Drug Awareness Day 2012

7 February 2012Sarah M

We live in a society that is evolving with every minute that passes. This is something that is considered bright and promising for most. But the main characteristic of all-encompassing change is that everything must change, and unfortunately, the evolution of society brings with it the evolution of drugs.

This is why every year for the past 12 years, SPARC (Brentwood’s Student Peer Assistant Resource Counselors) have taken the initiative to educate the student body on the dangers of drugs, mainly through an event called Drug Awareness Day. D.A.D. for short, informs the Grade 10s of the drugs that are out there and how they are changing. Hosted by SPARC and a variety of guests, the Grade 10s participated in a series of talks, presentations, and interactive exercises.

The morning began with a presentation by Eric from Crystal Meth BC, a “project seeking to offer education and hope to youth and families caught up in the world of Meth.” Eric strongly emphasized the role of meth in other drugs as an inexpensive ‘filler’, making the altered drug extremely dangerous as the addiction rate is increased to 50%. Part of his presentation was a movie made in the streets of downtown Vancouver, proving how crystal meth is far closer than we think. This video displayed the devastation the drug creates, how it doesn’t discriminate between gender, age, race, or status. In our safe haven here on campus, this presentation revealed to us a world we have never seen, and hope to avoid.

The students were then split into six groups, each led by two SPARC members, to go off to the next session. One of the guests was emergency room doctor Dr. Digney, a father of a current student. In an active presentation involving the chucking of chocolate, he outlined for his audience the effects of alcohol and what he sees in the emergency room as a result of the abuse of this drug.

Another guest was Rob from Cedar Hills, a rehabilitation centre for those struggling with addiction. As a former addict, he worked with the group to distinguish the effects drugs have on the body based on heart rate and blood pressure. With this knowledge, the concept of addiction became more comprehendible to a group of kids who had never experienced a form of addiction as severe as that of hard drugs.

There were also talks from the peer counselors. The Student Panel was a group who were willing to tell stories of drugs and alcohol and how it has affected them, be it through family, friends, or their own experience. The Teen-to-Teen interaction educated the group on how to be safe, based mainly on their own experience. This particular session is valuable in the way that it recognized that young people will be exposed to these dangers, and it is better to give them information that will keep them safe rather than to turn a blind eye.

The day finished with four guests from Narcotics Anonymous, an organization with the goal of giving “every addict in the world the chance to experience his or her message in his or her own language and culture and find the opportunity for a new way of life” without the influence of drugs. The former addicts told us of their struggles and how they were able to “find a way out” with the help of Narcotics Anonymous. It was truly inspiring to hear their stories as they created an atmosphere of hope for those who suffer from drug addiction.

In our society, there is the risk of drugs, but with an educated youth population, it is possible that the harmfulness of drugs will not be carried on into the next generation. Thanks to Mrs. Felix and all of the SPARC members for sharing these insights with us.

Sarah M

Where Students Choose To Be