"It's about time!" : Province sets up
detox center for young addicts
October 29, 2006
By Tamara King
Manitoba parents will have another
option for children suffering from addictions starting this week.
A drug and alcohol detox facility
where parents can force their kids into treatment initially promised
by the Doer government in June opens this week.
Run by Marymound, a Manitoba social
agency for traumatized and victimized children, the five-bed detox
or "stabilization" facility is designed for difficult-to-reach young
addicts when their parents reach their wit's end.
"The whole approach is to reach
these kids and get them sober enough to have a conversation to
explain what this is doing to their lives and their families'
lives," said Yvonne Block, the province's executive director of
mental health and addictions.
Many parents agree the Mayfair
Avenue facility is much needed and long overdue.
"As soon as I heard about this, I
thought it's about time," said Winnipeg mother Tammy Nault, whose
foster daughter was an alcoholic as a teen about 10 years ago.
At the time, Nault said she felt
like she had nowhere to turn for help.
"It's not like I didn't want her
because she had a drinking issue. She just had no place (to go),"
said Nault. "There was nothing out there for kids and I firmly
believe there should've been."
The detox facility and the Youth
Drug Stabilization Act, the law that lets parents access it, puts
control back where it should be, Nault said.
"At least this way, the parents may
feel like it's going to be OK."
Teens with all sorts of chemical
addictions, from alcohol to cocaine to meth, can stay at the
facility for up to seven days.
COURT ORDER
Admission depends on the patient's
preferred poison and how often they're using. With something like
crystal meth, using every day could mean serious trouble in just a
few months, said Block.
Parents have to prove they've tried
to get help for their kids before showing up at the facility. They
also must fill out an application with a justice of the peace, who
will issue a court order for their child's admission to the detox
centre.
"It's incumbent on (parents) to
prove this is a serious problem," said Block.
Government officials say it's
difficult to predict whether there will be big lineups for the
facility. Their only places to look for advice, at least in Canada,
are Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Based on Saskatchewan's experience,
the province estimates up to 100 youth a year may go through the
forced detox.
"We expect this act will be seldom
used, but for those parents who are seeking a last resort for
children with serious and persistent substance use problems, these
supports will be a valuable way to get them stabilized and into the
treatment they need," said NDP Health Minister Theresa Oswald last
June, when she announced the program while acting as the healthy
living minister.
Next story:
A scary time, for real
|
