Pubdate: Wed, 13 Feb 2008 Source: Standard Freeholder (Cornwall, CN ON) Copyright: 2008 Osprey Media Group Inc Contact: http://www.standard-freeholder.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1169 Author: Michael Peeling ADDICTION OFTEN STARTS EARLY Adolescent addiction takes time and exposure to the right elements to develop according to a regional expert in the field of treating substance abusers. In the experience of Glenn Barnes, executive director of Addiction Services of Eastern Ontario, the timing of exposure to drugs, alcohol or both and their availability play key roles in creating addicts. "Most addicts start out experimenting in the teenage years," Barnes told a room full of teachers, youth counsellors and health-care professionals at the Cornwall Civic Complex Tuesday. "They tend to follow what we call the 85 before 18 rule. Eighty five per cent of them began abusing alcohol or drugs before they turned 18." Barnes believes that if the majority of these early experimentation could be prevented from progressing to the point of addiction, 25 per cent of hospital beds could be freed up for other types of patients. "That's my pitch for early intervention as treatment for substance abusers," he said. Barnes explained that it takes more than just sniffing a line of cocaine, for example, to become a drug addict. Sustained exposure, environmental factors and sometimes past traumas contribute to addictive behaviour. "The beginning of addiction occurs when someone seeks to repeat a pleasurable experience they had after taking a substance," Barnes said. "The need to repeat that experience eventually starts to affect their learning skills, decision-making ability, emotions and behavioural control." Abuse, he said, is chiefly characterized by someone reaching the point where they need a drug or alcohol to feel good. Addiction takes hold when there is both physiological and psychological dependence in a person, who in turn shows an inability to control use of a substance, the loss of time management skills and obsessive behaviour, according to Barnes. Adolescents most often start drinking and taking drugs because their friends make them available and pressure each other to try them, but the teens who are more susceptible are likely either highly impulsive, thrill seekers or experienced a traumatic social factor they want to avoid dealing with through drug use. Barnes said victims of sexual abuse often use substance abuse to block out the pain of their pasts. Signs of drug and alcohol abuse parents, teachers and others who care for youngsters should watch for include a drop in school performance, lying, lethargy, confusion, personality changes, increased irresponsibility, missing money and defensiveness. "If a teenager will talk about one friend and gets defensive when another friend is brought up, it could be because the other friend is involved in drugs somehow," Barnes said. "The money that is missing from a parent's dresser could have been used to pay for drugs." Overt signs of drug abuse and addiction are bloodshot eyes, a dissipated gaze, dull skin tone, and shifting sleep patterns. Tuesday's talk on "Adolescents and Addiction" can be obtained from Barnes in Power Point format. It is the first of several guest speaking engagements scheduled throughout the week for the Cornwall Community Police's Youth Symposium. Police Chief Dan Parkinson said he hopes Barnes' talk gave the audience a leg up on preventing further cases of adolescent substance abuse. "Drug use and abuse in the city often targets the youth of our community," Parkinson said. "Educators need to know how to detect the early stages and signs of drugs creeping into the lives of our youth." - --- MAP posted-by: Derek