COMMUNITY resilience and early intervention are keys to overcoming problems with ice and alcohol, a leading drug researcher told a forum in Portland.
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Australian Drug Foundation researcher Julie Rae told the packed forum at the Portland Golf Club that it takes a village to raise a child.
“It’s not just the police and treatment services, it is us, the community,” Ms Rae said.
“Risk factors for drug and alcohol use include unemployment, disconnection, perceived lack of future, trauma, peer pressure and availability.
“We try to work on prevention. We want to stop harm before it happens. We still need treatment services but we want to find out why it happens in the first place.”
More than 300 people attended last Thursday’s Breaking the Ice forum, one of the biggest public gatherings seen in Portland in recent years.
The panel-style discussion also featured respected child psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, representatives from police and ambulance as well as mental health and drug professionals.
While the drug ice was the focus of the forum, speakers also stressed the impact of alcohol, and said drinking remained the most harmful and most commonly used drug.
“Only 2.6 per cent of young people use ice. Alcohol is the most harmful and most used drug of choice, followed by cannabis,” Ms Rae said.
Dr Carr-Gregg said building resilience among young people and having positive involvement of parents were important keys to successful parenting.
“There’s no such thing as a perfect parent, but you need to be a mentor, not a mate,” he said.
“Parents should set limits and boundaries, not give children everything they want and also let children experience some adversity.
“Parents need to help children ‘find their spark’, to keep active and involved developing good social networks and focus on the good things in life.
“If you can’t change something, change the way you think about it.”
Portland police Senior Sergeant Phil Phelan said the Portland community was no different to other regional communities in relation to the use of ice.
“There is a lot of emphasis on ice and we are committed to tackling that problem,” Senior Sergeant Phelan said.
“But the main driver of assaults and family violence is alcohol.” Glenelg Southern Grampians Drug Treatment Services (GSGDTS) and Portland District Health, in conjunction with a network of local services, hosted the forum.
GSGDTS manager Bev McIlroy said the big turnout showed the community cared and wanted to address local drug problems.
“From the feedback we received, it (the forum) has put things into perspective for people who realise ice is a dirty, harmful drug,” she said.
“We will follow up on the feedback and look at ways to continue communication with the community.”
jwoolley@fairfaxmedia.com.au