Local leads conversation on overdoses, substance abuse

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Substance abuse is a difficult subject, but one Strathmore resident has decided to speak out.

On Sept. 22, 2019, three Strathmore teenagers were the victims of opioid overdoses following an overnight house party. Two were airlifted to Calgary Children’s Hospital and later recovered, but the third boy died in hospital.

One year later, Trevor Weal, the father of one of the survivors, held an event at Kinsmen Park to discuss and bring awareness to the issues of overdoses and drug use.

On that tragic night one year ago, Weal found his son unresponsive in his home. 

“I picked him up off the couch, set him on the floor and started CPR,” he said.

Once EMS arrived on scene, they instantly treated the situation as an overdose. “I was in shock, not only because I was doing first aid on my son, but to hear ‘overdose’ – I didn’t believe it.”

Overdoses can happen to anyone. 

“These were normal boys; they weren’t drug addicts, they all come from normal homes,” he said. “I was open and honest with my kids about drugs and alcohol and with what they can do. I just never thought it could happen to them.”

Now, Weal is working to generate awareness and support for an issue that often goes unspoken. 

“I think that’s one of the things that I want people to understand – it was not an isolated incident,” he said. “This is a worldwide epidemic.”

The number of tragic outcomes from opiate abuse has increased in recent months. According to the province’s COVID-19 Opioid Response Surveillance Report for the second quarter of this year, 301 people died in Alberta between April and June from opioid overdose, compared to 130 of these deaths in the first quarter.

In Alberta, 3,139 people have died from unintentional opioid poisoning deaths since Jan. 1, 2016. Across Canada, 15,393 opioid-related deaths and 19,377 hospitalizations (excluding Quebec) happened between January 2016 and December 2019.

But it is not just opiate use that Weal is confronting – he also spoke out about the dangers of underage drinking, alcohol abuse and the use of other drugs. 

“I understand that social drinking is okay, but there’s a big difference between having a social one or two drinks with friends and being intoxicated and making a fool of yourself,” he said. “It’s not something that I want the kids in this town to grow up thinking is okay.”

The impacts of substance abuse are widespread and costly, said Dr. Ward Fanning, a local physician. “Substance abuse in general is a bit of a pandemic in our culture,” he noted. “It’s not just opiates – we see tremendous morbidity and mortality with alcohol and cigarette smoking; they’re all significant.

“Each one of these substance abuses, in general, is a huge burden on our health care. If you came into any physician’s office, I think you’d be quite surprised by the substance abuse problems that we see, including opiates.”

Awareness starts in the home, said LaVonne Ries, who lost her son to an overdose and cofounded Rural Families Against Drugs, an online group focused on awareness and prevention. “Parents play a key role in educating their children about substance use while being open to their effects and giving answers they can understand.”

There is help available. “Parents need to know that they are not alone in this, there are resources that are available,” said Ries. “It truly does take a village to raise a child; we’re here together.”

Everyone should consider carrying naloxone, a drug administered to counter the effects of an opioid overdose, that can be obtained from pharmacies anonymously and free-of-charge, she said. “People can be trained how to recognize and respond to an overdose, where to get a naloxone kit and how to use one.”

In Strathmore, a naloxone kit can be obtained from a pharmacy, including from Value Drug Mart, Shoppers Drug Mart, Coop pharmacy, Walmart pharmacy and No Frills pharmacy, with the provision of an Alberta health care number.

Individuals or families facing substance use or addiction can call the province’s Addiction Helpline (1-866-332-2322), Mental Health Helpline (1-877-303-2642) or Health Link (811). For emergencies, call 911.

Weal hopes his efforts, including a fundraiser for a memorial bench through GoFundMe, will help protect teens like his son and stop parents from experiencing what he did. 

“I think that people really need to be informed about what’s going on and what an overdose looks like, and what we can do to help if it is happening in front of us,” said Weal. “But let’s take it a step further and let’s try to prevent it.”