FAMILIES CRUSHED BY DRUG
CO M M U N I T I E S across the country are waging war against methylamphetamine, commonly known as ice but the battles are proving difficult to win.
Families are being torn apart by the relatively inexpensive drug which has a devastating effect on users.
Two Townsville mothers of addicts — one who lost a son to the prison system and another who lost her son to suicide — have spoken about the shortfalls of rehab and the way society deals with users.
Fay Gee- Hoy’s 31- year- old son has been using ice since he was 13, in and out of detention and then jail for 18 years. The desperate mother has been screaming out for help since he was a boy.
“I’ve been putting up with this for about 18 years,” Ms Gee- Hoy said.
“There is a lot of other stuff that led to this, like my son growing up in a home with domestic violence and he got in with the wrong people. Then he started using.
“All I’ve known is for him to be in and out of jail for the last 18 years.
“He started off with alcohol, then marijuana, and then went to speed, now it’s this ice. I could handle the other things, but this ice, you don’t know how to handle it.
“You can’t do anything, he won’t listen to reason any- FAMILIES CAUGHT UP IN THE ICE EPIDEMIC ARE STRUGGLING TO COPE, WITH THEIR EMOTIONS RANGING FROM FRUSTRATION TO FEAR, WRITES
CHRIS MCMAHON.
more … I’ve kicked him out of home thousands of times, but then he comes home, he’s skinny, his face is sunk in, his eyes are black, he’s hungry and tired, being a mother you can’t know until it’s your child.”
Ms Gee- Hoy’s son was arrested weeks ago for allegedly robbing and bashing a taxi driver.
“I’ve been crying out for him to go to rehab, but no one on ice is going to look for rehab, it’s got to be court ordered,” she said.
“How many times has he been in and out of jail and then come straight back out and going to look for the dealer to get back on.
“The pull of the drug is so strong. I got him into rehab last year because he tried to take his life. A couple of months ago I went up with him to the probation office … they asked him if he was using drugs and he said ` no’. I looked at him and said ‘ of course you are, you’re on ice now’.
“I kept saying to them I want him ordered to rehab, he needed help but they couldn’t do it they told me.”
Christine Edwards’ son committed suicide after years of abusing ice.
“He died at 34, he couldn’t cope with life on ice. He couldn’t cope with anything,” Ms Edwards said.
“He graduated to ice because speed was too expensive and this is the problem now. It is getting so cheap to buy ice, and more and more people are turning to it.”
Ms Edwards said there was nothing worse then to be scared of your own family.
“There is so much violence coming out of ice … I have never been so frightened of my own blood,” she said.
“It is the worst thing you can ever experience.”
The pair have now formed a support group for families of IF you or someone you know is in need of crisis or suicide prevention support, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit www. lifeline. org. au/ gethelp.
DOYOU NEED HELP?
those affected by ice called Townsville Anti- Ice Support Group.
“It’s about helping each other, to meet other people like myself who have been going through this,” Ms GeeHoy said.
“We sit and yarn and talk about stuff, it’s made a difference to us, we support each other. Sometimes it’s about