PARIS — Retired Maine Drug Enforcement Agency supervisor Gerry Baril told Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School students Wednesday morning that the direction of their lives will be determined by the choices they make.

“Addiction is a disease but it can be overcome. The choice is yours to make. The more you know the better choice you will make,” he told several hundred high students during the early morning forum at the high school.

Baril likened an addiction to drugs to a teenager being in love.

“Have any of you ever fallen in love?” he asked the students.

Baril then gave a hypothetical situation where a student’s parents say the boy or girl is not good for their child and if they continue with the relationship, that child will probably get hurt.

“You say ‘I can’t live without him.’ Sooner or later your life is going to be destroyed. That’s addiction,” Baril said.

Baril said one in six teenagers now live in houses where there is some drug abuse going on. With parents coming from an era of drug use, the problem has been compounded.

Even if there are no illegal drugs in the house, there are usually prescribed medications and that’s where teenagers often go to get their drugs, Baril said.

He related the story of a 19-year-old Poland girl whose 22-year-old brother has died from heroin.

“She loves the dope and she can’t let it go,” he told the students. “That’s addiction. It killed her brother. It will probably kill her, but she can’t let it go.”

Baril said the Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School is a “drug-free zone,” but he asked students how many could score drugs within an hour.

“Am I right?” he asked as more than a dozen students’ hands shot up in the air and a murmur of “yes” went throughout the auditorium in response to the question.

Baril also talked about what happens at a party where there are drugs being used. If someone overdoses, he said, people will panic. Most will run. Those who stay, call 911 and try to revive the victim could possibly save a life.

“If it happens to you, are you going to run or are you going to stay and help?” he asked.

“Addiction is a disease but it can be overcome. The choice is yours to make. The more you know the better choice you will make,” he said.

Students also heard from an undercover drug agent who talked about a former local student whose life has been ruled by an addiction to heroin.

“It started with smoking a joint with her cousin,” he said. “I never met a heroin addict in jail that didn’t start out smoking a joint.” he said.

“Have an opportunity to have a life and leave the drugs behind,” he said.

After the forum ended, student Cassie Surrette of Paris said the information she learned in the forum was not new, but it was still helpful.

“It’s scary,” she said of the drug problems.

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