Pubdate: Fri, 04 Jun 2010 Source: Chilliwack Progress (CN BC) Copyright: 2010 The Chilliwack Progress Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/Ta1hOac0 Website: http://www.theprogress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/562 Author: Rob Lees Note: Dr. Rob Lees is the Community Psychologist for the Ministry of Children and Family Development in Chilliwack. WHAT YOUTH CAN TEACH US ABOUT ADDICTIONS In keeping with the adage, "Nothing about us, without us", part of the "Consultation on Chilliwack's Children" held at Sardis Senior on May 21 was a consultation with young people. Their opinions were sought on a series of questions about what adults can do to assist youth with the challenges of addiction. Youth were recruited from the three Chilliwack High Schools (Chilliwack Senior, Sardis Senior and GW Graham) , Stolo Youth Council and Chilliwack Community Services . Many of the young people from Community Services represented the alternate education system. The idea was to bringing together a diverse range of young people - those in "leadership" positions in high school, those from Aboriginal culture and those experiencing some difficulty in school. In all 27 youth participated. There was considerable controversy about this event. The focus was originally "responsible use", beginning with the idea that the majority of youth will experiment with alcohol and marijuana, some going on to be more regular or problematic users. Evidence from the McCreary Centre Adolescent Health Survey has consistently supported this premise. Although of concern in communities, the rates of use for "harder drugs" such as cocaine and crystal meth cannot be considered as big a threat to the whole population. The focus of the workshop was to be on elements considered commonplace in adult life to which youth are exposed. This population health focus led to thinking about alcohol, marijuana and the internet (including pornography, gaming and gambling). The controversy about the topic was that it could convey the wrong message - any use of alcohol and marijuana is illegal use; ergo, can't be responsibly used by youth. The good thing about controversy is it invites people to engage with a topic. Consequently a number of community leaders assisted in framing the questions to be answered by youth. The youth considered questions such as, what do you think of current addiction programming? What more could we be doing to help young people? Their responses display some of the dichotomous thinking in society with respect to harms associated with substance use. The dualism goes something like this-harm is really addiction and addiction is when your life is ruined. We can all tend to see things in extreme and miss the harms done in the gray areas. Some youth thought that stories of addiction, such as scare tactics had effect whereas others thought that these would have little efficacy with older youth who were already experimenting and using alcohol. Youth are savvy to what research demonstrates-there is need for continuous prevention practice. One shot programs eventually lose effectiveness and require booster sessions. They were also aware that relationships with peers play a critical role as do relationships with families and teachers. The adult world needs to listen and not just "tell kids" what to think and do but join with kids in much needed close relationships. Some youth saw a role for older youth educating young people in middle school where they believe the major exposure to substances begins. They think younger kids will listen to older kids, different than when adults speak. This education would involve not simply "awareness" but knowing how to cope with peer pressure. They thought that older -to- younger model could be linked with university student leadership. All good input for adult planning processes. Dr. Rob Lees is the Community Psychologist for the Ministry of Children and Family Development in Chilliwack. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D