ANTI-DRUG GROUP WANT LOCAL DETOX

PARRY SOUND - At the second public meeting of Helping Addicts Restore
Themselves (HART) on October 27, the board committed to the tasks of
creating a drug-free district and getting a detox centre here in the
region.

The group of about 35 had the same message as it did at the first
meeting: Get drugs and the dealers off our streets, and provide
immediate help for addicts.

HART is made up of a board of parents who have, or had, a child
struggling with substance abuse. The group was formed earlier this
year following the suicide of 18-year-old MacKenzie Stevenson, who was
fighting a drug addiction.

West Parry Sound OPP detective constable Jeff Betts was invited by
MacKenzie's mother, Angela Moffatt, to attend the meeting and answer
drug-or substance-related questions.

The questions included: What is the most prevalent drug in the region?
Where can addicts go for immediate help? What preventive measures can
be taken? What abnormal behaviours should parents look for that might
indicate that their children are addicted?

Const. Betts listed OxyContin, crack cocaine and marijuana as among
the most popular drugs among local addicts.

OxyContin is a habit-forming prescription drug used for the treatment
of moderate to severe pain. When used as prescribed in tablet form, it
is a powerful pain reliever. Abusers often crush the tablets and
inhale the powder.

"Most prevalent are the prescription drugs," said Const. Betts.
"They're the most addictive drug out there. And the government picks
up the tab. Oxy is the most popular drug in town and is highly
addictive. People who come off it without help have told me that it's
like the flu times seven. They feel like crap."

People who do seek help to get off of OxyContin often use methadone
treatments to curb the withdrawal symptoms addicts would suffer if
they quit the drug cold-turkey. The methadone is provided to the
addict by a pharmacist weekly, by prescription.

"Here the pharmacies have 11 people on methadone treatment. Two years
ago, there was only one person," said Const. Betts, adding that the
spike in drug abuse is the same in other small towns.

HART chair Gail MacDonald said that many children, like her eldest
daughter who is now in recovery, will try drugs, but only a few will
become addicted.

"They're doing it to try it, they're doing it to experiment, to have a
good time. I've never heard a teenager say, 'When I grow up, I want to
be a drug addict,'" said Ms MacDonald.

"Teenagers are a different species," said MacKenzie Stevenson's
mother, Ms Moffatt. "You've got to know your kids, know what's normal
for them. Get to know their personality, what's different and out of
the ordinary."

HART's board complied a list of 40 signs for which to look if parents
suspect that their child is abusing drugs. While the group
acknowledged that at one time or another many teens exhibit some of
these behaviours, more than two or three of the signs could mean that
they're struggling with a drug addiction.

Among the indicators on the list are lack of motivation, sudden
increase or decrease in appetite, overly tired or hyperactive,
pin-point or dilated pupils, withdrawal, poor self-image and lying.

Roger Desmarais, a long-time counsellor with Addiction Outreach
Muskoka-Parry Sound said that all of the symptoms that parents cited
as signs of addiction in their children are very plausible.

"A lot of those are signs of problems that are not automatically
related to drugs," said Mr. Desmarais. "But as you get down into the
red glassy eyes, the drug paraphernalia, the increased need for money
and loss of personal belongings, those definitely point to a problem.
Of course, some of those signs will depend on the drug they're taking.
Those should be wake-up calls for parents to find out what the hell is
going on with their kids."

There is currently no detox centre in the Parry Sound area, and this
has been a bone of contention for HART board members. Ms MacDonald
says that she has been driving many adolescents to detox centres in
North Bay, Barrie and Sudbury to receive immediate treatment.

However, for anyone seeking immediate counselling, both Addiction
Outreach and Narcotics Anonymous have 24-hour crisis help lines here.
(Provide the phone numbers here.)

Even though there is no way to ensure that young people stay drug-free
throughout their adolescence, Const. Betts recommends that parents
continue to nurture their children and communicate with them. Keeping
those lines open will help the child to feel more at ease about coming
to parents for help, Const. Betts said.

"Take more of an interest in your kids. Spend time with your son,
spend time with your daughter," he said. "If you took them bowling
when they were little, take them now. They probably still like it, but
won't admit it."

No date has been set for the next HART public meeting. Ms MacDonald
said that the group is currently collecting donations to try to get a
speaker into Parry Sound High School to talk to students about drug
addiction.