kuffner.

After university, Teed enjoyed a career as an art teacher in Regina's
Catholic school system. In 2001 when he was 53, he took an early
retirement package. But it didn't take long for him to resume his
teaching career.

He had taught "at risk" youth the dangers of drugs and alcohol. He
found that his easy style and a natural interest in listening to young
people had an impact on his students.

Later, he helped start a similar Fresh Start program for public
schools. Soon after, the Catholic board reached out again. Today, Teed
teaches programs at high schools across the city and offers workshops
and other programs.

Teed saw Drug Class as a vehicle to educate a wider audience. He found
a producer and began making shows.

"What we wanted to do was combine the education message that I was
putting together with the huge personal stories that these kids and
their parents have and use that to help people understand that
substance abuse is a problem and it's something that you get better from."

Broadcast on SCN for three seasons beginning in 2005, the 39 episodes
of Drug Class were seen by educators and health officials as
breakthrough TV for their mix of personal stories and education. The
award-winning show won a Gemini and industry citations recognizing
Teed's success. Drug Class remains on TV in Canada on iChannel and
satellite networks, in the U.S. on Halogen and in various
international markets. Drug Class DVDs still sell to school boards and
other educators around the world.

Even so, Teed, who keeps a private practice as a counsellor in Regina,
wishes Drug Class had a wider audience.

"I've always been sorry that it didn't get on CBC or CTV."

He still holds out hope a big network will agree to re-air the shows,
or even accept Teed's recent proposal for another show that targets
challenges faced by university students. Says Teed: "I'd like to raise
awareness about the kinds of things you need to pay attention to."