Pubdate: Wed, 24 Oct 2001 Source: Langley Times (CN BC) Copyright: 2001 BC Newspaper Group and New Media Development Contact: http://www.langleytimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1230 Author: Monique Tamminga Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?135 (Drug Education) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) PARENTS TAKE A STAND ON DRUGS With her teenage son safely in a drug rehabilitation centre, Lesley Bushell can finally rest - perhaps for the first time in six months. For half a year, the Walnut Grove mother of one has been living a parent's worst nightmare; first finding out her son was using the hard drug crystal methamphetamine, (also known as JIB) and second, trying to convince him to seek help. It's been "a living hell," said Bushell, a full-time psychiatric nurse who is willing to share her story in hopes it will make other parents aware of the scope of Langley's teen drug problem. Bushell started noticing changes in her 16-year-old son in April. "The first thing I started noticing was his mood. He became extremely hostile, paranoid and aggressive." In the beginning there were little signs, like lying about where he was staying overnight and admitting that he was experimenting with marijuana, she said. What Bushell's son wasn't telling her is he was trying a much harder drug, one that has been described by local police as the current "drug of choice" for Langley teens. That drug, JIB, is as addictive as heroin, Bushell said. So addictive, her son overdosed on it in May. "When we got him home from the hospital we couldn't keep him there. We forcefully kept him home, even sat on him, but he ran as soon as he could," Bushell said. Where her son was running to was his drug dealer. It turned out the teen was enticed into the drug culture by a man who offered him employment. Bushell's son would work nightly delivering newspapers for this man. According to Bushell, her son wasn't the only one dragged into this life by the man, who was later fired from his job. "He would entice the teens to help him do the route by giving them free drugs," she said. After her son overdosed, she tried to get him help. "I tried to get my son admitted to the hospital because I thought he was a danger to himself, but they wouldn't admit him. I couldn't get him into a rehab program because he had to admit he was using drugs," she said. "A young addict must agree to treatment." Frustrated, she brought her son back home. "I caught him a couple times doing drugs in the house. When I caught him the last time I said either stop doing drugs or get out of my house," Bushell recalls. He decided to leave. "He was actually living on the streets for two weeks. He was living in an abandoned house in downtown Langley, known by the teens as the crack shack." In those two weeks her son stole and sold drugs to feed his habit. Living in the drug house with more than 10 other people of all different ages, Bushell knew she had to get him out of there. "I eventually had him arrested and he was in jail. We have been waiting since Aug. 1 to get him into a treatment centre. "I just delivered him Monday to Williams Lake. It's been a very long and hard process." It's a process she wants to share with other parents because she knows she's not alone. "These kids are our future and if telling my story can help even one person than it's worth it. These drugs are destroying lives, and it can be my child, your child or your neighbours child, it's out there and parents need to open their eyes." When her son started using drugs, his circle of friends changed, he lost weight and wouldn't come home for days. "When they get high, they stay up for two days straight. He would come home and sleep for 30 hours at a time and often binge eat." She also found a lot of straws around his room. "What they would do is get a Slurpee and a couple of straws and cut them. They heat the straws up in a glass pipe which needs to get a certain temperature to cook the drug," she said, explaining that she educated herself about crystal meth so she knew what she was up against. The use of candles and blow torches are also the only way to cook the drug. Regular Bic lighters don't work. Drugs are being sold at many places that teens hang out, including theatres, recreation facilities and schools. "My son had a stable upbringing, there is no alcohol or drug history in my family. I have a good job and we've brought him up right," she said. "This can happen to any family." If you're a parent in this position, or you feel your teen is heading in this direction, there's some help out there, said Langley Township recreation manager Janet Whitehead. Langley Township Parks and Recreation is putting together Langley's first Parents Together workshop for moms and dads struggling with drug or alcohol addicted teens. "The workshop helps parents find solutions," Whitehead said. "This (drugs) don't just happen in Surrey. Parents in Walnut Grove are dealing with these conflicts too and that's why we wanted to bring the program here. Parents in this area have had to go to South Surrey to get the program." Walnut Grove's community police officer Const. Yvette Jamesom agreed that drugs aren't something that just happens in Langley City and Surrey. Teens buying and using drugs is going on in and around suburban Walnut Grove everyday, Jamesom said. "Marijuana is still the drug of choice for teens, but speed and jib is gaining in popularity," Jamesom said. "Kids are coming from Surrey to deal drugs to kids here (in Walnut Grove). Some Walnut Grove kids are dealing out of their homes. There is enough of a concern here." The Parents Together support and self-help workshop is facilitated by trained staff and veteran parents who have been through everything with their own children and are willing to share their successes and failures. Keeping the lines of communication open is an important way to know what's going on with your teen, said Jamesom. But if you're looking for physical signs that your teen is doing drugs, Langley RCMP drug recognition expert Const. Ralph Foster sees it everyday. With stimulants like speed, that carry no odor, Foster said teens will appear restless, excited and talkative. "Just after getting high, a person's pulse goes up and they start to sweat. Regular users of methamphetamines will grind their teeth, have a runny nose, have loss of appetite, dry mouth and appear irritable." Ecstasy is still big with the kids, he said. "The scary thing about this stuff (and JIB) is nobody really knows what's in it because it's cooked up." These drugs have been known to contain PCP, the drug that makes people have a blank stare, repetitive speech, increased pain threshold and a feeling of being invincible. "I'm only looking at guys for one hour to determine what they are on. Parents have lots of time to look at how their teen is socializing, how they're reacting at home. Parents should know where their kids' allowances are going." Foster had one crucial piece of advice: "Parents can't show any support for drugs, no tolerance at all." The Parents Together workshop will be held on Friday, Oct. 26 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. and Saturday Oct. 27, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Walnut Grove Community Centre. The cost is $35 per person. For more information call Janet Whitehead at 882-0408 ext. 105. - --- MAP posted-by: Jackl