DESTRUCTIVE EFFECTS OF DRUGS KEYED ON AT RED RIBBON EVENT

WALLINGFORD - Shawn McGirl spouted no "Just Say No" anti-drug platitudes or
horrific descriptions of the effects of heroin use on the body to reach the
audience at Friday afternoon's annual anti-drug Red Ribbon event at Town Hall.

McGirl, an 18-year-old Sheehan High School senior, told the crowd how his
father Kieth died of a heroin overdose.

"I have to graduate and walk down the aisle when I get married without him
watching me," McGirl said. "I have to picture him in my mind without him
watching me."

McGirl was one of several speakers who focused on the destructive effects
of heroin.

"Hi, my name is John and my son is a drug addict. The first time I
introduced myself that way I cried," said John, a Wallingford father whose
17-year-old son is a heroin addict presently imprisoned at the New Haven
Community Correctional Center.

John, who said he promised his son he wouldn't give his last name to avoid
the stigma of the addiction, said his son's problems began at age 10 when
he broke into the family's liquor cabinet. Despite numerous rehabilitation
efforts, his son's problems worsened. Two months ago, the boy informed him
he was a heroin addict.

"I said, 'Do you want me to yell at you? Do you want me to hit you? Do you
want me to cry?' " John said, adding that his son is coming home in three
weeks. John said the problem is particularly difficult with children aged
16 and 17. While still minors, the law makes it difficult for parents to
force children and teens to get drug treatment.

John said there are no easy answers for parents in preventing their
children from abusing drugs, but "we need to be aware of the signs (and) we
need to talk to our children. I talked to my child last night for a half an
hour on the telephone with a glass wall between us."

Wallingford Police Chief Douglas L. Dortenzio said heroin use has been on
the rise in the Northeast since 1993, and that most of the drug supply
comes from Colombia and the Dominican Republic through New York City.
Purity levels have markedly increased while prices have drastically
decreased. Plus, addicts can get high initially by snorting it rather than
injecting it, a more attractive choice.

Besides discussing ways to stay free of heroin, speakers also addressed
drunken driving. Sheehan students said a confidential survey of 140
students found that 64 percent of students claimed to have been in vehicles
with drivers who were drinking or driving at speeds of approximately 100
miles per hour in a game the kids refer to as "road tag."

Youth and Social Services Director Craig Turner, whose organization
organized the event in conjunction with The Mayor's Council on Substance
Abuse, challenged the adults in the audience to change the techniques they
use to prevent drug abuse. "Ask questions different from those everyone
else is asking."