DRUG PROGRAM HELPS TEENS END ADDICTION

GREENLAND - Parents don't always know how to deal with their
teenager's drinking or drug use.

Sometimes, they don't even know all the risks or just how much there
is out there for kids to say "no" to. Fortunately, the employees of
the Community Diversion Program in Greenland do.

"It's scary stuff," Jackie Valley, executive director of the
educational program, says of substance abuse by teens. "Parents often
don't know where to turn, and the courts need an alternative."

The Community Diversion Program was started in 1995 after a county
survey of 19 Seacoast towns revealed a lack of options for dealing
with teens caught drinking or doing drugs.

Referrals to the 10-hour program come from police, schools, parents
and the courts.

"A typical referral is a teen who has been caught using marijuana,"
Valley said. "If it's a first offense, the police will hold off and
we'll write a contract for the teen to do 20 hours of community
service and attend our drug and alcohol education classes. If they do,
the case doesn't go to court."

Community Diversion offers two courses. The first focuses on
education: what drugs and alcohol do to the body, how they affect the
brain. The second class deals with addiction.

"We're not going to change the world in Greenland, N.H., but we want
to make kids aware," Valley said.

Each course is conducted in five, two-hour sessions and is attended by
about eight to 10 youngsters. The first class, called Session I, is
usually mandatory. Session II is voluntary; the teens opt to come back.

Both courses are free.

Currently, there are 27 diversion programs around the state, all
different, Valley said.

Last year, the Community Diversion Program counseled 971 youths. Since
its inception in 1995, it has served more than 3,000 people.

Primarily federally funded, the program also relies on community
contributions to operate. The annual fundraiser - this year a silent
auction and dinner dance - is slated for Feb. 9 at Yoken's in
Portsmouth.