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TEEN SUBSTANCE ABUSE IS EVERYBODY'S PROBLEM

Community Workshop Provides Information, Advice

IONIA COUNTY, Mich.  - Ninety percent of all addicted adults began using as teens, a substance abuse expert told an audience of 70 at the Ionia County Intermediate School District building.

Parents and professionals from schools, hospitals, law enforcement, courts and treatment facilities across the county and the state attended a workshop on "Emerging Drug Trends in 2012" Monday.  The speaker was Scott Kelly, executive director of BASES Teen Center in Charlevoix and a substance abuse counselor for 26 years.  The event was hosted by the Ionia County Health Department and the Ionia County Substance Abuse Initiative.

"There's no easy answer.  ( Substance abuse ) is big, complex and messy," Kelly said.

Parents have a huge role in preventing their children from becoming substance abusers.  When parents allow any alcohol use by their children, teens are three times more likely to abuse it, studies show.

"When parents open the door to some use, by saying it's okay on special occasions or it's okay at home; then kids think it's okay in Johnny's basement, it's okay in the car," Kelly said.  "It's important that parents say no."

He noted that alcohol is still the most widely used drug.  Marijuana use is on the rise, particularly in states that allow medical marijuana, and more teens report using marijuana than cigarettes.  Use of prescription pills is going up, as well.  Opiate use is "zooming," Kelly said.

According to reports from Hazelton Addiction Treatment Center in Center City, Minn., over the past 25 years, heroin has become the drug of choice for adolescents with financial means.

"It's not just street kids ( who are using heroin )," he said.

Use of medication for stress and anxiety quadrupled following the Sept.  11 attacks.  Xanax, prescribed more and more frequently for teens and adults, is one of the most difficult to detox from, said Kelly.

Methamphetamine remains a public health problem because it is easy to make and to obtain.  Meth "hijacks" dopamine, the chemical that helps control the pleasure and reward areas of the brain, which makes it highly addictive.

"It's a pleasurable experience they've never gotten close to in their life," Kelly said.  "These people literally go crazy."

Kelly also pointed out that high school athletes are at greater risk for alcohol and drug use because of high expectations and pressure to succeed.  He said he lettered in sports, graduated fifth in his class, and got clean and sober at 18 in order to stay in college and continue to play baseball.

Teens are also becoming more creative with their drug use, like melting down their parents' or their own prescription medications and spraying them on oregano or other substances to smoke.

Purchasing or making dangerous synthetic drugs such as K2 and Spice has been an increasing problem in Michigan, however Kelly said he anticipates that the new state law banning them will decrease their use.

"Any barrier between the person and the negative behavior will show results," he said.  "The law will help, and everyone working together will help."

The good news is that substance abuse treatment and recovery is getting to be "more of a science and not so hit and miss," Kelly said.

Treatment focuses on abusers understanding their motivation for using drugs and alcohol, learning to make better decisions, staying healthy and sober and getting along with people.  Working with teens is especially challenging, though, because adolescents' brains are still developing, especially in the area that deals with impulsivity and learning that actions have consequences.

"Ecstasy and synthetics affect the part of the brain that understands consequences," he said.  "These kids need to be held accountable and rules need to be enforced.

While the U.S.  spends among the highest dollars in the world on health care, it scores among the worse in results.  Kelly said each dollar spent on substance abuse treatment now saves the community $7 in future health care and $13 in future incarceration costs.

Substance abuse should be a county-wide concern because it affects every corner of the community.  If the problem isn't dealt with effectively, it becomes "a whack-a-mole," said Amy Buckingham, intensive probation officer with the Ionia County Juvenile Court.

"It isn't just one drug or one age or one income group so that we can say, 'It doesn't affect me,'" Buckingham said.  "This information is helping us to see that addictions affect all of us.  It behooves us to put money into treatment, not into a falling apart body."

Parents Tara Bowerman and Jessica Rowland attended the program from Belding.

"I didn't know the statistics ( about substance abuse )," said Bowerman, who has a son in middle school.  "It's good to educate myself to be able to prepare my son for what happens."

Rowland appreciated learning the warning signs of substance abuse in teens, even though her own child is just 4 years old.

"I can prepare myself, knowing the behaviors to look for," she said.  "When you detect the warning signs ( of drug use in children ), as a parent the most important thing is to get them the help they need."

Kelly knows drug and alcohol use by teens is a serious issue.  He deals with the effects daily in his work with teens and their families.  But he is far from hopeless about the situation.

"Young people have addiction problems, and they can get better," he said.

For resources on preventing and substance addition, and talking to children about drugs and alcohol, visit www.basesteencenter.org and www.drugfree.org.