LIVING A NIGHTMARE

Bev and Bill Semple are living a nightmare.

Their son is a drug addict, and for the last nine years they have
watched their beautiful little boy inch closer to death.

Over the years, Bev said she has seen things go from bad to worse.
Her son has continued to become more dependent on drugs, like cocaine
and Valium, and is going to greater extremes to acquire them, she said.

Their son, who is in his early 20s, is now in jail for breaking into
and stealing from homes.

Bev expects he will be released around January, and that scares her
to death. She said she fears for the safety of her son and the public
when he gets out.

Bev said she is hoping her story will encourage the Province to
consider providing more resources to help drug addicts, as well as
create awareness among the public about the ever-growing drug problem on P.E.I.

During the interview with Bev, she sat at her kitchen table with some
of the most recent pictures of her son laid out in front of her.
There is one photo of him in his apartment. He is so thin the bones
in his face and body are visible. Bev explains that is how he usually
looked when he moved back home after a drug binge.

Before the drugs took over, Bev and Bill said their son was a
healthy, affectionate boy who loved to laugh and play.

Bev said she'll never forget how his brilliant blue eyes sparkled.
They were so beautiful, people used to stop the family on the street
to compliment him, she said.

Now those eyes are cold, she admitted. They are often so dilated they
look brown instead of a shimmering blue, she said, looking away as
tears stream down her face. And he rarely shows any affection
anymore, she added.

The heartbroken mother started to sob when she described her last
encounter with her son. It was when he was sentenced for breaking
into and stealing from houses, she explained.

He was being led into the courtroom in shackles and handcuffs.

"I was prepared for that, but he came up (into the courtroom) -- it
was me and my mom and dad -- I waved to him, and he and gave me the
finger, and there was such hatred in his eyes," she said, having to
leave the table to get a tissue.

"I can't believe you could do that to your mother, I just can't."

But Bill said it is important to remember addicts are not the people
they once were. "Your drug-abusing son or daughter is not the little
boy or girl you took to parades, read bed-time stories to, took to
Sunday school... They become complete strangers, and it is
devastating to watch," he said.

"You can't help but wonder what he'd be doing today if he had not
fallen victim to drug abuse."

Bill and Bev's nightmare started when their son was about 13. The two
have tried every avenue within and outside of the provincial
health-care system to find help for him.

The first time they admitted their son into the detox was when he was
about 15. "He was seeing a counsellor and (the counsellor) told us...
'he's ready. He's hit the bottom; you've got to take him down to the
detox in Charlottetown'. So we did," Bev said.

Her son would get "sick" and they would take him to addiction
services in Charlottetown and then to Mount Herbert when the services
moved there.

He would be kept there for four to 10 days, then the Semples would
pick him up and take him home.

Around the same time, he was stealing from them and other family members.

"I compare a drug addict to someone who has lost their soul. They
have absolutely no conscience when it comes to stealing," Bill said.

"They will steal a pension cheque from their grandmother moments
after getting a big hug from her, or swipe two week's worth of
hard-earned grocery money from their mother's purse."

Soon, the Semples' son was an adult, and they had no say in whether
he even went to detox.

Both parents said they often pleaded with health authorities to keep
their son longer.

One incident that stands out in Bev's mind is when her son was
arrested and he told officers he was going to kill himself or his parents.

The Semples' son was transferred to a mental hospital in
Charlottetown, where they were told the next day their son had no
mental illnesses and they were going to release him.

After much pleading, Bev said they agreed to hold him a little
longer, though it did not help his drug use.

Both parents want to point out they have only respect for health-care
workers, adding they believe the majority of the problem lies with the system.

Bev said the health system on P.E.I. needs to include longer, more
intense, in-patient care for drug addicts.

She added she would like to see part of the youth centre in
Summerside used to hold and treat drug addicts.

Bev said people with drug addictions should be treated until they are
better. In the meantime, they should be given an education and help
with finding a job so they will have another chance when they are released.

Bev said she's aware it would cost a lot to set up such a system, but
in the end it would likely be cheaper than repeatedly putting these
people through the justice system, detox and other drug programs.

"These people are sick," she said, her eyes red from tears. "If (my
son) had cancer or diabetes or whatever, there'd be a doctor you
could go to and they would have him on something to try to cure him
until the end.

"Maybe he'd live... maybe he wouldn't.

"But I knew right from the very start of this (drug addiction) that
(he) was not going to live through this.

"Five years later and I still have the feeling that (he) is not going
to live through this, and he's not if he doesn't get some serious
help right away," she said.

Bev is now making one last attempt to help her son.

She has decided not to take him in when he is released from jail.

Bev said as long as she is providing him food, a warm place to stay
and a purse to steal from, she is aiding his addiction.

"You don't give up... that is not the right word, but you let them
go, and that's what I have been told for the last three years (to do)
is, 'let him go Bev,' but I just couldn't," she said.

In a separate interview, Bill noted how they both still love their
son very much and are willing to help him through his addiction if he
is committed to getting better.

Bev said she dares to envision what life would be like if her son
quit drugs -- what it would be like not to worry about him dying at
the hands of a drug dealer or him hurting someone to get drugs.

"I've often (dreamed) of the day he gets married," she said. "And he
would look back to when times were the worst and he would look at me
and he would say, 'Mom I love you and thank you.'

"That's what I'm looking forward to... that's what I want."