From pot at age nine to coke at 17 (London Free Press)

From pot at age nine to coke at 17

See also other stories and links about: Crystal Meth

MARISSA NELSON, Free Press reporter
London Free Press

By age nine she had tried pot. By 10 it was LSD. By 17 she'd graduated to cocaine. The Londoner's drug use was a gradual progression, with the substance of choice dictated by the crowd she ran with.

"Drugs were easy to get," Amanda says, shrugging. "I could escape my reality."

In the beginning, the coke crowd was alluring.

To a girl who grew up in a low-income family in a small community north of London, the cocaine users -- with their stacks of cash and guns -- gave a sense of power.

"At first it was exciting to me, then it became just about the drugs," she says.

It doesn't matter what neighbourhood they come from, how much money their family has or their grades in school -- whether parents like it or not, most teens try drugs.

"The captain of the cheerleading team could be in my office one day and a street youth the next day," says Kristin Meyer of Addiction Services of Thames Valley.

And there's reason for parents in Southwestern Ontario to take notice -- because surveys show teens are using drugs here, too, sometimes more than the provincial average.

Amanda, now a 21-year-old who works at the Youth Action Centre in London, says her parents would ask her if she was on drugs when she was sober, because her behaviour was so unusual.

She left home at 16, dropped out of school and partied every night. That's when she not only started using coke, but developed an eating disorder. The eating disorder fed her drug use as she turned to amphetamines to stay skinny.

"I woke up one morning and realized I had to change things," says Amanda, who has been clean for three years. "If I could have talked to my dad back then, I think it would have been easier."

Every two years the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health conducts a massive survey of Ontario students to gauge drug use.

Last year's showed that by Grade 12, 82 per cent of teens had used alcohol in the past year, 45 per cent had used pot and 15 per cent had tried hallucinogens.

Even by Grade 7, 40 per cent of Ontario pupils said they'd used alcohol in the past year, six per cent had tried pot and 10 per cent admitted to inhaling solvents. Those numbers don't separate addicts from experimenters or include teens who have left school.

Many of those numbers are worse for Southwestern Ontario. More teens -- 74 per cent -- admitted to using alcohol and more teens had used pot and hallucinogens here.

While the three most popular drugs are still alcohol, marijuana and tobacco -- by a long shot -- professionals are noticing and are worried about a jump in cocaine use.

There are statistics to back up their concerns. The Ontario survey says there's been a "significant increase in cocaine use among all students between 1999 and 2003," an increase that began in 1993.

Those who deal with users in this city say cocaine is trendy, just as LSD was in the '60s or ecstasy in the '90s.

Teens say cocaine is easy to find. Some tell stories of snorting lines of the powder in London nightclub washrooms.

"I've seen a steady increase in cocaine use," says Meyer, a youth addictions councillor.

Cocaine use also doesn't inhibit other activities, like speed does. Teens can have a night on the town, use cocaine and still get up the next day for school or work.

"To try coke is no big deal," Meyer says, noting in most cases it's still just teen experimentation.

Meyer also suspects there's an increase in supply and a drop in cost, which fuels popularity.

So does popular culture -- cocaine is big in the hip hop scene and even mentioned in popular songs by artists like Fifty Cent.

Trevor Johnson of the Youth Action Centre on Dundas Street says he thinks drug use in general is on the rise. What worries him is the teens who use the centre often deal with outlaw motorcycle gangs to get drugs.

"We have lots of experience with young people who rack up a debt and are forced to sell for them on the street," he says. "I find it terrifying."

Jason Allen, an 18-year-old Londoner, didn't get hooked on coke. It was too expensive.

He got hooked on crystal methamphetamine, a club drug known as speed, that gives a high-energy peak.

"It gets you so wired. It's such a hard high. Ecstasy takes 10 to 15 minutes to kick in, but crystal meth only takes five to eight minutes."

Allen says the high of crystal meth and the desperate crash that follows is what got him addicted.

"I'd just not want to come down," Allen says. "I did six nights in a row on crystal meth. I didn't eat for six days."

That's exactly what attracts some women, who want to lose weight, to crystal meth.

That wasn't Allen's focus. He just wanted to escape life.

A street youth at times, Allen learned to get cash to feed the habit -- stealing books and reselling them, busking on the streets and finding people who'd give him drugs for free.

He would wake up some days with his tongue covered in scabs from inadvertently chewing on it. It's now been two months and the draw to the drug is still intense -- the only way not to use it is not to be near it, he says. "It's something I have to work on."

Meyer, who counsels teens like Allen, says the potential decriminalization of marijuana is confusing teens -- they think it's legal now and don't always understand there are risks involved, like its affect on the ability to learn and the risk of lung cancer.

She says marijuana isn't necessarily a "gateway drug" that leads people to harder, harsher substances. But it's affordable, which makes it attractive to teens.

What worries Meyer most is the increase in so-called poly drug use -- when the user takes more than one drug at a time.

"When you're mixing, one plus one does not equal two. It can equal eight," Meyer says.

Dr. Sandra Fisman, head of psychiatry for London's hospitals, says the rate of teen drug use and abuse is alarming.

"I have kids using crack much more regularly than I've ever seen," she says. "I'm seeing more cocaine, crack and ecstasy. It appears that it's not that difficult to get. It's a serious problem."

Dr. Adrian Hynes, of Regional Mental Health Care in St. Thomas, says teens with mental health problems are at a higher risk of developing a drug dependency because they try to self-medicate symptoms.

While cocaine is used far less than marijuana, alcohol and tobacco, the concern stems from the fact it's highly addictive and can lead to serious side-effects, even heart attacks and strokes.

"Cocaine use has gone up while most (drugs) have gone down," Hynes says. "It's very available and rock crack is very economical . . . alcohol is the most available drug. Cannabis is just as available as cigarettes."

The problem with drug use in teens is it can have long-term effects, beyond the physical ones. "Emotional and psychological development stops because they're using the substance instead of their own resources and skills to deal with things," Hynes says, adding an alcoholic adult who started drinking as a teen "remains really immature."

"Alcohol is acceptable and kills more people than all other drugs combined," he says. "Marijuana is probably not as unsafe as alcohol but it does interfere with people's ability to learn."

Det.-Sgt. John Carson of London police's drug squad says few young people are getting charged with cocaine offences.

The most popular drugs are marijuana, magic mushrooms and ecstasy, with an increase in amphetamines -- including crystal meth.

He warns parents should be worried if their teen is using any illicit drug.

"They don't know what they're taking. These drugs are made in clandestine labs and you don't what's in them. Ecstasy doesn't have a skull and crossbones on it -- it's made to look harmless."

Hynes argues the "just say no" campaign isn't the answer. He wants educators to use the harm-reduction model -- so if they're going to experiment they know what they're in for.

Teens are told they shouldn't drink, but if they do, they shouldn't drive. They're also taught no sex is best, but if they're going to have it, they should use a condom.

Hynes also wants teens to know the risks and the options, something Meyer teaches the teens she treats. Hynes says teens need the facts or they'll get misinformation from friends.

It's not unusual to experiment, she says. "The question is how can they do that but keep safe. Either way, pretending it's not happening is the worst option."

Wagging a finger at teens won't work, either.

"Discouraging experimentation will probably have the opposite effect," Hynes says.

Parents shouldn't encourage drug use, but ensure their kids understand the consequences and are comfortable talking to them.

"They will experiment whether we like to or not, so let's reduce the risks," Hynes says.

DRUGS

- The Addiction Services of Thames Valley website is www.adstv.on.ca. Contact the centre at 673-3242.

- Parent Action on Drugs, at www.parentactionondrugs.org, is a registered charity based in Toronto focused on prevention, education and support for parents.

- Zoot2, at www.zoot2.com, is a website run by the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission directed at youth and includes information about drugs and forums where youths can chat.

- Signs of a problem include: change in friends, more secrecy, use of coded language, change in lifestyle or clothes.

- Other things to watch for include whether: school work is on track; kids are engaged in family activities; goals are still important to them; there is a balance of activity and routine in their lives; they respect house rules.

- If these are not true, set boundaries you can control and expectations you can live with and look for positives. Realize there are decisions and consequences that belong to your child. Find support for yourself and look for professional help.

- Don't make threats you can't back up or use absolutes. Parents should voice concerns, but avoid "you should" statements.

- Make sure teens have accurate information so they make informed decisions.

- Parents should not give money to teens who are using. They should not pay off drug debts.

- Let the teen help decide what consequences should be.

- Kicking a teen out of the home should be a last resort.

- Drug counsellors "meet teens where they're at," so if they're not prepared to stop, they tell the teen how then can reduce the risks -- like making sure the teen knows alcoholic shots increase the chance for alcohol poisoning.

- Drug addicts often have to hit bottom before they want help, but parents can raise that bottom with consequences for undesirable behaviour -- but it's a balancing act because parents don't want to alienate themselves.

London Free Press