NEW STUDY DELVES INTO THE WORLD OF ADDICTED YOUTH

What kinds of drugs are teen addicts using? Are they on the street or
living at home? When did they first try their drug of choice?

These and other secrets of drug and alcohol addiction in youth ages 12
to 18 will be explored in a new Fraser Health Authority (FHA) study
launched last week.

Alcohol and drug abuse among youth is a growing concern in the Lower
Mainland - particularly crystal meth, a toxic drug popular with street
youth, young women and frequenters of clubs and raves.

The first of its kind in the FHA, the study will follow the treatment
of up to 300 addicted youth from the time they first see an intake
worker, through their treatment either at home or in a residential
program.

The study will continue until March 31, 2005, with the goal of
following as many youth as are willing to participate in the voluntary
study, said FHA addictions expert Sherry Mumford.

Participants will be asked where they live and how long they've lived
there, what level of support and involvement they receive from
parents, what types of drugs they use, when they started using, how
often they use and how they feel about their drug of choice.

While Ms. Mumford hopes much will be learned from the study, the goal
is find out how successful specific treatments are.

Generally, addicted youth are funnelled into one of three types of
treatment programs: an outpatient, outreach clinic where clients
remain at home but meet regularly with a counselor; an intensive day
treatment program where clients live at home but attend a rigorous
35-hour per week day treatment program; or residential care, where
youth undergo treatment while residing full-time at a facility.

Currently, clients are referred to treatment programs without knowing
what works best for a given addiction/personality/home situation,
Mumford said.

"We've never done a study.... to find out what types of treatments are
the most helpful - what works best for what kid," she said. "Take a
youth who's an alcoholic and uses cocaine - he isn't living at home,
he's 17, and he hasn't been at school. The study will tell us "XYZ" is
probably where we should send that youth, based on the profile we know
has the best chance to succeed."

The information gleaned from the study will be invaluable in
developing youth addictions programs, Ms. Mumford said.

"We always throw money in to try to build it (the program) up but
we've never done it on a real solid and evidence-based foundation. You
throw more money in and you put more beds in - but is that what you
really need?"

For example, there is an intensive day treatment program in New
Westminster but none in the Fraser East area. These are less costly
programs that don't require beds or 24-hour care. But officials don't
know if that model would work in other areas because it hasn't been
done, Ms. Mumford said.