Pubdate: Sun, 02 Jul 2006
Source: Columbia Daily Tribune (MO)
Copyright: 2006 Columbia Daily Tribune
Contact:  http://www.columbiatribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/91
Author: Janese Heavin, of the Tribune's staff
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)
Note: Prints the street address of LTE writers.

STUDENTS ADMIT TO HAVING A DRINK

The majority of Columbia teens have at least sipped  alcohol in their
lives, a recent survey shows.

Columbia Public Schools gives ninth-graders a  state-mandated drug and
alcohol survey every two years.  In February, 1,366 students,
including a sampling of  11th- and 12th-graders, completed the
121-question  survey.

Seventy-one percent admitted taking at least one drink  of alcohol. On
the flip side, 63 percent said they had  never tried marijuana, and
about 95 percent said they  had never used psychedelic drugs, cocaine,
  methamphetamine or "club drugs" such as ecstasy.

The survey "confirms our suspicions," said Becky Markt,  coordinator
for the Youth Community Coalition, a drug  prevention group. "From
what we've seen, alcohol is the  biggest problem for teens here."

Markt said she believes the surveys accurately  represent drug and
alcohol use among local teens,  although teens aren't forced to answer
the questions  honestly. To combat false answers, the state includes
some "dummy" questions on the survey. If a teen answers  those
incorrectly, the survey is disregarded.

Markt said there are a couple of ways to look at the  statistics. "You
have to look at both sides of the  coin," she said. "If 65 percent
aren't using, that  still leaves us with 35 percent who are and who
should  not be."

Some say people are in denial about drug abuse among  teens.

"We conducted a community readiness assessment in  January, and what
we found was that the community, in  general, was in a stage of denial
or vague awareness of  any problem," Markt said. "That's why we're
focusing a  lot of our efforts on awareness and education."

Resident Jim Denninghoff said he is aware of the  problem but agrees
many people are not. "The problem is  far greater than people are
willing to acknowledge," he  said.

Since 2003, about 50 Columbia teenagers have sought  help for drug
addiction from the St. Louis-based  Crossroads Program. Other students
sought help from the  facility before that year, but Director Mike
Weiland  did not know how many. A Crossroads support group has  been
in Columbia for about five years, and by 2003, the  demand for
services was great enough Crossroads opened  an administrative office
here.

Crossroads is an outpatient treatment program that  links addicted
youths to support families. Local teens  spend six to 12 weeks with a
support family in St.  Louis because "there's too much heat for them
in  Columbia," Weiland said. Participating families attend  support
group meetings when teens return home.

Markt hopes the survey data will help make the public  aware of how
teen drug use affects the community.

According to the International Institute for Alcohol  Awareness,
Missouri ranks 11th among the 50 states for  the cost per youth of
underage drinking. Direct costs  of underage drinking resulting from
medical care and  loss of work cost Missouri $493 million each year,
the  agency reports.

But Markt said other effects are less obvious to  pinpoint.

"The basic thing is we need to remember that these kids  in our
community deserve to have successful, meaningful  lives," she said.
"If there are substances involved as  they're growing up, it's less
likely that's going to  happen."
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MAP posted-by: Derek