Q & A: Common questions about solvent use among Aboriginal youth

CrossCurrents

This Q & A is based on an interview with Carol Hopkins, chairperson of Canada’s Youth Solvent Addiction Committee, which was established through Health Canada’s National Native Youth Solvent Addiction Program.

by Deborah Etsten

Is solvent abuse a growing issue in Canada, and if so, who are the users?

Solvent abuse has been on the Canadian radar since the early 70s. “It has been around for a long time,” says Carol Hopkins, chairperson of the Youth Solvent Addiction Committee (YSAC). “It may look like there’s more solvent abuse, but there’s more education now and people talk about it more.” Solvent abuse is most prevalent among youth aged 12–19 who live in First Nations and Inuit communities or in areas with limited economic opportunities. The World Health Organization’s 2005 World Youth Report found that up to 60 per cent of Canadian and U.S. Aboriginal youth have used inhalants.

In the early 90s, the media zeroed in on rampant solvent abuse in Davis Inlet, Labrador, showing haunting images of solvent-sniffing youth.What has been done to address the issue?

The Davis Inlet problem was the catalyst for a new, culturally sensitive, holistic program for solvent-abusing youth funded by the federal government, says Hopkins. The Davis Inlet youth were treated outside their community and relapse upon return was high due to lack of community supports and the chronic problems that have affected their community. In response to the plight of the community (now called Natuashish),Health Canada created the national Youth Solvent Addiction Program in 1995 and began implementation one year later. That year, the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch with Health Canada formed the YSAC network, which includes eight permanent residential treatment sites across Canada, including Nimkee NupiGawagan Healing Centre in Muncey, Ontario, of which Hopkins is the executive director.

Over the past nine years, the program has provided Natuashish with residential treatment and community-based intervention, training and ongoing support and consultation. “It will take much effort over time to address all the issues that contribute toward inhalant abuse,” says Hopkins. “The problems weren’t created overnight, and neither are the solutions.”

How does the “holistic concept of resiliency” fit into YSAC’s unique programming?

YSAC follows a holistic, resiliency-based treatment model, combined with an emphasis on traditional and spiritual programming. A 2005 article in the Journal of Aboriginal Health looks at resiliency “in a holistic way consisting of a balance between the ability to cope with stress and adversity … and the availability of community support.” Spirit is key to the holistic definition of resiliency because Aboriginal culture sees the spirit as core to the motivation and animation of life,” says Hopkins. “People often expect this group of youth to behave in a violent, angry or aggressive way, but we know that’s not the totality of their being,” she says. “We go beyond the labels to see their unique spirit, gifts and values given to them by the Creator.”

Hopkins says youth in the program are often shy or unaware of their strengths, so workers, volunteers or Elders help them recognize and appreciate their assets. Youth learn how their strengths help them survive the traumas of their lives and have made them more resilient. Healing is about making connections; if clients connect to their creation and their purpose in life, they have a greater chance of overcoming their issues, says Hopkins.

Is there any evidence of the program’s success?

YSAC defines success as reduction or elimination in inhalant usage, return to school or formal education, reduction in involvement with the law and improved social and spiritual functioning. Formal follow-up data show that culture and life skills groups and the residential education programs have been consistently rated by youth at two treatment centres as having the most impact on their lives, says Hopkins. “Post-treatment, rates of youth in school have increased as much as 20 per cent and solvent abstinence rates are as high as 90 per cent. We also see more involvement in positive social activities post-treatment,” says Hopkins.

Does the community play a role in supporting youth following residential treatment?

A 2004 article in the Journal of Aboriginal Health suggests that “after-care and follow-up need to be long-term, involve multiple community resources and include community re-integration.” YSAC reflects this strategy. The community must be fully involved in the recovery process through community outreach and community-based activities because family supports cannot be assumed,” says Hopkins.

At the White Buffalo Youth Inhalant Treatment Centre in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, an aftercare plan is established before a client is accepted into treatment. It includes a designated person who helps the youth reintegrate into the community. White Buffalo has fewer treatment beds than other YSAC centres, so can dedicate more funds for workers to do follow-up and capacity-building in the community. Workers travel to various communities, establish mobile treatment camps, set up community workshops and train volunteers to work with youth. Saskatchewan, which at the outset of the program, had one of the highest rates of youth in treatment for solvent abuse, now has one of the lowest rates of solvent abuse in Canada, says Hopkins.

For more information about the Youth Solvent Addiction Committee, visit the web site at www.members.shaw.ca/YSAC.