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BY DAVID SWANSON
JOURNAL-DEMOCRAT
Students are making a clear choice in regards to alcohol use and the support of parents and community members is important, about 60 persons were told Monday night, April 14, in Syracuse.
“Don’t underestimate your own power as a parent,” Amanda Davis of People United For Families (PUFF) said at a town hall meeting on underage drinking at the First National Bank & Trust basement.
The session included audience participation. Those who attended were asked a sampling of questions which faced sixth, eighth, 10th and 12th graders in the Syracuse-Dunbar-Avoca, Palmyra and Nebraska City Public Schools.
Attendance included youth, parents, adults, school board members, and government, legal and medical officials.
Survey results from 2007 were presented by Andrew Vogt, Nate Stilmock, Brynne Berner and Hillarie Damme of S-D-A Public Schools. The 2007 survey was the third conducted. Previous surveys were conducted in 2003 and 2005.
The average age of a teen’s first alcohol consumption is 13, while 50.7 percent had never drank alcoholic beverages; 32 percent of 10th graders reported using alcohol within the past 30 days of the survey while 65 percent reported never drinking; 65 percent of 10th graders that reported ever using alcohol obtained it from someone age 21 or older; 28 percent of 12th graders reported binge drinking, five or more drinks consecutively over two hours in the two weeks before the survey; 48 percent of 12th graders reported being a passenger with a drinking driver in the past year; 3 percent of 12th graders reported using methamphetamines in their lifetimes; 15 percent of eighth graders reported smoking cigarettes in the 30 days before the survey; 13 was the average age of a teen’s first use of marijuana while 86.3 percent had never used marijuana; 1.3 percent reported ever using steroids and 1.4 percent reported ever using cocaine.
In the 30 days before the survey, there was a huge jump between elementary and high school alcohol users, said Tim Regler, director, Parents and Communities Together (PACT) of Otoe County. Regler said that also for the first time, girls were drinking more frequently than boys.
Regler said that all youth are not drinking alcohol. Most youth are not drinking, he said. Of 12th graders, 20 percent said that they had never used alcohol and 51 percent overall of the students surveyed said that they had never used alcohol.
Jerry Stilmock moderated the panel discussion. Panelists were: Chief Deputy Mike Holland of the Otoe County Sheriff’s Department; Dr. Zak Templemeyer of the Syracuse Medical Center; Otoe County Juvenile Court Judge John Steinheider; Otoe County Attorney David Partsch; Tim Isaacs, S-D-A schools guidance counselor and coach; Jill Noerrlinger, pharmacist; Michelle Zahn, S-D-A parent; Sarah Wellman, S-D-A senior; and Pastor Paul Coen of Luther Memorial Church, Syracuse.
Asked where youth obtain alcohol, Holland said it is a combination of sources. Anytime youth are involved with alcohol, an irresponsible adult is involved in the process somewhere down the line, Holland said.
Isaacs said that the more involved youth are, the less likely they will have the temptation to use alcohol, tobacco and drugs. Activities are good for youth because they provide a sense of accountability, Isaacs said.
Zahn said that youth have more accountability to a coach or organization leader. She also said that youth favored drug-free activities.
Partsch said that PUFF officials help with the diversion program. The diversion program is a six-week comprehensive program that requires parental involvement. A parent or guardian has to attend each week. Vanessa Sherman, juvenile diversion coordinator, said that the program is a chance for youth to accept responsibility.
Noerrlinger said that a main concern about underage alcohol use is that the brain of a youth is not fully developed and reacts differently to alcohol. Alcohol is a depressant, which affects one’s ability to make decisions, she said.
Davis said that the brain is actively developing until age 25.
Dr. Templemeyer said that developing neurons are more susceptible to damage than fully-developed brains. The younger one starts alcohol use, the more likely one will have a long-term problem, he said.
Coen said junior high and senior high youth are at a key time in their lives and need involvements. Having a sense of relationship is so critical, he said.
Wellman added that underage alcohol use affects others who are innocent victims, such as when drinking contributes to sexual assault.
Asked about consequences for adults who purchase alcohol for youth, Steinheider said that it depends on the situation and the individual’s record.
The efforts of organizations such as PACT, PUFF and student organizations have had their affect on the issue.
“We’ve come a long way,” Davis said.
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