[ back ]
Parents get lowdown on teen drinking, drug use
(by Sue Hoffman - November 19, 2008)
Parents get lowdown on teen drinking, drug use
By SUE HOFFMAN
Parental attitudes about the acceptance of alcohol have a major impact on whether teenagers will drink, according to James C. Adams, chief executive officer of the Geauga County Board of Mental Health and Recovery Services.
"We have focused on programs to get parent acceptance of alcohol down," he said last week at a forum for parents at Kenston High School.
Mr. Adams was one of four speakers who addressed the issue of teen substance abuse. He discussed the results of the Communities that Care survey on alcohol, tobacco and marijuana last winter.
Also addressing the issue of teen drug and alcohol use were: Bainbridge Police Chief James Jimison; Alicia Paulsey, a social worker serving as intervention specialist for the Kenston School District; and Ann Mlinar, an intake officer in the Geauga County Juvenile Court diversion program.
In introducing the program, School Superintendent Robert A. Lee said teen use of drugs and alcohol is a "community issue" that requires a partnership between schools and parents.
Nearly 7,000 students in sixth through 12th grade in Geauga County and Chagrin Falls were surveyed last January and February, and a similar survey was conducted in 2005. The latest survey showed a slight decline in overall alcohol use during a 30-day period among the surveyed students, from 27.7 percent in 2005 to 27.3 percent in 2003.
Most of the grade levels showed a similar decline, with the exception of the ninth and 10th grades, Mr. Adams said. In 2005, 26.8 percent of ninth-graders said they used alcohol in the past 30 days, compared with 30 percent in 2008. Use of alcohol by 10th-graders rose from 34.2 percent to 40.1 percent over the same time period, according to the survey.
Mr. Adams said those are the two grade levels that missed some of the prevention programs that are now in place in Geauga County. Those grade levels are of particular concern, since the students are now driving, he said.
Among the prevention programs are the "All Stars" program for sixth and seventh grades, postcard program raising awareness of laws for parents who host parties, along with Drug Abuse Resistance Education, Red Ribbon Week, Big Brothers-Big Sisters and Teen Institute.
"We are well below the national norms on drinking," Mr. Adams said, summarizing the survey. "We are well below the national norms on risk factors.
"There are some things we need to work on," said Mr. Adams, who plans to discuss the survey with each of the participating districts.
Perceived parental acceptance "is a very big issue we need to deal with," he said. According to the survey, high school seniors' perception that their parents approve of drinking was 26 percent above the national norm, he said.
"It's getting better, but we have kids every year who go into rehab," Mr. Jimison said. "We think education is the most important part," he said of the reduced numbers going into rehabilitation. "We don't want tragedies to be the way people recognize what's going on."
He said Kenston's problem with alcohol and drugs is "better than most" because of the working partnership of schools, police and parents.
Police practice "zero tolerance," Mr. Jimison said. "You can't have a double standard." He said the police "see the end results of tragedies" and hear from local graduates who have suffered with liver disease from alcoholism or are addicted to drugs.
He said the police were called around 11 p.m. one weekend last spring to a residence where they found two boys staggering outside, a bonfire with beer cans and "cars all over the roadway." An adult, who pleaded no contest, appealed the case, and the court of appeals said the police should have had a search warrant, he said. The case is now being appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court.
When it comes to teen drinking, "parents are too quick to think attorneys are the answer," Mr. Jimison said.
"I believe most kids coming to court are great kids who made bad decisions," Mrs. Mlinar said. "We're seeing younger and younger kids." Many have mental-health, drug and alcohol issues, she said.
Most teens convicted of driving under the influence will spend time in a detention center and lose their driver's license, she said. Besides alcohol, "marijuana is a big drug that kids are using today," she said, and it's more powerful than years ago.
She encouraged parents to set rules and consequences for their children. "Know your kids' friends and know where they're going," Mrs. Mlinar said.
"To be involved is not pestering, it's parenting," Mrs. Paulsey said. "Teens who learn anti-drug messages at home are 42 percent less likely to use drugs." She advised parents to "say it often" when giving anti-drug messages to their teens and "be clear about expectations."
[ back ]
