Alcohol awareness is key to community change with our kids

Before another high school student dies in an alcohol-related accident or another college student dies of alcohol poisoning, the seriousness of the public health problems associated with underage drinking must be brought into focus through the spotlight of public awareness.

Young people drink alcohol more frequently than they use all other illicit drugs combined, and alcohol is responsible for more than 6,500 deaths per year, for young people under 21. Motor vehicle accidents account for 2,400 deaths; unintentional death by fire, falls, and overdose account for 2,400 deaths; homicides account for 1,600 deaths; and suicide accounts for about 300 deaths per year!

Recent scientific research now suggests that early use of alcohol by teenagers may contribute significantly to dependence on alcohol and other drugs later in life, with 40 percent of children who begin using alcohol before the age of 13 becoming alcohol dependent at some point in their lives.

Regrettably, too many dismiss underage drinking as a “youthful indiscretion” or a rite of passage from adolescence into adulthood, and many underage drinkers are often first presented with alcohol in their own dining rooms, living rooms and kitchens. Alcohol is sometimes associated with athletic and social events popular with high school and college students. Some establishments also knowingly serve underage drinkers, and this is unacceptable.

Underage drinking cost the citizens of Montana $251 million in 2007. These costs include medical care, work loss, and pain and suffering associated with the multiple problems resulting from underage drinking. This translates to an annual cost of $2,694 per person. (Source: Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation with funding from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, November 2009.)

“Over the past two decades, scientific research has revolutionized our understanding of how drugs affect the brain. Alcohol affects a teen brain differently than it affects a mature adult brain. Research has found that adolescent drinking can cause severe changes in the area of the brain that is responsible for thinking, planning, good judgment, decision-making and impulse control. Damage from drinking alcohol as a young person can be long-term and irreversible,” says Robert Morse, M.D., former board member of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Inc. and recently retired from the world-famous Mayo Clinic, where he was director of addictive disorders.

This is one of the fundamental reasons why we must increase public awareness. Alcohol use among children is strongly correlated with violence, poor academic performance and other harmful behaviors. Young people who start drinking before age 15 are 12 times more likely to be injured while under the influence of alcohol and 10 times more likely to be in a fight after drinking, compared with those who wait to drink until they are 21. Teens who use alcohol have higher rates of academic problems and poor performance than nondrinkers. Among eighth-graders, higher truancy rates are associated with greater rates of alcohol use. Alcohol use by teens is a strong predictor of unprotected sexual activity and unwanted sexual advances. Auto crashes are the No. 1 killer of teens and more than one-third of teen traffic deaths are alcohol-related. In 2007, 431 drivers under age 21 were involved in alcohol-related crashes. In 2009, 28.8 percent of Montana high school students reported riding with a drinking driver in the past month.

We all have an investment in our youth and can help support our children in ways that will help them make good choices concerning alcohol. For example, parents of youths play a vital role in helping children avoid the use of alcohol. Parents tend to think that their child’s friends have more influence over their lives than they do when it comes to alcohol use. In fact, studies show that parental disapproval is the No. 1 reason children choose not to drink alcohol.

While the issues of alcohol-related problems and alcoholism are a complex problem, it is one which can only be solved through a sustained and cooperative effort between parents, schools and colleges, community leaders, health care providers, employers and young people. Specific to young people, there are four areas which have proven to be effective in prevention and intervention of underage drinking:

1) Curtailing the availability of alcohol to underage populations.

2) Consistent enforcement of existing laws and regulations regarding alcohol purchased.

3) Changing cultural misconceptions and behaviors about underage alcohol use through education.

4) Expanded access to treatment and recovery support for adolescents and their families.

As a society, we must do a far better job increasing public awareness, understanding of and support for prevention, treatment and recovery. In particular, underage drinking by young people is extremely risky behavior, not only in their own lives, but with the lives of friends, neighbors, and loved ones. Underage drinking is not a rite of passage and each and every one of us has a responsibility to support expanded community efforts.

With graduation and summer in the Flathead quickly approaching, make sure and keep tabs on where your kids are going, and who they are going with.  Spring and summer are times for celebration, and include “partying” in the woods, at the lake, or even in our own backyards. Ask questions, and make sure your kids know that you don’t want them riding in cars with kids that have been drinking, and be clear on the consequences for doing so. 

Make sure they know that you will go pick them up, wherever they are and whatever the time, no questions asked, so they have a safe ride home. One bad choice can change their lives (and yours) forever.

Since 1983, Flathead CARE has been committed to reducing the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs in Flathead County. Through media campaigns, our “Parents Who CARE” newsletter, Red Ribbon Week presentations, weekly STAND (student advocate) meetings at high schools and middle schools, and Kids Camp (June 14-17, 2011), we try to provide drug and alcohol free choices for kids, and also get parents actively involved in their children’s lives.

Together, we can prevent “One Too Many...”

Gabriel, of Kalispell, is executive director of Flathead CARE.