Australia’s ice problem is not a new one. It’s one of this country’s biggest dilemmas, with thousands of parents battling to save their children from the grips of the terrible drug, as well as thousands of addicts struggling to find the strength to free themselves from its clutch.
A Current Affair spoke to several addicts at three different stages of addiction – those still heavily attached to the drug, those battling to get off it and those who have been through rehab and are on the long road to recovery.
Speaking to a mother, Elizabeth, and her daughter Anthea, ACA uncovered the shocking link between schoolies and the drug. Having tried ice for the first time during Schoolies Week, Anthea was just like thousands of other Australian teenagers, partying at the end of Year 12 and out to have a good time.
After an older girl offered Anthea the enticing prospect of ice, her life would never be the same.
Anthea stayed awake high on the drug from four days, and has now spent five years chasing the same high.
Trying to break her addiction from the drug, Anthea has relapsed several times. Anthea, and her mother, are desperate for help. However, like so many other addicts and their families, they find that they end up on a cycle of health services that continue to send them on a goose chase with no beneficial outcomes.
Elizabeth told ACA that she feels desperately alone in trying to save her daughter and there is no where to turn for parents like her.
Now, with Schoolies only a few weeks away, the federal government has launched a new ad campaign about the health dangers of the drug in the hopes it will turn young people away from using it.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said, ‘As a message to young people who are going to Schoolies soon and may be involved in party drugs, we are launching the Take Back Your Life from Ice’ campaign.’
He continued, ‘The message is very clear: Ice can destroy your lives, but you can take back your lives and their is help.’
