Pubdate: Sat, 07 Aug 2004 Source: Abbotsford News (CN BC) Copyright: 2004 Hacker Press Ltd. Contact: http://www.abbynews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1155 Author: Trudy Beyak Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/rehab.htm (Treatment) KICKING DRUGS KEY TO BETTER LIFE The first car he stole was a '94 Jaguar worth $88,000. Fifteen-year-old Andrew Pigott was barely tall enough to look over the car dash as he grasped the steering wheel. But his enthusiasm for driving the stolen car quickly cooled when a police officer pulled up beside him. It was the end of his joy ride, but not the end of his stealing. He was just a young fool - he admits that now. Pigott used to smoke pot and steal cars because the chase triggered an adrenalin rush that excited the bored and rebellious teenager. He started experimenting with more drugs and before he knew it, he was hooked on heroin. Meanwhile, the stealing hobby progressed to a criminal career to pay for his crippling drug addiction. Now that Pigott is 24, he understands from his own hard knocks what he should have learned after his first brush with the law. A litany of criminal activities landed the amiable young man in a federal prison on King Road, where he rubs shoulders with murderers and sex offenders. He admits there was no logical reason for him to get into drugs or to steal. Pigott grew up in an upper-class home in Delta, with good parents. "If anything, they probably spoiled me," he said, adding that the parental support started fading as he continued to use more drugs, steal cars, break into houses and fence stolen property. "They realized I wasn't listening to them, so they let me go my own way." At 20, he served his first federal sentence in medium security Matsqui Institution. Nothing changed internally for Pigott, and when he was released he continued where he left off by embarking on another stealing spree. On Halloween, 2003, he began serving time for his second federal stint, this time in the Regional Treatment Centre-Pacific Institution, a multi-level prison beside Matsqui Institution. Pigott has been taking a good, long look around him and comparing himself to the older cons. He's figuring out who he doesn't want to be in the future. "I looked around and I asked myself, 'Where do I want to be 10 years from now?'" he said. "I'm around the worst of the worst and I realize that my life is about making choices. You've got to learn from your mistakes and learn from your past. I'm young enough that I have the opportunity to change." He said he is going clean. Pigott is taking the high-intensity substance abuse program at the prison and he's staying focused on creating new goals for his future. He's determined to make the right choices and to believe in himself. He also looks up to some of the older and sober offenders and listens to their advice. Pigott said the substance abuse program is an eye-opener, helping him to understand his addiction and to identify potential circumstances when he may be at risk to relapse. The program, for example, uses the analogy of a green, orange and red light system to help the offenders to identify when they're in danger of taking drugs again. It works for Pigott. For example, Pigott said that when he is released from jail, he won't go to Whalley, because that's his red zone. He's also cautious about peer pressure, depression and boredom. The high-intensity substance abuse program turned on the lights for Pigott, and he said it is helping other guys to change as well. "The last thing I want to do is get wired on drugs," he said. "I'm going to have nothing to do with dope, because if I get back into a crime cycle again, there will be only two possible endings: That's death or jail." He's counting the days to freedom. Meanwhile, Pigott is pumped about sports, so he stays busy playing tennis and badminton and working out in the gym. He arranges baseball games for the other offenders and tries to stay occupied surrounding himself with positive peers. He graduates from the specialized drug abuse program on Aug. 27. He shared his story publicly because he hopes people will discard their stereotypes of prisoners. "Give a guy a chance. That's all we ask." - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin