DRUG-ABUSE TREATMENT OPTIONS EXPLORED

A conference is being held in Abbotsford on Oct. 30 to look at
substance-abuse treatment strategies.

The focus will be on "harm reduction" - a term used to describe a range of
options, including abstinence, methadone programs and safe injection sites,
that reduce harm to individuals and society as a whole.

Charlaine Avery, director of Abbotsford Substance Abuse Services (SAS), one
of the conference participants, said the idea is to look beyond traditional
approaches.

"The reality is that not everyone can do abstinence . . . For people who
are substance misusers, they may be able to use in a controlled way," she
said. Avery said many people need to find some middle ground between
substance abuse and going cold turkey.

An example is the use of methadone - a narcotic that blocks the effects of
heroin and reduces cravings for the drug.

Avery said using methadone enables many people to lead stable lives as they
work towards a future without drugs.

She said the alternative - cold turkey and its accompanying withdrawal
torture - sends many people straight back to the drugs their bodies crave.

Society suffers as users resort to crimes, such as prostitution and
robbery, to support their habit, and as taxpayers shoulder the burden on
the medical system.

Avery said it takes time for the body to adjust to withdrawal, and a
gradual approach works better for many people, including those who use
alcohol as their drug of choice.

"Wethouses" - in place in some communities - offer a spot where people can
drink in a safe, controlled environment rather than on the street or in a bar.

Along the same lines is a safe injection site, where clean needles are
provided to prevent the spread of disease and infection.

Avery acknowledges that there is no ideal solution, but the conference is
designed to look at all possibilities.

"I think if we all pull together, we can find the strategy that works for
Abbotsford. It needs to address the safety concerns for the community and
it needs to address the health concerns for the individual," she said.

The regional conference takes place Tuesday, Oct. 30 at Peardonville House
(29491 Huntingdon Rd.) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

It involves several community participants, including consumers, University
College of the Fraser Valley (UCFV), the Abbotsford Police, the Downtown
Business Association, Valley Recovery Society and the Sto:lo Nation.
Registration is through UCFV's continuing education department at 604-854-4538.

Methadone works for her

Methadone has been the key to helping Sheila Miller (not her real name)
lead a stable productive life.

Without it, she would have returned to the hard-core drug and alcohol use
that plagued most of her life since the age of 13, she said.

"Methadone helps you live and it slowly teaches you how to live without
drugs," Miller said. "You can be on methadone and have a future."

Miller's addictions to alcohol, cocaine and heroin resulted in her almost
having her two sons - now grown - removed from her care and led her to
commit crimes, such as prostitution, to support her addiction. Her liver
was so damaged by her heavy drinking that her doctor told her she would die
within six months if she didn't stop.

Miller did stop - for a period of 19 months, ending in 1998, but she
returned to her old habits when she hooked up with an old friend, himself a
user. She couldn't face the physical and mental anguish of going cold
turkey again.

"It's so painful. You're so sick and you become very fearful," she said.

Miller said the use of methadone helped get her back on track. She said
that, without it, she would have likely returned to her addictions and
would have been dead by now.

Methadone has enabled her body to adjust slowly to the withdrawal from
heavy drug use. It doesn't have the same drastic side effects as harder
drugs, instead helping her to feel stable and in control of her life.

In the meantime, she has been able to lead a normal life - holding down a
full-time job, paying all her bills and building healthy social relationships.

She acknowledges that there are people who abuse the system. Miller did
that herself the first time she was on methadone from 1981 to 1997, when
she often sold the drug for cash.

However, she said things are changing and there is more diligence from
medical professionals around the use of methadone. Many users must now take
their dose as its dispensed, instead of being permitted to take it away.
They also must provide urine samples - to ensure the only drug in their
system is methadone - under the watchful eye of the health-care worker.
Miller said there should be more random sampling done, ensuring that anyone
caught with a "dirty" sample is taken off the program because it means
they're not serious about getting clean.

Miller believes methadone use should come complete with mandatory group or
one-on-one counselling, which helps people address the underlying issues
that led to their addiction in the first place.

The use of methadone changes many lives for the better, she said.

"It was a lifesaver for me," she said.

Abstinence is his choice

For Daniel, abstinence is the only approach.

He knows that if he touches just one drink or inhales from one joint, he
could be headed down the same self-destructive path that nearly took his life.

Daniel (who didn't want to use his last name) also knows that addiction
recovery is a personal thing and that abstinence won't work for everyone.
Hard-core drug and alcohol users often can't handle the pain of withdrawal
and need to take gradual steps towards abstinence, he said.

"Severe cases need some kind of medical intervention," he said.

Daniel dealt with his addiction two years ago by taking the cold-turkey
approach - in a recovery centre - after almost 15 years of drinking and 10
years of using cocaine.

Withdrawal was hell, but the physical pain was just a temporary response to
the years of agony that preceded it. He worked through it, hoping there
were better days ahead.

Daniel took his first drink at the age of 12 and was an alcoholic three
years later. He snorted his first line of coke at age 18, and his addiction
worsened day by day, year by year.

He burned out one of his nostrils from snorting so much cocaine, and turned
to free-basing. He became involved in criminal activity - break-and-enters,
selling drugs, settling debts for other dealers - to support his expensive
habit.

Daniel once earned $2,500 in drug profits and spent it all on cocaine
within three days. An average night spent drinking in the bar set him back
$300. Violence, in the form of gang involvement and bar brawls, was almost
a daily part of his existence.Eventually, the law caught up with him, and
he was sent to jail twice, amounting to more than two years of his life.

He didn't seek help until several years later, after he had spent a $9,000
student loan - he was hoping to be a heavy-duty mechanic - in less than
three weeks and contemplated suicide.

"I was sitting in my apartment, looking at my college books in the corner,
and I just said, 'This is it. I either end it permanently or I do something
to change it. The party's over.' "

Daniel connected with a supportive aunt living in Abbotsford and spent 105
days in a treatment centre. He hasn't touched drugs or booze since.

These days, he stays clean and sober with the support of a 12-step program,
a new group of friends, a full-time job and hope for the future.

"I'm a different person. I'm a productive part of society now. I'm part of
the solution, not the problem," he said.