Pubdate: Fri, 11 Feb 2005 Source: Summit Daily News (CO) Copyright: 2005 Summit Daily News Contact: http://www.summitdaily.com/home.php Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/587 Author: Kimberly Nicoletti Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?225 (Students - United States) SUMMIT'S TEENS USE MORE DRUGS THAN NATIONAL AVERAGE FARMER'S CORNER - Summit County teens drink and use more marijuana than the national average, according to a Hobart and William Smith Colleges survey in 2004. And now community members are getting serious about decreasing youth drug and alcohol use. Wednesday, about 40 people met at Summit High School to listen to professionals talk about the impact of drugs on the brain and on learning. Then they broke into small groups to discuss their vision and action plan for a healthy community. The discussion was the second of three addressing issues in the Summit School District. Last month, the school board focused on nutrition, and on March 9, it will consider the possibility of a dual-language program. Drug use findings Jeanie Ringleberg, executive director of Summit Prevention Alliance, presented facts on youth drug use in Summit County, noting that alcohol use surpasses the national average by 5 percent to 12 percent, depending on grade level. By the senior year, 54 percent of students report using alcohol in the 30 days before the 2004 survey. Marijuana use exceeds the national average by 4 percent to 14 percent; by the senior year, 34 percent of students report using marijuana in the past 30 days. Most kids start experimenting with chemicals between the ages of 10 and 14. They access alcohol or other drugs by stealing from parents or asking older people (at bus stops, on the street or through siblings) to buy it for them. Most use at parties at friends' houses or their own house, she said. They use to fit in, because they're bored and because the party- and sensation-seeking-culture in Summit County promotes an attitude consistent with drug use, she said. Cocaine is the third most abused drug that mental health counselor Kate Glerup sees at Summit High School, next to alcohol and marijuana. She also sees a high correlation between sexual abuse and addiction and eating disorders. Drug use (she includes alcohol in the definition of "drug") can impair learning for 48 hours. Plus, drugs can cause a lack of motivation, she said. Community challenges "Most parents ignore or minimize the impact of drugs on learning because of lack of knowledge, embarrassment, their own substance abuse or denial," Glerup said. To compound the problem, most kids - though they're well educated on the negative impacts of drugs - don't care. They know drugs overstimulate the pleasure center, which over time causes damage, as Dr. Robert Chalfant, director of Colorado West Mental Health, pointed out in his presentation. "To them, the high is worth all the bad stuff," Glerup said. Plus, teens perceive their peers use more than they do. About a third report never using alcohol, but teens think only 4 percent don't drink. About 60 percent report using no marijuana, but teens think only 6 percent don't use, Ringleberg said. Possible solutions The coalition plans to find ways to create a cohesive community that values education, healthy families and awareness of negative consequences for youth drug use. After a 45-minute small group discussion, about six groups came up with activities or goals to create a healthy community that focuses more on an outdoor, sober, recreational lifestyle than a drug-using atmosphere. Some suggestions included: Encouraging nonuse contracts between parents and students, providing alternative activities, creating a diversion program or other clear, consistent consequences, increasing resources for recovery, collaborating with ski resorts on marketing to reduce the perception of Summit as a drunken playground, and increasing education and awareness of substance abuse. As the drug coalition continues to work on solutions to youth drug use, it welcomes new members. It meets from 8-10 a.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the Community and Senior Center near Frisco. The next meeting is March 8. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin