LAST week Warwickshire coroner, Michael Coker lamented the high number of inquests he has had to conduct already this year. At a heroin overdose inquest last week he said: "This evil substance does nobody any good. It leads to an extremely poor quality of life that requires feeding - and too many times to the death of a young person. There have been several this year, and there are several in the pipeline."

In a letter to the Journal last week, a parent told of the living hell of watching her son and daughter slowly killing themselves. She said: "Any person on drugs needs 100 per cent support to help them stay off them once they are clean." The stigma prevented former drug addicts from getting jobs, and nobody cared about them.

She called for a local 24-hour drop-in centre, with a doctor users can see quickly, and firms to be more sympathetic and willing to give them a chance of employment.

An anonymous caller to the Journal's Stratford office also cried out for help last week. She said it was no good society blaming pushers because as soon as they get arrested the users are forced to get their drugs from elsewhere and become suppliers themselves.

Agencies and police in Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Gloucestershire are actively employed in helping to run advice lines, going into schools to warn children of the dangers, giving advice to parents and other family members whose lives are being wrecked by the effects of drug abuse.

Parents from all three counties have also started their own self-help groups for those who may be too worried to go through official channels.

In Evesham, PAST, the parents and addicts support team, started 12 months ago and is active in the town. Co-ordinator Linda Huggan from Wallace House said: "The parents are now being professionally trained by Turning Point and the sessions are becoming very successful."

Parents Against Drugs leader Lesley Green, from Stratford, said: "We have very good attendances. Being able to talk to people who have been there helps parents tremendously." She said the help group meetings took place twice a month at Lifeways in Albany Road on Monday evenings and twice a month on Wednesday afternoons at Waterside Drug Advisory Centre.

Over in the Cotswolds there is an excellent addiction centre based in Chipping Campden called St Saviours Addiction Rehabilitation Centre run by project director Con Twomey.

Despite drug taking and drug peddling being very much against the law police across the three counties are well aware of the social aspect.

Warwickshire chief inspector Mike Slemensek said: "We have launched Operation Distaste in Stratford, which is a drug offensive against heroin and crack cocaine pushers and users. Our aim is to disrupt their activities as much as possible and we have made quite a number of arrests.

"Because we are also quite well aware of the social side to the problem we offer leaflets and information about where these people can go to get help.

"The police are in partnership with other agencies and we can direct people to drug referral treatments centres, but only if they volunteer.

"Our beat officers also talk to children in schools about the dangers of taking drugs." He said one of the problems police face is that teenagers seem to have got the idea that drug taking is 'cool.' The chief inspector said: "Once they are hooked they can't get off, even if they want to. This is a serious community problem that only the community can solve by taking a stand against it."

Where to

go for help:

People available to help victims and their families.

Worcester Drug Link 01905 724853 - parents and partners can ask John Devereaux for advice, or there are six members of staff who can help users.

Warwickshire Substance Misuse Services, Woodleigh Beeches help-line 01926 410281

Stratford - Community drugs team at Waterside 01789 261800.

St Saviour's Addiction Rehabilitation Centre 01386 841029.

Groups set up by parents: Stratford PAD (Parents Against Drugs), Lesley Green, 01789 261376. Evesham PAST (Parents & Addicts Support Team) contact Linda Huggan on 01386 446580.

Signs to look for:

Personality change

Mood swings

Tiredness

Sallow complexion

Changing friendships

Money going missing

Tin foil in bedrooms