SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
If George Tuccaro hadn't sobered up 34 years ago, he says he wouldn't be alive today. The 65-year-old Commissioner of the Northwest Territories shared this with about 250 students assembled at the Tree of Peace Friendship Centre for a presentation kicking off National Addictions Awareness Week.

Alyssa Vornbrock, 11, of St. Joseph School, shields her eyes from a screen showing a seizuring addict being taken away by ambulance. She said she felt "scared and terrified" to see the footage. "I'm going to have nightmares," she said. - Evan Kiyoshi French/NNSL photo

He said he has led a rewarding life because he resolved to quit drinking after a particularly enlightening stint in the drunk tank in Whitehorse when he was 29 years old. While sobering up from a drunken stupor, Tuccaro said he hallucinated a rattlesnake sitting on his chest, rattling its tail.

"I knew it was going to strike me if I moved," he said. "So I stayed perfectly still, and said the Lord's Prayer ... and it slithered off my chest. I can't tell you the significance of that, but I saw it."

Tuccaro, who is Mikasu Cree, and began his career in broadcasting, said after gaining control of his addictions he went on to a career as a communications officer for Indian Affairs, and was eventually awarded the National Aboriginal Achievement Award. Tuccaro warned students about the dangers of drugs and alcohol and said many of his childhood friends have passed away as a result of chronic addiction.

"I've walked through the graveyards," said Tuccaro."I see a lot of the people that I knew ... those things really mean a lot to me."

Yellowknife rapper Aaron "Godson" Hernandez said bringing students together to talk about addiction is important because they're more likely to be engaged if their peers are. Hernandez's lyrical-stylings - infused with positive messages - were also part of the show.

"It's important to open the discussion among the kids," he said after the presentation. "I think it's more impactful if people in their age group are talking about these issues, as opposed to just hearing it from older people. We want to plant a seed in a future leader."

Members of the Tree of Peace's Youth Advisory Committee - high school students who are excelling in their studies - gave tutorials on the dangers of substance abuse and showed video testimonials of addicts living on the streets of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Eleven year-old Alyssa Vornbrock, of St. Joseph School shielded her eyes when shown footage of a crystal methamphetamine-addict strapped to an ambulance gurney. She said she was terrified to see the man in a seizure, struggling to keep his tongue in his mouth.

"I'm going to have nightmares," she said.

During a question period, Gairon Mason, 10, of St. Joseph School, asked Tuccaro if it is true that some drugs like marijuana can be used as medicines.

Tuccaro acknowledged that some illegal drugs are used as medicine, but that he wouldn't comment on whether or not he thought it was a good idea, since he isn't a doctor.

"But, I can tell you that I only tried it once. And it made me very sleepy. So I decided to never try it again," he said.

Tuccaro said these kinds of addiction awareness workshops weren't around when he was young. He said alcohol was the problem-substance back then, and it continues to be a problem today. Nowadays, illicit drugs pose another danger to young people, but he feels communication is the key to breaking the cycle.

"These kids today are growing up with technology, like the iphone, which allows them to communicate much faster than ever before," he said. "Now they have better opportunities and better communication tools, which we hope will help them to make better choices as well."

National Addictions Awareness Week runs until Friday.

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