Pubdate: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 Source: Canadian Jewish News, The (Canada) Copyright: 2002 The Canadian Jewish News Contact: http://www.cjnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2361 Author: Anna Morgan Part 1: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1766/a10.html Part 3: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v02/n1851/a11.html Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) DRUGS MADE ME FEEL GOOD INSIDE, SAYS ADDICT The Following Is The Second In A Series On Drug Abuse In The Jewish Community. TORONTO - "I don't think I was born an addict," Daniel says nervously. "It's more like I became an addict the first time I tried a drug." With low-slung pants and an oversized T-shirt, Daniel (whose name has been changed to protect his identity) isn't just a "poser." Last year, the tall, 14-year-old Jewish boy with short-cropped hair and sheepish hazel eyes was suspended for selling drugs on school property. He says the 20-day suspension for dealing alerted his mother for the first time to the fact that drugs were a major part of her son's life. "My mom's a new immigrant with three other children to look after. She's single and works real hard at a job that expects her there full time, even though she only gets paid for part time," Daniel says. He doesn't blame his mother for reacting the way she did - with strict rules and curfews - and says he would probably do the same if it were his child. Except, he says, "I wouldn't call the cops on my own kid." His mother called the police when Daniel missed a curfew. She also forced him to come to his first JACS meeting. Jewish Alcoholics, Chemically Dependent Persons and Significant Others is a group that provides resources for those who want help with drinking problems or drug abuse. It's often the first place people turn to when they realize they have a problem. "I never wanted to come through that door," Daniel says. "I didn't think I really needed a recovery program." "A lot of teens don't get help because they don't want to tell anyone they use drugs or they don't realize it's a problem," he says. "I always thought all teens do drugs on a regular basis." At 12 years old, Daniel tried marijuana for the first time when his friend's older sister offered him some. Marijuana is referred to by educators as the "gateway drug" because some users go on from there to other substances that will help them get high. JACS' executive director Marla Goldman explained that while most people can control how much alcohol they drink or how much pot they smoke, the addict cannot. "It's a disease like any other. The users aren't bad people, they're sick people who need to learn how to control their disease," she says. Daniel started with pot, a little alcohol and the occasional 'shroom (magic mushrooms). One thing led to another until he made his own connections and started to sell drugs inside and outside his school. "Using the drugs made me feel good and just sort of numb inside. I guess there were a lot of things I didn't want to have to think about," he says. His father suffered from depression and committed suicide with a gun that was kept in the house. Daniel was three years old when his brothers heard the shot and found the body. The family has been coping with the tragedy ever since. Last year, JACS convinced Daniel to go to a rehabilitation centre for the first time. "I wasn't sure what to expect and was pretty scared going up there," he says. "I thought I was going to a mental hospital or something." At the rehabilitation centre, he found support and kids like him who needed help with their addictions. He also found that as the only Jewish teen in the group, he was constantly explaining what being a Jew was about. Kosher food was unavailable and Christianity was used as the spiritual guide for recovery. Two of Daniel's brothers go to yeshiva and his family observes all the holidays with traditional meals and prayer. For Daniel, those events pose additional challenges. Every holiday that uses wine can be trigger points into drug and alcohol-related binges - the smell of the Friday night Kiddush cup can be a hurdle, the four cups of Passover a nightmare. The month in rehab forced Daniel to think about a lot of things. The counsellors showed him that over 75 per cent of his day was drug-related and suggested other ways to fill his life. They taught him that it would be foolish to introduce his younger sibling to drugs because he might become responsible for their deaths. Those 30 days of rehab and weekly aftercare group meetings kept Daniel off drugs for several months. But once during the summer, Daniel saw kids at work put out a half-used joint and it triggered something in him. He went back later that evening, picked it up and smoked it. That night, the counsellor was sick and Daniel's group didn't meet. So he called his buddy from aftercare and they went looking for drugs instead of support. That binge got him kicked out of the aftercare group and on to a cycle of alcohol, cocaine, Percocets and Tylenol-3s. Continued from page 12 "Sometimes I even drank cough syrups for the dextromorphan," he says. "Anything to get high." "I know it's wrong," Daniel says. "And I know that I'm always looking for an excuse to get high. I need to be completely convinced that I want to stay sober. Right now, there's 20 per cent of me that still wants to be high." But there's another part of Daniel that likes music, wants to become a social worker, a devoted husband and a caring father with children who don't use drugs. Daniel is hoping to go back to a rehab centre soon where he could spend anywhere from several months to two years. He says he's looking forward to it. For further information on JACS, see their Web site at www.jacsweb.org or call 416-410-5227. All calls are strictly confidential. - --- MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager