Western Standard - Alberta addiction treatment

00:00:00.560 so uh i i guess you know we've seen something of a turning point with uh just coming into the

00:00:06.400 election i mean premier smith has talked about this issue a lot and i've been happy to see that

00:00:10.640 but with her her recent press conference uh she's broached the issue i guess of uh

00:00:18.080 imposing treatment upon people maybe i'll back up a bit before we get to that you've worked

00:00:22.880 of course for decades in treating youth and treating people with addiction

00:00:26.560 uh and you've had a great deal of success stories like the fact that somebody who has

00:00:31.280 received treatment is certainly much more likely to break free of addiction than somebody without

00:00:36.000 we'll start from there yeah thanks for having me and carrying this message i came to calgary 33 years

00:00:45.360 ago and uh i started on the reserves of saskatchewan and uh campsack and the code a reserve and had the

00:00:53.680 highest suicide rate in canada i went and worked in the states and i started my doctoral work out of

00:01:00.080 cincinnati was living in vancouver and i came here 33 years ago and the research was not good about

00:01:08.400 reaching youth and that's what i speak to i don't speak to adults although we treat families but i'll

00:01:14.480 speak to the youth issue that youth were dying uh it was a pandemic and i didn't know if we could

00:01:22.160 really help these kids because from the academic research and programs to reach these kids they

00:01:28.400 just weren't available so i spent five years with an incredible doctoral team before we even got out

00:01:34.480 of the chutes developing our model so 33 years later um came to believe came to know that there's a solution

00:01:44.960 and we can reach these kids it's just like you said the most agonizing thing i've ever faced is a parent

00:01:52.960 losing their child that includes like from the code a reserve today code a reserve has the highest hiv

00:02:00.640 rate in canada what's changed well what's changed for us in calgary and and the kids we treat we came to

00:02:07.600 believe came to believe came to know that we can help these kids but it's tough it's complex uh it's

00:02:15.360 the toughest thing i've ever done but i want to tell you it's also the best thing i've ever done but

00:02:21.200 it's labor intensive it's high risk and who wants to wade into these kids they want that don't want to

00:02:28.000 stop and they they're dying and so that's where i've spent 33 years

00:02:34.400 seeking a solution to help those kids 365 24 7 it's a tough business but majority of our kids

00:02:44.400 and i've sent this to you and i can show you this is the research like when you talk about i can have

00:02:49.600 the anecdotal stuff which is very powerful i keep saying to my kids and parents uh you not only have

00:02:57.040 a message you are the message but to validate what we're doing i've had to look at the legal

00:03:02.320 legal aspects of it i had to look at the clinical aspects how do you deliver a program how do you

00:03:07.920 raise the money to keep it going how do you access government support it's very complex but we've

00:03:14.480 never varied corey from our primary person purpose of reaching that kid every day and we believe came

00:03:22.320 to believe came to know we know how tough it is we know it's high risk but we know that we have a

00:03:29.200 solution so i can get going on this and but i think what danielle smith and marshall smith and these

00:03:38.160 guys have done is given us a voice voice to share our message that there is a solution for these kids

00:03:45.360 but you've got to raise the bottom they are so sick they are so mentally ill that they cannot stop and

00:03:52.960 there's nothing more painful than a parent watching their kid deteriorate in front of them

00:03:58.480 and it's hopeless but to help them that's what we work on every day corey treatment for somebody when

00:04:06.320 they're heavily addicted uh can take i i believe it was three to eight months typically with with what

00:04:11.760 you guys offer and and sometimes the results you're looking at over 50 percent will will stay clean but

00:04:16.960 some people say well boy then then half aren't making it but i mean it's far far better than people

00:04:21.760 who don't get treatment at all that's what people have to understand that if left alone the uh the

00:04:27.120 the outlook for a person who's heavily into addiction it can can is not good well i think what's the

00:04:33.440 success rate of these kids in 1989-90 was very very low it wasn't 50 percent in fact we know from our

00:04:42.560 research i had to go outside of the province to go to the treatment resorts institute for instance with

00:04:49.280 dr winters and dr area to validate academically our program i like you talked earlier about results

00:04:56.800 i'm into results otherwise 33 years uh i'm looking i want success my job is for that kid in the first

00:05:04.800 chair who doesn't want help that's really sick that's addicted to drugs i want to see results so with

00:05:12.480 our research i've had to validate arc fight this in our own community and province to show academically

00:05:21.040 that the majority of our kids stay clean and sober that's ridiculous number but i've had to go outside

00:05:28.880 i can provide that research the other research there's our research dr renters dr area which is published

00:05:37.520 that our average length of stay and treatment is 277 days it's not rehab it's habilitation of taking

00:05:45.760 a kid and setting them up to win treat the addiction we have a psychiatrist we have

00:05:52.240 multiple people that will help this kid it's labor intensive so we know that it's average days it's going to

00:05:59.680 take time so why do those kids stick around dark why do those kids stick around for 277 days because they

00:06:07.920 know they can win now some don't but the majority do the other part our research from patent in 2004

00:06:15.200 and winters and area three three studies say that eight out of ten kids that start the program

00:06:21.120 finish now that's 277 days these kids are in treatment level three and four they go out to

00:06:29.360 school they go out to their community we habilitate them the number one predictor of success in the

00:06:36.080 research of kids that are sober after treatment doing good in their life is it's called retention so 80

00:06:44.560 percent we've got two major studies that say 80 of our kids complete treatment and have a better

00:06:51.280 chance of making it out in life and we're treating kids that nobody wants to treat because we got to

00:06:56.800 raise the bottom because they can't see they're so sick that they're they are killing themselves so

00:07:02.960 what's the option let them die well that's a parent that says yeah i'm sorry to interrupt but yeah and i

00:07:10.720 see a couple of the commenters it sounds like their children have gone through your program and

00:07:14.640 they've really appreciated and they're using that term compassionate intervention because that seems

00:07:18.800 to be the part that some people are hung up on is you have to intervene even if the person initially

00:07:23.360 perhaps isn't necessarily willing to go into treatment uh they've had the parents intervening on

00:07:28.320 their behalf or other loved ones and then and you you aid with that uh and as you pointed out as well

00:07:34.000 it's a mental health issue so i mean they're not necessarily making good choices initially you need to

00:07:37.920 stabilize their thinking so that's right where do you begin intervention well i think going back to

00:07:45.280 this parents have rights and i'm talking about youth and the issue is capacity when they're mentally

00:07:52.560 ill the parent has a responsibility and the right to help them and protect them and so legally it comes

00:07:59.920 down to capacity and a parent having rights here to save their kid they've been everywhere by the time

00:08:06.240 they get to me they've been through the system so where do you start you start by talking to other

00:08:12.240 people i guess that's the best referral to me is other parents that have gone through this that have

00:08:17.680 been shattered that found hope put their families back together it's the same thing with my staff i work

00:08:23.600 with a team of miracles they've all been through it now they're getting masters and uh getting educated

00:08:30.320 educated they know there's a solution and so where do you start well i've been there 33 years cory

00:08:36.560 there's nothing i haven't seen there's nothing the attacks uh trying to access government support

00:08:44.080 what danielle smith is doing i am astonished at her stepping in and having the courage to step in

00:08:52.240 and and it is compassionate you love these parents love their kids that's compassion it's compassion

00:08:58.480 for us we care about those kids they will ultimately get better because they'll tell you

00:09:05.200 they know we care and it's in our simple actions of stepping into that disease with the solution hope

00:09:12.480 is in human form at arc that's my whole staff of carrying that message not only the staff but the

00:09:19.360 parents they get their it's results and that's what's kept us alive over all these years now the

00:09:26.320 government stepped up which i think is incredible to support us in helping intervening with kids and

00:09:33.120 raising the bottom and helping them get help when they don't want help because they can't see it they're

00:09:39.600 too sick yeah so something that unfortunately has gotten very politicized and and you know we've really

00:09:45.680 kind of polarized this unfortunately rather than just looking at results is uh issues of safe supply

00:09:51.200 or harm reduction like i'm kind of on the fence with some of that if i mean if an addict is dead

00:09:55.840 well we can't help them so if we could you know keep them from dying on the street and hopefully get

00:10:01.360 them into treatment soon there's a role for harm reduction but some people seem to see harm reduction

00:10:05.440 as if it's an end or that you can facilitate an ongoing addiction and it can be functional and i think

00:10:10.080 that's where the trouble starts beginning well i'm not against harm reduction and you're looking at the

00:10:15.280 continuum of care and the continuum of recovery so certain people if if they don't have to come to

00:10:21.520 arc and they can cut down and not destroy their lives i'm all for harmful reduction but when you reach

00:10:28.320 a point and there's many many kids our research is showing these kids have passed the stage of harmful

00:10:36.080 reduction they will use till they die you step in front of their disease it's going to be nasty

00:10:42.560 because they're addicts so ours is abstinence i don't you know i've been at this 35 years i don't

00:10:49.440 see any other solution for my kids i've seen kids go back some majority of our kids make it some go back

00:10:56.000 out they die because they start using again and they progress back right back into the disease

00:11:03.440 so it's very difficult to treat them but when you have the majority of the kids getting better

00:11:09.520 like i have i just had my gala 31 years how many of those kids are contributing to society the best

00:11:17.520 part of my job corey to me because i'm a senior citizen now is watching my graduates be parents of their

00:11:25.520 kids and they're good parents and they're good people and they know that they have a solution

00:11:34.640 so they're the best message i have on the other part i have had to look at the academic stuff our

00:11:41.120 results speak for themselves it's high-end solid research from outside people the other part is

00:11:46.720 looking at the legal part parents have rights kids are sick so that's the stuff that gets all thrown into

00:11:54.720 the into the part of a kid that's so sick they don't have the capacity and a parent has i believe

00:12:03.360 the right to step in and do what's going to help that kid or give them a chance anyway that's what

