Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1986-05-07, Page 21vs rnmuni • Entertainment Features • Religion • Family ® More SECTION lcohol abuse by `social targetted by project prop BY SUSAN HUNDERTMARK The social drinkers of Huron County will be the focus of a two year health promotion and prevention project proposed by the Huron County Health Unit to the Ministry of Health. Increasing evidence shows the heavy "social" drinker causes the community great. damage by increasing costs from death and injury from drank driving, loss of production potential to business, family and community life and costs associated with long term health damage or crime, says the project proposal. The project will look at ways to in- tervene and possibly prevent regular or sporadic drug/alcohol use with a high eon- sumption level. The Addiction Research Foundation (ARF) considers two to four drinks a day "at risk" while eight drinks a day are "dangerous." Such "high risk" drinkers will be characterized by a consumption level that places their health at risk through disease or injury and harms their lifestyles through legal charges or loss of jobs or families. Dr. Harry Cieslar says the project will carry on the counselling and the communi- ty awareness work of the Addiction Research Foundation's research project in Goderich which recently ended on Mar. 31. "The research project had a good im- pact on the community while it was here: It did good work here and we felt bad to leave their clients hanging. We want to continue their counselling and community awareness but expand it to cover the whole county," he says. Dr. Cieslar estimates that 20 to 30 people were receiving counselling about their alcohol use when the ARF project ended in Goderich. Because the project proposal has not been approved yet, he says he hopes the interval is not too long between projects for the clients. "In Huron, we unfortunately seem to have the least number of mental health and alcohol-related services in Southwestern Ontario. We definitely need these programs and we're not getting our fair share of them," he says. The project's goal is to reduce the level of public health damage in the county resulting from high or at risk alcohol/drug consumption. To do so, the project will strive .to change attitudes and behaviors by mobilizing community networks. Along With social drinkers, those organizations that have some influence over drinking practises such as human service professionals, churches, service clubs and commercial. and employer organizations will also be targetted. The project will be implemented by peo- ple in the community who have a special interest or expertise in alcohol and drug use. These people include members of the Council for Action on Alcohol and other Drugs (C.A.A.D.I, social workers, service clubs, government services, churches, employers, commercial establishments, health care professionals, educators, and interested members of the public. The project strategies include wise and intensive counselling, public education and good social policies: "Huron County is a community which has shown a history of being interested in alcohol and drug problems," says the pro- ject proposal. To increase public awareness about the influence of drinking levels on the, public's health, the project will research the costs of alcohol/drug-related mortality, the. costs of employed problem drinkers and the costs of law enforcement and spread them through the media, the schools and public presentations. Two different campaigns will be developed for the seasons of spring/sum- mer and fall/winter. To increase public action,• the project will mobilize the community to take a stand against drinking and driving, work- ing while intoxicated, going to school in- toxicated, drinking while pregnant, pro- longed heavy drinking and illicit use of drugs and alcohol. The project will also work to improve the methods of dispensing alcohol at public gathering places by training commercial servers of alcohol, educating park operators about alcohol use by campers, pricing the difference between low alcohol content beer and wines and examining the timing procedures to stop the flow of alcohol at parties or public meetings. The, counselling program will be offered to anjone who's concerned about their own consumption or who's been referred to the service. "The message of this objective will be that if you have concern about your con- sumption of alcohol and or drugs, you can seek professional and confidential assess- ment and advice about improving your control over this aspect of your life," says the proposal. The • project will also increase the knowledge of human service professionals about how and when to refer people for early intervention. Two people will be employed to conduct the counselling program and act as com- munity organizers. The project will also rely heavily on existing community •resources. Assessing the project will involve using a street survey to measure the public awareness at the beginning, middle and end of the project and making an inventory of groups actively taking a stand against high risk drinking and agreeing to review and modify their distribution of alcohol. The number of referrals to the counsell- ing program, the number of organizations that increase their referral of clients, and the usage of emergency rooms and court facilities byalcohol-related situations will also be used to evaluate the project. rinker sal The high risks involved in the abuse of alcohol and other drugs con- tinues to be an concern in Huron County. Groups such as Council for Action on Alcohol and other Drugs (C.A.A.D.) and the Addiction Research Foundation have been focussing on such abuse for several years now especially with the assessment of alcoholics. A new project proposal by the Huron County Health Unit aims towards prevention and education surrounding the social drinker and his potential for harming the community. (photo by Susan Hundertmark ) 1 Stopping the human suffering caused by alcohol is CAAD's goal BY SUSAN HUNDERTMARK Stopping the humah suffering caused by addictions to alcohol and other drugs is one of the aims of the Huron Council for Action on Alcohol and Other Drugs (C.A.A.D.). Formed in 1978 after the Goderich Psychiatric Hospital and its addiction treatment unit were closed in 1977, C.A.A.D. concentrates on prevention, public education and the development ,of addiction -related treatment services. "C.A.A.D. has really helped people be treated in the community. A lot have been referred to Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) for counselling. Huron is looking after more addiction problems than other coun- • ties," says Grant Ellison, the publicity and assessment coordinator for C.A.A.D. Since it's inception C.A.A.D. has held a number of workshops on alcohol abuse centering around employees, youth and, family. A panel discussion by C.A.A.D. two years ago at the Exeter high school resulted in a literature rack in the school's library about alcohol and drug abuse which has been filled three times. "And, we're hoping to get into the other high schools," says Rev. Gord Simmons, C.A.A.D.'s president. "We want to reach into the public anheols and high sehonls of the eo my and reach students at an early age to educate them about the dangers of abuse." Because Huron County changed from a dry to wet county in the mid 1960s, Huron has one of the fastest growing addiction rates in Ontario. According to a 1985 report of C.A.A.D., the per capita consumption of alcohol has risen from very low to equal or exceed the provincial level. The rate of increase is much higher in Huron than the provincial average or of surrounding counties. .4". At each of the workshops held by C.A.A.D., participants have said they want , ,more information about alcohol and drug 'abuse, says Rev. Simmons." For the past four years, C.A.A.D. has run an assessment and referral service at the hospitals in Goderich, Wingham, Clin- ton, Seaforth and Exeter. The service assesses the extent of the client's pro- blems, develops a treatment .plan; refers the client to treatment services and iden- tifies gaps and needs in the community. The first year of the assessment service showed that the service was demonstrated, the quality of assessment was excellent and the treatment planning and follow-up were good. But, because on- ly 13 assessments rather than the expected 65 to 75 were dobe, C.A.A.D. concluded that more financial and human resources are needed. In the three years the assessment ser- vice has been operating, approximately 21 assessments have been done. A recommendation that an existing agency in the county assume full respon- sibility for the assessment service and seek funding from the Ministry of Health was made in a 1985 report from C.A.A.D. The Huron County Health Unit recently submitted a project proposal to the Ministry of Health in response to that recommendation. Another recommendation in the report was to improve efforts to identify the misuse of alcohol and other drugs at earlier stages. A course to train health care workers, clergy and social workers to recognize ad- diction and learn about methods of treat- ment i' - in the works through Conestoga College and should start this fall, says Rev. Simmons. This course will be coupled with a vigorous public awareness campaign so that substance abusers will get into treat- ment before they reach such advanced stages. C.A.A.D. also recommended a stronger out-patient counselling program throughout Huron County as a high priority. However, because of the high cost of in- patient treatment services, C.A.A.D. recommended that such services be used wisely. The organization also concluded that Huron would not have sufficient de- mand to develop a hospital-based treat- ment program for alcohol or drug abusers. The two beds allocated in the Alexandra Marine and General Hospital in Goderich for detoxification purposes are not ade- quate, said the report. During the past few years, the police, health and social agencies, hospitals, doc- tors and A.A. members have expressed the need for improved detoxification services in the county. C.A.A.D. recommended a needs assess- ment be done to that end but funding was recently cancelled for that study, says Ellison. The organization also recommended that the need for halfway houses be looked into. The halfway houses would provide the substance abuser a transition period from active treatment to full return to the community. But, since it seems unlikely that there, will be sufficient demand for such a facili- ty solely for alcohol or drug addicts, C.A.A.D. may combine their needs with those of the Huron County Mental Health Task Force which relClt i y Ue♦elnunef a halfway house