PARENTS GET SOBERING LESSON ON DRUGS AND KIDS

For many parents, suspicions that their son or daughter might be
experimenting with drugs and alcohol can leave them unsure what to do next.

But last week at Bow Valley High School (BVHS), parents came together with
community experts to learn about drugs and alcohol, what signs to look for
in their kids, and what to do if they suspect problems.

"I've had a lot of phone calls from parents who feel alone," said Pat
Kudryk, president of the BVHS parent council who helped organize the drug
awareness evening. With over 25 years experience as an emergency room
nurse, she has seen first hand what drugs and alcohol can do to kids.

"Every person in this room will be affected by drug abuse at some point,"
she said. "Parents need to know what to do."

Kudryk was part of a panel of experts, educators and a mother and daughter
who shared gripping portraits of how the daughter's drug and alcohol
addictions almost tore their family apart.

The panel included Cochrane RCMP Const. Patty Neely; Gail Starchuk a
student health nurse at a number of area schools including BVHS, Mitford
Middle School and Holy Spirit School; Dave Morris, BVHS principal; Pam
Davidson, BVHS assistant principal; and Sue and her daughter Adriane.

Kudryk told the 23 or so in attendance that drugs and alcohol can be
dangerous for anyone, but especially to those with an addictive personality.

"Some can walk away, but the addictive person can't," Kudryk said. "The
problem is they don't know until they take that first hit of coke, or that
first drink."

Those in attendance then got a crash course in what some of the more common
illicit drugs being used these days are, including: marijuana, ecstasy,
cocaine, mushrooms, inhalants, ritalin, alcohol and even steroids.

Parents also learned some of the slang terms their teens might be using
such as weed, X, blow, shrooms, and snappers to name a few.

And Kudryk didn't sugar coat her presentation.

"Don't tell kids these drugs don't feel good, they do, that's why they do
it," she said.

But she was frank with the serious consequences that go along with each drug.

She pointed out that marijuana, a drug that many people in society continue
to suggest isn't all that bad, now usually contains THC, the active
ingredient, that is 37 to 60 per cent stronger than what was being smoked
20 to 30 years ago.

She said it does the same amount of lung damage as five times as many
cigarettes, and that one joint has approximately five times as much carbon
monoxide and three times as much tar. It can affect short term memory,
delay the onset of puberty, and interfere with the body's reproductive
functions.

She noted a B.C. statistic that said 48 per cent of kids at treatment
centres were addicted to marijuana.

Some have suggested the drug is a gateway drug to other, more serious drugs.

"It is a gateway drug if you have an addictive personality," Kudryk said.

Ecstasy has also been a prominent drug in recent years. But Kudryk pointed
out that it dates back to 1918 when it was first used as an appetite
suppressant, but due to the severe side effects it was discontinued, before
appearing again in the 1950s.

While many teens today believe it to be a harmless fun drug, many using it
at raves, the potential side effects are serious, including seizures,
ruptured bladder, hallucinations, and in some cases death. Long term use
leads to an even longer list of consequences, including heart and liver damage.

What the drugs look like, and what related paraphernalia to keep an eye out
for were mentioned for each of the drugs.

As for alcohol, Kudryk said, "There probably isn't a weekend that goes
without some 14-to 16-year-old comes in that is so drunk they're unconscious."

"Seventy to 80 per cent of what we see on a weekend is alcohol-related."

Neely shared about what the RCMP in the area see on a regular basis. She
pointed out that 90 per cent of thefts and break-and-enters are related to
drugs, and added a man was murdered at Ghost Lake a couple of years ago
over a $40 drug debt.

"There are a lot of people who think drugs are a victimless crime," Neely
said. "They're not. We pay a huge price as society."

Neely also warned parents about crystal-meth, a seriously dangerous drug
that has hit northern Alberta hard, but has yet to have the same
devastating effects in the south.

"This drug has a huge addiction rate," she said, pointing out that 47 per
cent of people who try it will be addicted after only one try. That number
increases to over 90 per cent for those who try it twice.

"Be aware that it exists, it's a bad drug, and it is very addictive," she
said. "And it will be coming."

Neely encouraged parents to be in their kids' faces, as there is no
shortage of drugs in Cochrane.

"We don't see heroin, or crystal-meth here, but we see pretty much
everything else," she said, adding that there were 84 drug charges in
Cochrane in the last year, most involving marijuana, and most involving
people under 25.

"If my kids want to blame me for saying no to drugs, well, I have broad
shoulders, I can handle it," she said.

Neely did have high praise for both BVHS and Cochrane High School for their
zero tolerance policies when it comes to drugs, and a decrease in drug use
over the past few years which she attributed to strong administrations.

In a chilling reminder, she told parents the average age in Canada to try
marijuana is only 12, while the average age to try alcohol is 10.

Morris said schools in Rocky View are "relatively clean" when it comes to
drugs. And he knows what he is talking about, with 17 years as an
administrator at five different high schools.

He said both Cochrane high schools maintain a zero tolerance policy and
involve police when drugs are discovered. Morris had a warning for parents.

"If your children are hanging around the smoking area, at any school, it's
the wrong place to be," he warned.

He also warned against stereotyping.

"It's not always the kids who have poor marks," he said. "These kids can
come from solid, two-parent families."

And Neely added drugs are present to some level at all Alberta high schools.

"If you think there is a high school in Alberta where there aren't drugs,
you're deceiving yourself," she said.

Starchuk shared how drug use in Canada has increased substantially since
the 1970s, specifically since 1993, with alcohol, tobacco and marijuana
being the big three.

She encouraged parents to get informed, keep the lines of communication
with their kids open, provide consistent supervision, and to access
community resources when needed.