Pubdate: Sun, 26 Nov 2006
Source: Daily Courier, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 The Okanagan Valley Group of Newspapers
Contact: http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/include/letterToEditor.php
Website: http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/531
Author: Steve MacNaull

WHY PARENTING MATTERS

You can't talk about the devastating drug crystal meth without 
talking about parenting.

"It's mostly kids who have suffered abuse or emotional pain at home 
who end up on drugs," Dr. Gabor Mate told a crystal meth forum in 
Peachland on Saturday. "I've been told by so many addicts that they 
were abused at home and that their first experience with drugs felt 
like a warm hug."

However, even kids who come from seemingly good homes can succumb to drugs.

"Usually, what happens in those cases is that those kids come from a 
home where they weren't abused, but they didn't have constant 
nurturing from a non-stressed adult," said Mate.

"They may become too attached to their peers in such cases, and if 
their peer group is doing drugs, they are likely to as well."

The District of Peachland, the rural RCMP detachment and the 
Peachland Wellness Centre sponsored the seminar.

"Crystal meth isn't a huge problem in Peachland, but it is here. The 
stores downtown tell us kids are buying the ingredients," said Barrie 
Hewer of the wellness centre. "We organized this as an information 
session for parents and kids and a pre-emptive strike against meth."

Meth is a highly addictive and dangerous drug made of such poisons as 
drain cleaner, the active ingredient in nail polish, the acid used to 
make mustard gas, camp fuel, lye and paint remover.

While the resulting high gives users feelings of joy, power, success 
and high self-esteem, it also causes delusional thinking, violent 
behaviour, welted skin, increased heart rate, stroke and potentially 
fatal seizures.

"Oh yes, there's lots of drugs around," said Ashley Gorrie, 16, one 
of the few teens at the session.

"I came today because my mom wanted me to. It was pretty intense, but 
I learned a lot about meth and how not to get mixed up in drugs."

Ashley's mom, Leanne, said she learned a lot about parenting.

Mate, the author of the parenting book "Hold Onto Your Kids," said 
the best thing a parent can do to keep their kids away from drugs is 
to spend time with them just hanging out, and being interested in and 
listening to them.

"Good relationships allow children and teens to become more 
independent without all the conflict," he said.

"Parenting isn't a skill; it's a relationship."

Kids don't avoid drugs by being lectured about them or even by 
negative consequences after they've tried drugs.

"They avoid drugs if they have good relationships at home," he stressed.

Mate likes to give this preventative advice before people end up like 
the addicts he sees in Vancouver's seedy Downtown Eastside.
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MAP posted-by: Elaine