as one of its needs. "The need is definitely there but organizing a halfway house is not off the ground yet," says Ellison. Through its recommendations, C.A.A.D. hopes to help the community develop and implement a comprehensive addiction treatment system which will meet the needs of substance abusers in the county for several years. "It's a long process of education. In 11 years, we've attracted more people to workshops than similar organizations have in London. But, it might take 20 years to educate the community about addic- tion," says Ellison. POSTSCRIPT By Susan Hundertmark Local youth deserve 111.14 0-114 m Up}#JI L No doubt about it -it's rough being a youth these days. Unemployment rates for youth tower above them at 13 per cent while costs for everything, including university tuition, continues to skyrocket. And, while youth scramble to better prepare themselves for the job market, the old Catch-22, "You can't get a job without experience but you can't get ex- perience without a job" still applies. Cut- .tilig the Katimavik program did nothing to increase youth's options, either. Global tensions continue to increase to the point where even young children are concerned that their short lives will be cut even shorter by a nuclear war. A youth can't help but wonder if an an- tiquated U.S. president doesn't want to take us all with him when hegoes by con- tributing to, if not provoking; a Third World War. Of course, comin • to terms with an uncertain future is on y aggravated 6y the inevitable youthful traumas of an emerging sexuality, bad skin and in- creasing peer pressure. But, despite 'all of the above, there is ample evidence of youth with a promis- ing future in Goderich. Though I'm sure I could never name every youth in the community who deserves praise, several leap to my mind this week. Each one is a special person or group who exhibits courage, initiative, creativity, deter- mination and hard work. And, each one deserves our support. The committee of young people work- ing on the Youth Needs You assessment project throughout Huron County deserves recognition. As volunteers, the young people involved are working towards making Huron County a more responsive place for their peers. They want to fill the gaps in social, health and educational services so that all youth are provided with adequate sup- port and information to become healthy and productive adults.. They're teaching us to get involved in our community to make positive change. Linda Reid, a young athlete preparing for this year's Special Olympics in Calgary, also deserves all the support the community is giving her. With discipline and determination, Linda's preparing to compete against the best in her class at a national level. She's teaching us to work past our weaknesses and strive for the greatest achievement we can. Though she's received her share of set- backs this year, Mia Dalton is determin- ed to make a contribution to Haiti, the poorest country in the world. Since she returned from the slums of the third world country last year, Mia has been an ambassador of compassion and common sense for Haiti. While organizing a return trip, she's made presentations to ahnost every ser- vice club, church group and school in the Goderich area. And, at least in con?' munities north of Goderich, truckloads of soap, clothes, toothbrushes, toothpaste and cutlery have been collected. When Haiti's dictator Baby Doc Duvalier was ousted from his country, Mia looked into the possibility .of travell- ing to another third world country where her donations could do some good. But, since the situation has stabilized, she and her group have decided to resume plans to visit Haiti in July. She . still needs some financial and moral support from the community. And, she deserves it. Afterall, she's teaching us to look past our town limits towards other human beings in need. She's demonstrating that it's possible, in our own small ways, to be responsible global citizens and affect positive change in the world. Jennifer Gowanlock, who's. leaving tomorrow for one of the world's most prestigious theatre schools in the world, is a local youth who should also be supported. In order to become one of six students accepted out of 257 hopefuls at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), Jen- nifer experienced a month-long adven- ture by herself in London, England. Using determination and ingenuity, she managed to accumulate some work- ing experience at a London theatre before her first interview at the school. And, by wearing clothes she'd sewn herself to her interview, she demonstrated her sewing talents while making an indelible impression on her interviewers. By having the audacity to think she could" raise -$11, -N0" -for her tuition in five months, she's done just that. But, she still needs help (about $500 worth) with her living expenses from the community she's contributed to in various volunteer capacities since she moved to Goderich 10 years ago. Jennifer's teaching us to go after our dreams no matter how far out of reach they may first appear. She's showing us the importance of fighting for ourselves and our beliefs in spite of the hopelessness of the situation. You don't have to look far in Goderich to find youth who refuse to let life defeat than. By supporting them, we're con- tributing to a future of creativity, in- genuity and,vita'lity.