by GREG NIKKEL of the Weyburn Review
No punches were pulled during a presentation on drug and alcohol abuse given to the Grade 12 class at the Weyburn Comprehensive School on Thursday, which included presentations by the city's police chief and by a surviving parent.
The presentation was arranged for the class by the school's RIPL (Reinforcing Positive Lifestyles) group, and also included an addictions counsellor and a 30-minute video. The video showed the impact of the consequences of drinking and driving on various teens, including the effects of alcohol on the human liver and brain, and simulating what it would be like for their families if a group of them were killed in a drunk driving accident.
The most poignant moments of the afternoon came as Ron Fellner shared his experience of losing a son to asphyxiation during a drinking-related incident, and he urged the teens not to drink and drive, and not to ride with a person who has had too much to drink.
Fellner spoke emotionally of the events surrounding the death of his son, Danny, in September of 1987, only months after he graduated from the Comp.
"He was about to embark on the journey of the rest of his life, much as you are all going to do. Danny did not have an alcohol problem; on the weekends, he would spend time with his friends and sometimes alcohol was involved. We tried to stress that abstinence was the best policy, and failing that, the responsible use of alcohol was the next best alternative," said Fellner.
On the night in question, his son spent the night with some friends at a gathering spot near Goodwater. Danny and his friend rolled out their sleeping bags in their car rather than a tent, rolled the windows down a little and left the car running.
"They never woke up. They were found later the next afternoon. Danny's blood alcohol level was under .08, he could've driven home," said Fellner, adding words of advice for the Grade 12 class.
"Be careful, don't drink and drive, phone home, use a designated driver - it's all good advice, but the best advice is just be yourself. Don't use alcohol If alcohol wasn't involved in this incident, they would've come home, and I would still have my son," he said, his voice breaking. "It's easy to go with the crowd than go against the grain. This weekend, try it; say, 'No thanks, I'm not drinking,' or 'I choose not to,' or I'd be honoured if you said, 'I choose not to, out of respect for the memory of Danny Fellner.'"
He added if anyone finds themselves in a situation where they've been drinking and don't have a ride, he urged to phone him at home, day or night, and he would come and give them a ride.
Addictions counsellor Harry Ohrn, formerly with Addictions Services in Weyburn and now in Estevan, talked about how drinking and drugs were a part of his growing up in a small Saskatchewan town, and how many of his friends who were heavily into drinking and drugs are now dead, or are picking up the pieces of their lives in jail.
"I began to talk to guys like me; one realization I came to is life doesn't have to revolve around how good the parties are. We did a survey a number of years ago here, and 90 per cent of the students said they drank two to three times a month, most drinking to intoxication, and many had been drunk before they were nine or 10," said Ohrn, adding the hope this grad class would think about things before getting involved with alcohol.
Police Chief Bill Millar told the students that one of the hardest things about a police officer's duties is having to inform parents that their child has been killed in an accident.
He said actual drunk driving charges seem to be on the decrease, but in the Weyburn area there has been a dramatic increase in the number of minors charged with possession of alcohol, and an increase in the number of drunk drivers with high blood-alcohol readings.
"We are seeing young people having readings of .280 and .290, and that is really scary," said Chief Millar.
He noted a recent case where a young mother was still in a coma after taking a combination of alcohol and drugs, plus increases in alcohol-related problems from house parties, disturbances and property damage.
"There's been a significant increase in violence between females, and some of it's reported to us and some of it is not. Recently a young man was severely injured, and it was all alcohol-related. He's going to have surgery on his eye," said the police chief.
Many types of drugs are in Weyburn right now, including heroin, cocaine, marijuana and LSD, he added, with the potential for more dangerous drugs like methamphetamines also coming into the community.
"Weyburn is not protected from any of these. I would like to say, as you go to pre- and post-grad parties, please use your common sense. Don't drive if you drink," said Chief Millar.
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