00:12:08.640 we're doing we're giving them more chance we're giving them hope but it's hope in human form because

00:12:13.760 the kids that you may have seen or talked to they'll tell you without an intervention they're dead so

00:12:21.280 what do we got to lose corey oh absolutely thought out it's not just we're throwing this at you 33

00:12:29.040 years of research and experience and we have a message now we have a government and i hope

00:12:34.080 whether it's danielle or notley come and support us man we're saving kids it's not even a political

00:12:40.000 issue it's an addiction issue that's right it shouldn't be and as you pointed out i mean still

00:12:45.040 it's a very resource intensive you guys have been fantastic with your gala and fundraising and and

00:12:50.160 things but it's still never quite enough i mean with the government hopefully that seems no matter

00:12:54.480 which government more inclined to help fund these spaces because that's what you need and the

00:12:58.000 resources and the professionals to help uh it's so important i mean we shouldn't look at it as an

00:13:03.520 expense i think you look at it as an investment because of sober grown children we have a much better uh

00:13:10.800 world for it all around so i i knew 15 minutes wouldn't be long enough i know i'm gonna have to

00:13:15.360 talk to you again sometime down the road anytime anytime um but you sent me some fantastic uh studies

00:13:22.240 and statistics and documents is where can they find those online and where can they find your

00:13:26.160 organization if they want to donate or if perhaps they need help or anything like just look up alberta

00:13:30.240 adolescent recovery center we have a website same thing with the research i think that's very

00:13:35.520 important corey is the research of validating that this program after 30 years is showing pragmatic

00:13:45.440 real results but that val that just allows me to go in there today which we're doing

00:13:51.120 to carry the message and save kids when we get people behind us and i've never seen this in 30 years

00:13:57.920 the the what what danielle and the ucp are doing and and hopefully

00:14:02.160 the ndp knotley that can see that we have valid results academically but most important is the

00:14:09.680 families if we did an economic study of all those kids that are out in the community working going to

00:14:14.960 school 30 years it's a huge investment in our youth but i want to just clarify and i and i get going on

00:14:22.320 this but saving a life there's nothing better but this is tough hard business those parents love their

00:14:31.520 kids they're committed to come walking in the door of arc and that's the model we've created a unique

00:14:37.760 model that's working so now let's get out and carry to other communities best thing we do is is we do

00:14:45.440 what we're doing here today carry the message so thanks for having me i appreciate it all right thank

00:14:50.000 you very much dr voss and for the work you do and for sharing that with us and i really do hope we

00:14:54.400 get to talk again soon thank you great so again guys that was yes dr uh dean voss of the alberta

00:15:02.480 adolescent recovery uh center and you know it's powerful right and and as you can see it's so much

00:15:08.640 work and i see a lot of the commenters people have been looking forward to hearing from it i mean it's

00:15:12.160 just such a good sign right there you can see there's people who that center has helped there's

00:15:16.880 helped their children it's helped them night shift uh saying uh dr voss saved his family

00:15:23.760 tony brady saying uh aarc saved my my son and family uh what a team and that's the other thing

00:15:29.040 you know to mention there's a whole bunch of people involved in that a whole and what a tough job i mean

00:15:34.160 it's like nurses in any other medical ward or doctors or health professionals i mean you have

00:15:39.200 to be so strong to deal with when things don't go the way you want and still get up in the morning

00:15:43.920 and get in there and keep working on it and uh this is so so worthwhile uh jamie johnson after 12

00:15:50.320 overdoses and multiple suicide attempts my son's not talking about a future including university

00:15:54.480 thank you to the doc and his staff melody james compassionate intervention saved my son's life

00:16:00.080 uh dr voss and his team taught him and my family the way out like the comments are just coming and

00:16:05.120 coming and uh you know desiree pressey most of his staff have been through treatment they're living

00:16:09.040 examples of what recovery looks like and uh that's another thing and that's what with a lot of recovery

00:16:15.440 groups and organizations uh you know it starts to become anecdotal and sometimes you see the

00:16:20.880 academics poo-pooing that or pushing it aside but no there's a reason you see things like again yes i

00:16:26.720 i'm a member of bill w's group we're talking about groups where you can get together with other people

00:16:32.000 who have suffered through the addiction you have because that's how you can lend support to each other

00:16:36.320 because somebody who hasn't endured that while they might mean the absolute best and might have all sorts

00:16:40.880 of things they can help you can't beat having somebody who's directly known how to deal with

00:16:46.480 that it's very important and every situation is a little different too some people have harder times

00:16:51.120 some people have easier times it's it's just such a there's no cookie cutter approach and you need as

00:16:57.120 many all hands on deck canadian shooting sports association without the cssa our gun rights would have

00:17:03.040 been taken long long ago these guys are on the front lines helping to draft smart and intelligent

00:17:09.920 firearms regulations and legislation in canada and more importantly educating the public about how

00:17:16.080 we keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people to become a member it's absolutely worth every penny

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Western Standard - May 21, 2023

Alberta addiction treatment

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