ADDICTION CENTRE GETS TRAINING GRANT

Officials for a local agency charged with battling substance abuse hope a
record $249,345 grant heralds a new awareness of the scope of Canada's
addiction problems. The money, from Human Resources Development Canada, was
presented earlier this week.

"I'm shocked at hearing the extent of the human cost involved," said
Cambridge MP Janko Peric following a press conference at the headquarters
of the Drug and Alcohol Recovery Association on Cowansview Road.

The association, a charitable agency that operates on behalf of
organizations that treat addictions, will use the money to establish a
Web-based drug counselling certification program to train professionals
throughout the country.

"The impact from this funding will be huge," said Jeff Wilbee, executive
director of the association. "We'll now be able to reach thousands of
clients in a more effective way."

Association president Micheal Dean said he hopes the development of
Web-based instructional tools is only the beginning of Internet solutions
to a problem that affects as many as 15 per cent of Canadian adults.

Dean and Wilbee "share a dream" that people seeking help for substance
abuse problems will be able to log onto an Internet site anonymously and
retrieve advice on how to deal with their problem.

Anonymity is crucial, Dean said, because of the stigma attached to
admitting a drug or alcohol problem. Doctors, for instance, are liable to
conceal substance problems because the admission could ruin their career.

It's unknown the cost of substance abuse to society, but a 1996 industrial
survey suggests the Canadian workplace lost $5 billion in productivity due
to illnesses, accidents, mistakes and inefficiency linked to drugs and
alcohol, according to association board member Dave MacIntyre, a union
representative for the Canadian Auto Workers in St. Thomas, Ont.

But those costs are the tip of the iceberg, said Wilbee, noting the number
of criminal acts committed by abusers whose judgment was challenged or who
broke the law to provide for their habit.

While the Human Resources Development Canada grant will better prepare
professionals to treat addiction problems, Wilbee said addiction can only
be beaten if there are enough qualified professionals to turn to the moment
an addict opts to seek help.

"Early intervention is key," he said. "Treatment is so much more successful
when we reach people before they hit skid row. It's much easier to bring
somebody back if he's got a wife, a family, a home."