Community help recovering from addictions

Partying in the dog days of summer can have drugs and alcohol as uninvited party crashers.

When the party is over and rock bottom hits, community services and RCMP are there to support people as they recover.

“If you over-indulge and get out of hand, your weekend will be cut short and you'll end up in custody,” said Const. Peter Lavalee of Edson RCMP detachment.

If the holding cell is a familiar place, RCMP and other agencies will be referring people to Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission which deals with alcohol, drugs and gambling addictions.

“Nobody ever expects it will happen to them,” said Heather McFadzen, Edson Wellness Centre addictions counselor.

“People never plan on having an addiction and it often happens before they are aware of where they are headed,” said McFadzen.

“If things have gone badly, people need assistance,” said Lavalee, “and we're there to help them.”

“When there's no safety plan, there will be unplanned, unfortunate circumstances to deal with,” said McFadzen.

“We all learn from our mistakes,” McFadzen said, “but some will have severe results that we don't see until 30 years later in the results of over-indulging.”

Experimenting is socially acceptable but short-sighted. Lavalee pointed out the consquences of dropping out of high-school and not being able to earn a living.

“It's totally unacceptable to take meth and think it's not going to have any affects,” said Lavalee. “It's like skydiving without a parachute.”

When alcohol is easier to find than hard drugs, young people can be swayed by the dark side quickly.

“If someone starts binge drinking at 16 years old,” said Lavalee. “They [donors] won't give you a new liver if you drink for too long.”

It's unfair to paint all the community's youth with the same brush though.

“Folks are struggling with choices, but I think we miss the amazing youth in our community who have assets and strengths,” said McFadzen.

“Edson and District Drug Coalition is developing a youth outreach program,” said McFadzen. “Some of our youth are very involved in community projects and events.”

During the spring, McFadzen and Lavalee spoke to grade eights about the dangers of addictions.

“I talk to youth every day when school is on and they're a pleasure to deal with,” said Lavalee, “full of interesting questions and wanting to dispel urban legends.”

“Everyone's doing it – No in reality not everyone,” said Lavalee. “Kids have a really good grasp on what is an addiction.”

Hard-core drugs aren't the most commonly over-used substances compared to tobacco.

“It's those Monster and Red Bull drinks,” said Lavalee. “You're actually overdosing on caffeine and you know all the unintended problems of coming off that stuff.”

“Our youth are really smart and we need to give them good information, talk about the realities,” said McFadzen.

The saying goes about taking a whole village to raise a child as anyone can be a positive influence from neighbours to community groups.

“Teachers, parents, and police need to be there when kids ask questions that will alter the rest of their lives and learn how much a bad decision will affect them,” said Lavalee.

“Sometimes we have adults who still don't understand,” said Lavalee.

For those still learning to live after kicking the habit, there are many positive outlets in the community.

“It's amazing proactive and supportive,” said McFadzen. “There are strong 12 step AA and NA groups in the community when people are ready to make changes.”

From live theatre and music to clubs and sports year around, there's no point in whining about nothing to do.

“You need to find something in your life that you can get passionate about,” said Lavalee, an avid backpacker and mountaineer.

“If it's training dogs or climbing mountains, you're only limited by your imagination or by the drugs you take,” said Lavalee.

“Figuring out healthy leisure activities and lifestyles can be hard,” said McFadzen. “Substance abuse happens to deal with mental health issues sometimes, so make sure you're taking care if you're struggling with depression and other challenges.”

There are professionals like McFadzen who can make referrals when people can find help. However, the individual needs to make the first step and own up.

“We need to not pretend these problems aren't here,” said McFadzen. “but don't let them detract from all the strengths we do have in the community.

“The best way to raise yourself up is to give someone else a hand-up.”

P.S. got the village to raise a child quote graphic from associatedcontent.com and the epic mountain climbing photo from MEC's blog naturally because they have amazing photos. Thanks! BTW that's not $40 of vodka, I filled an empty with water from the bottle recycling depot and threw some vitamin C pills in the toilet. Too much fun being creative with photos sometimes -- even on serious subjects as these were hard to find images -- unfortunately there wasn't room in the newspaper so here they are! Hope a few people are able to gain courage to go get help from reading these articles.

P.S.S. Anyone having to deal with the RCMP isn't usually a good time. I tell a secret that they do have a soft spot for children it seems. The 20 word or less to the point RCMP officer I talked to gave 15 minutes conversation and it was really cool. They are busy guys so I was so glad Lavalee could give me more than his initial statement, drugs are bad, moderation is good. I'm like okies.... a little bit of elaboration?

Asking him if people might behave during the long weekend, Lavalee chuckled and asked what colour I thought the sky was. Right back at him came the reply, rose coloured glasses because I'd just been photographing the dress rehearsal of Wizard of Oz, but unfortunately I've seen way too much of the man behind the curtain.... he agreed we've seen too much reality that people aren't invincible. So Lavalee got talking and gave some cool advice to pass on in great quotes. So that's the rest of the story....