Pubdate: Sun, 05 Nov 2006
Source: Morning Star, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 The Morning Star
Contact:  http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1352
Author: Jennifer Dyck

CENTRE CHALLENGES YOUTH

Editor's note: First names only are used for Vernon  Treatment Centre 
clients, and in youth cases names are  changed to protect identity.

Busted at school for drinking, smoking marijuana and  even doing 
cocaine or ecstasy, five high school  students were turned over to a 
treatment program to  hopefully turn over a new leaf.

Some came willingly on their own, others hesitated and  another was 
dragged in full of resentment and denial.

"I thought it was just a bunch of BS. I didn't want to  be here at 
all," said 'Nathan,' who denied he had a  problem from the start and 
held an adverse attitude  towards the program facilitator.

Through referrals from their schools, Nathan and the  others, who 
each have a drug and alcohol problem, spent  five days in the Vernon 
Treatment Centre's intensive  outpatient program, operated by the 
Shuswap Okanagan  Treatment Centre Society.

Using videos, lectures, discussions, questionnaires and  an 
educational model based on the 12 steps of  Alcoholics Anonymous, 
Narcotics Anonymous and Al-Anon,  the centre strived to turn these 
young men off of drugs  and alcohol.

Although the 15- to 17-year-old's parents, teachers and  schools hope 
the program, which they graduated from  recently, will leave a 
lasting impact on the boys, no  one knows for sure what the outcome 
will be. The young  men could leave with only a reminder never to 
drink or  do drugs at school again, yet continue to do so on  their 
own time until substance abuse ruins or perhaps  kills them.

Program facilitator, Sharon, who herself is a former  alcoholic 
celebrating 28.5 years of sobriety, admits  that she can't stop them 
from using.

"With the teens, the best I say is I ruin their using,"  said the 
firm yet approachable woman who says she  doesn't mind that clients 
refer to her as Hitler in a  dress.

Through her lectures and education, Sharon helps all of  her clients 
see the other side to drinking and doing  drugs - the debilitating, 
life-ruining and often deadly  side.

She shows them what their life could look like if they  continue down 
these paths.

And as Sharon and the teens explain, each of her words  are burned 
into their minds.

"It's not much fun going out getting high or drunk as a  skunk with 
me chattering in their head."

'Evan,' who came to the centre on his own, attests that  a lot of 
what is taught in the confines of the centre  sticks with you.

"Sharon's in the back of my mind, eating away at me."

The centre also allows the clients to hear the  experiences of former 
alcoholics/addicts, by matching  people they can relate to.

Like Doug, who hit home with the youth by sharing his  teenage 
experiences with alcohol.

"I had my first real big drunk when I was about 14, I  was stealing 
cars at 16."

Doug continued his habit of drinking and theft and a  life where his 
wife and children were frightened of  him, until one day at the age 
of 30, he walked through  the doors of an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting.

"I've got my life today," said Doug, guaranteeing that  if he 
continued his drinking he wouldn't be alive to  share his experiences now.
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MAP posted-by: Elaine