SWALLOWED BY THE DRUG UNDERWORLD

Local News - Brad sat on a blue bench in front of the Orillia Public Library
one December afternoon, debating how he would get his next fix of cocaine.
He'd just snorted his last gram and his cash flow had run dry.

He frantically looked from side to side down Mississaga Street, paranoid the
police would come.

"I was sitting there shaking and I knew I had maybe about another hour to
try and get some more coke or I'm going to be really sick," Brad, who asked
his real name not be used to protect his identity, recalled yesterday.

"So I tried running around to get some money somehow, but I couldn't."

Instead, he landed in a Barrie detoxification centre the same day.

Sober for three weeks now, the 18-year-old is eager to share the city's drug
tale. A story, Brad says, that is growing, with more and more Orillians
forming addictions to coke and crack. He can think of at least 10 local,
small-scale drug dealers, he says.

"For the people who think there are no drugs in Orillia, you're wrong. Your
kid could be doing drugs for all you know, you wouldn't know. Drugs are
everywhere."

Figures from Simcoe Outreach Services, an addiction referral agency with
five locations across the county, including one in Orillia, show out of
1,700 referrals between April and mid-December of last year, 340, or 20 per
cent, were for people addicted to cocaine and crack.

Greg Howse, executive director with the agency, said the numbers are as high
as he's ever seen. In the past, 10 to 15 per cent of referrals were for coke
or crack-related addictions, said Howse.

Howse adds the increase is likely due to greater availability of the highly
addictive drug.

"It's like any other drug," said Howse. "If it's there, people want it."

Orillia OPP Sgt. Dave Lee said drug enforcement teams across the county have
seen a slight increase in cocaine seizures. But drug enforcement officers
are worried because "word on the street is it's easier to get," said Lee.
The price per gram has dropped, indicating a larger supply, added Lee.

Still, the slight increase isn't cause for alarm, added Lee. There's been a
larger spike in the prevalence of other drugs, he said.

But snorting cocaine eventually sounded an alarm in Brad's life. He says he
knew that if he didn't stop, he wouldn't have one left.

Starting with marijuana at age 12, Brad's drug path led him to
hallucinogenics such as magic mushrooms and acid, and later to ecstasy and
eventually cocaine.

All it took was one line of white powder, given to him by a friend, to spark
a year of addiction. The euphoric high kept Brad coming back for more.

"It makes you feel like you could do whatever, like you're bulletproof. Like
a million bucks, like you've never felt this way before."

At the height of his addiction, Brad snorted up to four grams of coke a day.
To feed his habit Brad would work the streets, selling drugs or hustling
around bars or at homes.

The toxic nature of the drug made him consistently agitated and a perpetual
liar, tearing apart his personal relationships.

Sitting on that bench last December, Brad realized he had to break the
cycle.

The withdrawal, though necessary, almost felt like death, he said. He sweat.
His bones ached. He was constantly cold. His nose burned after months of
being numb.

An expectant father, Brad said the withdrawal was worth it. He hopes to
rebuild broken ties with his loved ones. He's recently started a job at a
fast-food restaurant and has dreams of becoming a social worker.

Until then, it's one sober day at a time.

"I can say today I'm doing good. Today I'm feeling good about myself... .

"I feel clean. I don't think I'll do coke today."