Pubdate: Tue, 22 Apr 2008
Source: Mayerthorpe Freelancer (CN AB)
Copyright: 2008 The Freelancer
Contact:  http://www.mayerthorpefreelancer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/733
Author: Melissa Hamelin

IS THE OIL BOOM AFFECTING LOCAL DRUG USE?

Is there a link between Alberta's booming industry and its booming 
drug scene? Alberta has been home to a booming economy with booming 
paychecks, but it has also been called the drug capital of Canada. Is 
there a connection?

The troubling link between boomtowns and high rates of substance 
abuse is usually attributed to workers having too much money and too 
little to do. But a recent study of one Alberta community suggests 
underlying pressures including loneliness, a lack of healthy social 
connections and a need to "keep up with the Joneses" are to blame.

Two University of Alberta researchers worked with the Canadian Forest 
Service to conduct the study, which found that substance abuse in the 
neighbouring municipality of Hinton runs far deeper than the current 
economic boom. The group also found that because many resource-based 
communities in Alberta and North America have similar social and 
economic structures, the study's findings might provide insights into 
the social challenges of boomtowns everywhere.

"What research in the town of Hinton has revealed is that the roots 
of substance abuse are deeply entrenched in the economic and social 
structure of the community," said Angela C. Angell, co-author of the 
study and a master's student in the University of Alberta's Faculty 
of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences.

The study reads that although the costs of substance abuse are 
difficult to calculate for individual communities, according to the 
Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission (AADAC), it is estimated 
that drug and alcohol abuse will cost the province of Alberta over 
$400 million every year in lost productivity. The breakdown of these 
costs includes risk of injury, depression, stress, reduced morale, 
absenteeism, and higher worker's compensation and insurance costs.

In 2006 the researchers interviewed 108 people living and working in 
Hinton, a community of 10,000 , which was experiencing an oil and gas 
boom at the time. The town is also supported by pulp and paper mills 
and mining.

The interviews, which included forest, mining and oil and gas 
workers, medical personnel, RCMP officers, seniors, students and 
people recovering from addictions, identified five common factors 
that contribute to social breakdown: 1) people of high and low 
incomes are separated by socially tight-knit groups; 2) high incomes 
lead to a "keeping up with the Joneses" mentality, which produces 
subsequent financial stress and less time for family; 3) transient 
workers are prone to alcohol and drug use due to loneliness; 4) shift 
work leaves workers exhausted and disrupts family routines and 
relationships; 5) a union environment, coupled with high incomes, 
leads to a "culture of entitlement" among some workers who feel that 
there are no consequences to their actions, including the misuse of 
alcohol and drugs.

The interview data also indicated that the problems in Hinton might 
be province-wide. One interviewee commented, "Is there a town in 
Alberta that's not full of drugs nowadays?"

Study participants did acknowledge the negative side effects to 
Alberta's economic boom. As one participant commented:

"Sure it's fine with the oilfield and all the jobs, but at what cost 
though? The next generation is going to be paying big time for this. 
Everyone forgets, you know, when they go on a ride, when we have a 
good time, everyone forgets that this fun ride comes to a full stop 
sooner or later."

"It is simplistic to point to fat paycheques as the sole cause of 
substance abuse and it's unfair to only give attention to these 
issues during boom times," Angell said.

"The social problems in resource-based communities have existed for 
many years and are exacerbated by boom town conditions, she noted. 
"Communities such as Hinton have been battling these issues long 
before the oil and gas boom, and the inter-generational transfer of 
these behaviours and attitudes have led to widespread family and 
community dysfunction."

Participants commented that they felt children growing up in homes 
with substance abuse are particularly vulnerable to the impact of 
substance abuse. An addiction councilor described one long-term 
affect that they had noted, "children often feel that they are not 
valuable, that they are not good enough [and that] they are not worth 
a whole lot."

"Governments also need to earmark funds and programs to meet the 
unique social and economic challenges of resource-based communities," 
said John Parkins, a professor of rural economy at the University of 
Alberta and co-author of the study. "This funding should include 
regional, rural-based drug treatment centres," he added.

The study recommends that industry and major employers need to 
promote healthy lifestyles and, though desperate for workers, not 
turn a blind eye to substance abuse issues among their current or 
would-be employees.

Results of the study were presented in 2007 at the 13th International 
Symposium of Society and Resource Management in Park City, Utah and 
at the Canadian Rural Revitalization Conference in Vermilion, Alberta.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom