Manitoba Drug Rehab Solution

Description of Sample Schools Studied

A total of 58 schools participated in the 2004 survey. In contrast with previous high school surveys in Manitoba, a larger proportion of the schools were from urban areas, reflecting the nature of the population distribution in the province.

Almost 58% of the students came from urban schools, either in Winnipeg or Brandon. Although there are fewer urban than rural schools, these schools are larger and also tended to have more grade levels in them.

Comparison of Alcohol Use of Manitoba Students with Other Students

A number of surveys of adolescent drinking have been conducted in Canada and elsewhere. Again, substantial methodological differences exist between these surveys, and this may limit the interpretation of any differences that may be found. However, comparisons across provinces may still be useful for trying to understand the overall picture of alcohol consumption among teenagers. Data from Alberta (The Alberta Youth Experiences Survey, or TAYES) shows that almost 36% of their grade 7 - 9 students had consumed alcohol in the previous year.

This compares with approximately 31% of Manitoba students in these grades. The rates for the older students (senior 2 through senior 4) are 75% in Alberta and 78% in Manitoba. The Ontario Student Drug Use Survey (OSDUS) provides more detailed rates, by gender and by grade. In Ontario in 2003, about 68% of male students and 64% of female students in grade 7 through grade 12 had consumed alcohol in the previous year, compared with about 60% and 57% of Manitoba male and female students in these grades. Overall, the percentage of students in the various grades in Manitoba who drank alcohol is similar to Alberta, and slightly lower than the percent in Ontario.

In the U.S. the University of Michigan conducts the Monitoring the Future (MTF, Johnston et al., 2004) study annually. This is a nationally representative sample of American high school students that surveys student alcohol and other drug use. It has been conducted for almost 30 years. In 2003, 17,000 grade 8 students, 16,200 grade 10 students and 15,200 grade 12 students were surveyed. Almost half (46%) of grade 8 students, 66% of grade 10 (senior 2) and 77% of grade 12 (senior 4) students reported lifetime alcohol use. The comparable rates for Manitoba students are 48% in grade 8, 80% in Senior 2 and 88% in Senior 4, respectively.

Although the rates in the early years are quite similar, our older students are more likely to have tried alcohol than theAmerican students. This probably reflects differences in the age at which adolescents can buy alcohol, which is much higher in the U.S., making it less accessible. Furthermore, the MTF study found that 14% of grade 8 students, 35% of grade 10 students and 48% of grade 12 students reported being drunk in the past year. Although we did not ask our students specifically if they had been drunk, using the consumption of five or more drinks at a sitting as a rough index of intoxication, 5% of grade 8 students, 28% of Senior 2 students and 46% of Senior 4 students were drunk in the previous year. In the younger students our rates of intoxication are lower, whereas in the most senior grade the rates are roughly equivalent.

Changes in the Prevalence of Cannabis Use Over Time in Manitoba

Although we must be careful when comparing prevalence rates across time due to the methodological differences already noted. About 1/3 of the high school students surveyed have smoked cannabis in the past year. Only students in Senior 1 through Senior 4 were used in this comparison, for a more valid comparison with the earlier surveys. However, although it looks like there is a decrease in cannabis use in Manitoba students compared with previous surveys, there are number of methodological changes in the 2004 survey that limit the ability to make fair comparisons about changes in cannabis use over the past decade. The 2004 survey should be considered the baseline measure for future studies, comparisons with the past are difficult to make with confidence.

Although alcohol and cannabis are the most popular drugs of choice for most young people, we are also interested in the student's use of other substances. Students in the Manitoba survey were given a list of 15 drugs, some legal and some illegal, and asked to indicate how often in the past year they had used these. A small number of students who answered "yes" to all drugs were removed from the analysis due to suspicions about their honesty. Table 22 shows the percentage of males and females in each grade, and the frequency of their use of a wide variety of substances. Although many of the percentages are quite low, there are some important numbers to note since the consequences of habitual use of these drugs can be quite severe. The most commonly used drug on this list is magic mushrooms (psilocybin).

As with other hallucinogens, very few of the younger students used mushrooms, however, by the time they near graduation about 20% of the males and 15% of the females have tried them in the previous year. This pattern, with mushrooms being the third most commonly used drug behind alcohol and cannabis use, is consistent with the 2001 survey findings. However, there appears to be much less public concern about the prevalence of the use of this drug (and other hallucinogens) for a number of reasons. Hallucinogens are not addictive, and their use seems to be limited to special occasions such as parties and to enhance the musical experience at concerts. Furthermore, their appearance as an organic substance, rather than a chemical, may lead to the impression that their use is less dangerous than ingesting man-made substances.

The use of "hard" drugs in this sample is very rare. For example, only a few students in each grade report any use of heroin. Concern about the spread of use of OxyContin, a powerful painkiller that is often diverted from legitimate users, may be premature. These findings are encouraging, since these drugs are highly addictive and have severe physical consequences, even for occasional users. Methamphetamine use is also quite uncommon, although about 3% of all high school students had used it in the past year. The use of inhalants is also uncommon, with again about 3% of all high school students using them in the past year.

The physical effects of these drugs on the body is a cause for concern, therefore it is a positive finding that so few students have been using them. Nevertheless, the ones that are using these drugs are placing themselves at great risk for developing severe physical consequences in the future. Overall, very few of the students in the two early grades use these drugs; however, there is an odd "spike", with 4% of the Senior 1 females using inhalants. We also asked about the spray deodorant AXE, as there were some reports of clients using this as a method of intoxication. Only the youngest males (i.e., in grade 7) were doing this, with just over 2% inhaling AXE in the past year.

Club drug use is also a concern for adolescents, although many of the students in this sample would be too young to gain ready access to most dance clubs. The rave scene in Manitoba is relatively small as enforcement and regulation tend to discourage young entrepreneurs from benefiting from the sale of these substances during dance/club events. Ecstasy and other club drugs are rarely used by the students. Only about 3% of the older students used any club drugs in the past year. There is some use of crack, with about 4% of the older students using it in the past year.

However, cocaine use seems to be a little more common. Although only about 1% of the grade 7 and 8 students have tried cocaine, about 3 - 4% of the Senior 1 to Senior 3 students have tried it, and over 8% of the Senior 4 students have used cocaine in the past year. This is a pattern that needs to be carefully monitored, as cocaine distribution is closely linked with criminal gangs, and there may be some concern that students involved with cocaine may be entering a world that can have a number of unexpected outcomes.

Another substance that was asked about for the first time in this survey was Salvia. This is a plant from Mexico that contains a powerful psychoactive chemical that has been used traditionally for healing and in religious ceremonies. When smoked, the effects occur quickly and last for about an hour. There have been reports of Salvia being used by some of our young clients, thus we were interested in determining the extent of its using in the general population of adolescents.

Although not used widely in the younger age groups, almost 8% of the Senior 4 males and over 3% of Senior 4 females have used Salvia in the past year. Little is known about the long-term consequences of using this drug, therefore additional research will be needed. Overall, the patterns of use of the various illegal drugs are quite similar for males and females. In most cases the male rate is a little higher, especially in the older grades. A notable exception is in the use of other people's prescriptions.

The prevalence of the use of other people's prescriptions ranges from about 2% in grade 7 students to just over 5% in the older grades. The grade 7 females also have a rate of use of about 2% which increases to about 8% in grade 8 and 9% in Senior 1 females. Subsequent work will need to be undertaken to determine which specific medications are being used and if they are being used in combination with alcohol and other drugs, as has been reported in the U.S. One other notable trend from the data is the significant increase in most rates between grade 8 and Senior 1.

Although the magnitude of the difference varies by substance, where there is an increase in use as students get older, the size of the increase is greatest at this point. There may be a variety of explanations for this effect, including changes in access and availability as students enter schools with older students, greater interest in using substances as they mature and attempt to take on adult roles and behavior, etc. Again, more research would be needed to clarify what is happening at this juncture.

Drug Addiction Rehabilitation Program

The Narconon program has worked for over thirty years to help patients end their addictions to drugs, alcohol, painkillers, and other controlled substances. The hallmark of Narconon is its ability to create a drug free rehab and drug-free recovery program that frees patients from the fears of substituting anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medication, and sedatives for the original drug.

Indeed, Narconon believes that a natural, holistic approach to withdrawal is the most beneficial program for a patient. Once a patient has rid himself of toxins in the body, the mind recovers from its need for addictions and the cycle of abuse ends gradually, permanently. Drug rehabilitation, alcohol rehab, and addiction-ending programs must begin with a withdrawal from the substance in question, often leaving the patient in the throes of anxiety, depression, fear, and substitute cravings.

At Narconon, we do not substitute addictions or leave patients to suffer through these withdrawals, but rather educate patients and help them to understand why the body created the addiction as a coping mechanism. Over time, as the body rids itself of biochemical toxins, we help them reclaim their life by taking control of their body. Through nutritional supplements, exercise, and simply sweating out toxins, they'll be able to speed withdrawal and imbue life with a new structure of purpose and relief.