MOST TEENS WHO GET SICK ON ALCOHOL ONLY DO SO ONCE

KITCHENER -- Alcohol is the drug that most commonly brings teens to the
emergency rooms of Waterloo Region's three hospitals.

"We see at least one case a weekend, sometimes a handful," said Brenda
Hoyt, manager of the emergency room at St. Mary's Hospital in Kitchener.

Numbers rise during school breaks, such as March break.

Teenagers sickened by a drinking binge typically are brought in by
concerned family members or friends.

"It's usually some poor kid who was out at a party and over-indulged," Hoyt
said.

Repeat visits are rare.

"It's a one-time experience and then they learn."

David Richards, program manager of ambulatory care, continuing care and
mental health services at Cambridge Memorial, said emergency staff don't
see a lot of illicit drug use.

"Alcohol seems to be the one. They tend to party with their friends. Maybe
the parents are away and they get into alcohol and get sick and call an
ambulance."

None of the region's three hospitals keeps statistics on teens treated in
emergency for the effects of alcohol or drugs.

St. Mary's and Grand River say the incidence appears to be static; Richards
in Cambridge thinks the number is rising.

Bruce Adkins, clinical director of the emergency room at Grand River
Hospital, concurs that drinking triggers many visits, but not just because
alcohol has made a teen ill.

"They may have fallen and hurt themselves or gotten into a bit of a scrap"
while drunk, he said.

Richards said young people are often unaware of the dangers of too much
alcohol.

"It could cause death," he stressed.

Hoyt said when teens come in intoxicated, their blood is screened for drugs.

If the alcohol level in the blood stream is high, intravenous fluids are
given to flush out the system.

Remedies for other drugs vary, depending on the substance.

A teen is then monitored until staff say he or she can safely return home.

In a worst-case scenario, a breathing tube may have to be put down a teen's
throat.

If medical personnel pick up on a family problem which seems to be related
to the drug or alcohol use, the patient will be seen by a social worker,
who can recommend where to go for help in the community.

Hoyt said drugs are more frequently seen in the summer months -- the most
common being marijuana and ecstasy.

At Grand River's crisis clinic, about one-third of the teens seeking help
for a mental health crisis acknowledge using alcohol or drugs, clinic
co-ordinator Fred Wagner said.

"They consume a large amount of alcohol or drugs and maybe prescription
drugs. It may be precipitated by a breakup or situational problem.

"If they come in that intoxicated or under the influence, we typically get
them registered in the emergency room right away."

Once stabilized, crisis nurses begin the task of helping with the mental
health issues.