Centre uses culture and tradition to help youth heal

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Since 1997, the Ka-Na-Chi-Hih Specialized Solvent Abuse Treatment Centre has been helping First Nation youth to overcome their addictions to inhalants.

The centre provides long-term solvent abuse treatment to youth age 15 to 24. Those in treatment can remain in the program for anywhere from four months up to two years.

The centre had been located in the Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital, but eventually had to move because the traditional aspects of the treatment offered-drumming and the burning of sweetgrass and sage-were causing conflicts with the hospital staff. The centre temporarily closed its doors in September 2004,and in March 2005 reopened in a new location, a former Legion building located in the heart of the city. Ka-Na-Chi-Hih held the grand opening of its new home on Sept. 15, kicking off the celebrations by holding the centre's annual Solvent Abuse Awareness For Everyone (SAAFE) walk.

Vincent Simon is executive director of Ka-Na-Chi-Hih. He said the new location will allow the centre to hold its ceremonies in peace, which is vital to the success of the program.

"Identity and pride are very important in helping a young individual to overcome his addictions," he said.

The centre takes a holistic approach to treatment, providing services to clients that "nurture, support and empower their journey toward wellness of body, heart, mind and spirit." That includes exposing clients to traditional and contemporary teachings, skills and values and working to maintain or re-establish ties with family and community members.

The programs offered by the centre are funded solely by Health Canada under the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB).

Although the centre assists both male and female clients, it is currently limiting its treatment to males.

"We cannot handle a co-ed program because they would be flirting with each other and the program wouldn't work," said Simon.

According to Simon, clients of the centre are either recommended by their communities or are sent to the centre upon request from the court.

The centre provides educational sessions, one-on-one counselling, group counselling and recreational activities. Simon said the youth seem to spend a lot of time in the gymnasium.

"They like the sports so the gymnasium is very useful here. These kids have a lot of energy and I guess that's from de-toxifying the solvents."

If the students choose to they are welcome to join the healing circle, which is held on a daily basis. They can also attend a sacred lodge, which is held weekly.

"These ceremonies are optional because we find that a lot of the clients don't understand the traditions," said Simon. "We explain to them what it is or they can talk to the Elders who are on site. We urge the youth to come forward and ask the Elders while they are there about any concerns they have about ceremonies or traditions."

According to Simon, the most common type of solvent used among the centre's clients is gasoline.

"Solvent abuse is a cheap way to get high," he said. "Gas is more popular in remote areas where alcohol and drugs are not available."

So why do Aboriginal youth inhale gas and other solvents such as glue and hairspray? Simon summed it up in one word-boredom.

"They mainly use because they don't know what else there is to do. A lot of them drop out of school and there is no work, especially in remote areas so, they are just thrown into it."

An article that appeared in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) in February 2001, written by associate editor Erica Weir, provides additional reasons why First Nation youth abuse these solvents-poverty, poor housing conditions, high unemployment and incarceration levels, the prevalence of heath problems such as diabetes and HIV, high rates of disability and inadequate access to health care.

According to the article, there are a number of common products that are inhaled by youth, such as nail-polish remover, typewriter correction fluid, paint tripper and adhesive glue. These solvents are self-administered by sniffing, huffing, which is breathing fumes from a rag soaked in solvent and then stuffed into the mouth, or bagging, where the solvent is placed in a plastic bag and the bag is placed over the mouth so the fumes can be breathed in.

Although centres like Ka-Na-Chi-Hih work to help youth overcome their addictions to solvents, it's difficult to keep clients from relapsing once they leave the program. That's because the reasons they started abusing in the first place still remain.

"The chances of them using again is there," said Simon. "I use the analogy of the bridge and the bridge floor has holes and that's what I call society. Our youth have to walk across this bridge but they are falling through the holes into the fast moving water and Ka-Na-Chi-Hih, along with other various agencies, are placed downstream and we are plucking these youth from the stream. We are treating them and then releasing them and they go back onto that bridge.

"When we release them and they have all the tools that they need but they go back into the same environment as they left, they are bound to go back into the solvent addictions. We have a good number of clients that come here and end up doing this."

The centre can provide assistance to those with solvent addictions, he said, but it's not a cure.

For more information about the Ka-Na-Chi-Hih Specialized Solvent Abuse Treatment Centre, visit the centre's Web site at www.kanachihih.ca.