CENTRE TO TREAT DRUG ADDICTS AS YOUNG AS 10

A youth outpatient centre has been set up in Lower Hutt to help addicts as
young as 10 years old kick their habit.

Darryl Yuile - a former joiner, white-water rafting guide, abseiling
instructor, drug addict, and now a certified drug and alcohol addiction
counsellor - said the Recovery Youth Centre in the Lower Hutt suburb of
Naenae would provide outpatient services to teens and young adults from
12-24 years with addiction problems.

Making up the team is drug and alcohol addiction counsellor John Sayles, a
former farmer and Salvation Army treatment centre manager, and Tom Claunch,
an addiction counsellor with 27 years' experience, who will be the centre's
clinical supervisor.

Mr Yuile said Naenae had been chosen for the centre because it was where
local youths tended to congregate, and because problems with drugs and
alcohol were "quite severe" in the area.

"Police are picking up 10-, 11- and 12-year-olds off the street with drug
and alcohol problems, but not a lot of work has been done in that area.

"It's also a congregation point for large groups of young people because
there's nothing else for them to do."

The former teen addict said his own experiences would be valuable in
helping youth at the centre.

"I had problems myself at 14 so I understand a lot of what's going on."

He said the centre, which had "unofficially" opened thanks to donations of
timber, labour and six months' free rent, had the support of local police,
Drug Arm, and neighbouring businesses.

Services would include counselling, self-help sessions, a youth adventure
programme, family education groups and prevention and intervention education.

Mr Yuile, a member of Drug Arm, said the programme would split addicts into
two age groups - 12-16 and 16-24. -

If addicts younger than 12 needed counselling, he said, the centre would
take them.