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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-04-29, Page 6PAGE 6 • GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY,APRIL 29, 1987 DRESS UP YOUR HOME WITH HIGH QUALITY ALCAN BUILDING PRODUCTS. ALCAN CAN MINIMIZE MAINTENANCE AND ENHANCE THE BEAUTY OF YOUR HOME. DRESS UP YOUR HOME WITH YOUR ALCAN AUTHORIZED DEALER. GORD LEAMEN HOME IMPROVEMENTS •R . R.#6 GODF.RIGH, ONT. 519524®9647 ican utharued tt+: earlier —0101014101010111110001080. 44, YOU shOiI•{ see what we have "New" and on sale for a yom! DON'T MISSL Quality Jewellery at a price you'll like! It's an ideal time to buy your GRADUATION GIFTS 'USE YOUR °VISA •MASTERCARD •AMERICAN EXPRESS T 31 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN EVERY SALE E LLERY (JTLET 366 BAYFIELD RD., GODERICH ph. 524-2924. between Home Hardware and Murphys Landing OPEN: Mon. -Sat. 9 am - 6 prri/Fri. till 9 pm Guaranteed Investment Certificates 1 0/0 Feat l i'.d ale relative to s<< eh a hi� 1.�us BY LOU -ANN HOPE -There is as rnuch a problem with addic- tion to ordinary legal drugs in our society as with the illegal ones," Arch Andrew sa id. Andrew, a social worker with private practices in Bayfield and London, was the guest speaker at the Goderich Lioness Club's second drug awareness seminar held at St. Mary's • Separate School last Tuesday evening. He spoke about drug use in today's society and how it relates to the institution of the family. "Drug and alcohol abuse is related to the family pattern. Out of 20 kids who experi- ment with drugs, two to three become heavily dependent. Background checks show drug or alcohol abuse within .the family over a long period of time," he said, adding that although you cannot positively identify who will use drugs, drug use among children is related to their 'own parents' behaviour. 'Parents who abuse (prescription)'tran- quilizers are four times more likely to have kids who use hallucinogens sucli as LSD. Parents who abuse alcohol are two to three times more likely to have children who abuse alcohol. ."When we have adults,in our society us- ing chemicals, we can hardly expect our kids'not to use them. Adults argue that 'we don't take as much as the kids do' but we, adults 1 take drugs exactly the same way kids do — for the effects." KIDS ON DRUGS However, more often than not, parents, cannot even tell that .their child is using - abusing drugs. Andrew noted that since the signs of, drug use are almost identical to ordinary teenage actions many people cannot tell when drugs are being used. 'Most people can't identify children on drugs. even if they read of or know the symptoms. Everybody who I've seen who found out. their kids were on drugs either •found'marijuana or pills in their clothes when doing the. laundry, or someone else has told them. If you could identify drug use, many people.. would know a lot . soon.er." For example, Andrew sighted a time when he spoke about drugs at a Toronto ;high school. The principal and vice- principal were not"'happy' that he was•go- ing to speak•because they did not want the 'parents to Htor-ry about drug use in the school. D.uring Andrew's speech, both the principal and'vice-principal repeatedly in- terrupted him by saying that there were no drugs in the school. One week later,the police raided the school ' and found , five pounds ofmarijuana in a student's locker. It turned out that the student had been dealing drugsin the school. Andrew . noted children begin to use drugs inan attempt to cope with everyday life problems., • "We're living in what I would call a culture that fears dealing with negative emotions. People . don't like to show KING'S BOOK & GIFT SHOP Just oTT the Square on East Street, Beside the Post Office. Your 4. Community,Cardfa�Shop •Greoting Cards *Party Were •O kre Supplies •Books & Gifts •Wodding Stationery otk CED !� DENOMME' FLOWER SHOPPE INC. Phone 524- 132 DAY OR NIGHT use ami ng children y their parnts Arch Andrew loneliness. The more we want to deal With bad feelings, the more we want ,to take drugs to make them go away" COPING MECHANISMS Pbor coping -mechanisms in the family is often associated with drug use. Whatever kind of addiction, Andrew said, you are talking about a family .that 'has demonstrated poor coping • mechanisms. He said today's society has less ability to• cope and that there is more depression and 'more difficulty in taking a stand on values, and decision-making. • • "A lot of what we're dealing with are lack of love and lack of, discipline pro- blems. To really love your kids, you have to 'discipline them. The probelna with love is that a lot of people don't hug and kiss their kids and they need to do this'. There has to. be a balance ' between love and 'discipline. 'With problem kids, you will- find ilyfind one or both of these things lacking. "A lot of problems need to be headed off when thechild is two years old' and not when he is,, 15 or 16. By the age of three to five years, all our personality behaviour is formed. After that it is just refined." Drug use centers around family issues. "We have to look at ourselves and that's one thing adults can't do. That's •why so. few men are here tbnight. They are least able to look' at fear and deal with it. Men in our society are 'supposed to be strong, they don't cry, they're never lonely, not afraid of anything, drink a little to relax. That's one of our biggest problems we have. Men have a great difficulty in loving because they are taught power and when taught power they deny all sensitivities •of themselves and that is a myth. About 75 per cent of men in our society are living in a myth. Women have also bought it because they teach their sons to be just like their dads. • If we can learn to accept things like loneliness and death, then we wouldn't have any problems," he said. Andrew noted that of fairly reasonable parents with a reasonable marital rela- tionship and who show their emotions, it is less likely, that their children will have problems. DRUGS IN SOCIETY' "Drug use is so heavy in the States, that it means it will follow into Canada in five to 10 years. Huron County lags behind a city like Toronto about the same as Canada lags behind the United States," Andrew said. Ven talking about drugs, Andrew stated that you must include all drugs in society which includes caffeine t in any form including soda • pop and coffee r and cigarettes. The most popular drug use in Canada is that of coffee, Andrew noted people who drink six to seven cups of cof- fee a day are more hyper and are more likely to develop ulcers. "We can become so heavily dependent on a chemical that we can't go one day without it," Andrew said, explaining that .addicts want more of the drug• that gives them a 'special effect'. As an example, Andrew • told the au- dience of a 14 -year-old boy who took a hallucinogen., He took the hallucinogen because "I could walk down the street and see a lamp -post' and tell it to bend and it bends." He went on to say that the boy gained power' by taking the drug because in the boy's words "How often can a 14 -year-old tell his father to shut -up?" Crack, one of today's most popular drugs, is a synthetic narcotic which can cause.severe brain damage, Andrew ex- plained, adding "yet people buy crack knowing what it is and they keep buying it 'because they like the effect they get. Peo- ple aren't scared off by the horror stories because they like the effects." . TREATING DRUG USERS Treating drug users -abusers is "not simply a matter of. identifying kids on drugs and getting them to a therapist". It's not that simple, Andrew noted. "The person with a chemical dependen- cy has to want to go; they have to want to , change. If you hauled your 15 -year-old teenager to a psychologist,'..he's not going to change unless he wants to. If theperson doesn't want help, if this behaviour is still • serving a purpose for them, then you're • not going to get &ern to help no matter the number of help centres nearby," he said., . Those persons • who choose .to.. get off drug's do so for usually one•of two reasons. Either they, find someone they really care about who won't accept their drug use 'or they realize that they don't like what the , • drugs are doing to them. . • A recurrence of drug use is possible for those ' who stop using drugs .because the drug remains interpersonally. ° "If they solve their problems but con-, tinue, to use the drug; their chances of recurrence are high. If they quit drugs and solve theirproblems, the recurrence is low and if the quit drugs but do not solve their problems then' recurrence is high." Treating a problem with drugs cannot be complete without treating .,a.. family with problems since the two often go hand-in- hand. Drug use as prevalent as that in the USA is estimated in Canada within five to 10 years. It has also been, predicted by sociologists that by the year 2000 there will be no family structure as we know it today. Sociologists have also said by the year, 2020, the AIDS virus will be in every family. ' "It's only taken about 20 years for us to get this wrong," Andrew said. `Spring Celebration'. May 2nd Spring has sprung - and Huron Country Playhouse can't -think of •a better way to celebrate than with a special ' "Spring Celebration" to be held at the Oakwood Incl on May 2 in Grand Bend. This dinner dance will feature "Johnny Bond and friends" with vocalist Denise Pelley and keyboard artist John Noubarian. Thit is a. fund raising project with pro- ceeds going towards the 1987 operating budget at Huron Country Playhouse. Tickets are available at the Playhouse. Higher. Interest on Your Investments Mugho Pine reg. 1 1 .00 4 1 YearTerm Interest paid annually minimum deposit $500 Rates subject to change without notice Short Term Deposits reg. 15.00 on sale Also . • . *Andorra ®Bar Harbour ®Golden Pfitzer ®Mint Julep Clay Breaker 'breaks down clay in soils 'builds ,up sandy soils NEW ARRIVALS *Perennials & Fruit Plants 2.11-59Days Interest paid at maturity. Minimum deposit IM000 Special rates Om amounts o'er 1.60,001. Ratan subject to —---ebange-withegtnotice:- STANDARD TRUST Th.h., I .in 1. 'p, •, Mon rhury 0 Fr.doy9 6 Saturday 4 5 138 The Square P O Box 295 Goderich Ontario N7A 3Z2 Telephone 524 7385 ILANDSCAPIENG NURSERY & GARDEN CENTRE 166 Bennett St., Goderich 524-2645 a