Sixteen students from Elmhurst were on stage, performing a rhyming skit about alcohol and kids. It started by pointing out “parents who shut their eyes” and “the sister and beer she buys.” Then the skit moved into unruly parties, teen pregnancy and a boy who dies in an alcohol-related car accident.
The script’s lines repeated, adding a new and unfortunate consequence each time. One teenage boy was required to fall to the stage about a dozen times to symbolize the fatal auto crash. His actions were noisy, animated and caught the audience’s attention.
Some of the teen’s fellow actors appeared ready to smile at the boy’s falls, at least during the first round or two. Even a few adults seemed about to grin, if only at the student’s enthusiasm for his role.
But by the third fall, everyone stopped seeing any potential for humor.
Alcohol has that sort of effect. It seems harmless, even fun, until an imaginary line is crossed into misuse and abuse. That’s about the same time the affected family members and friends realize alcohol is indeed a drug, no less potent or life-changing than controlled substances such as marijuana or cocaine.
In 1997, the last year for which the state of Illinois has complete statistics, 233 young people between the ages of 15 and 20 died in automobile accidents. Ninety-five of them, drivers and passengers, died in alcohol-related accidents. Nearly 25 percent of drivers 16 to 19 killed in crashes had been drinking prior to the accident-and nearly three-quarters of those were legally intoxicated.
About 2,200 teens die in alcohol-related accidents annually. That averages out to six kids per day, every day. More than half of the accidents occur on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Since the state government passed a 1995 zero-tolerance law for teenage driver alcohol blood levels, more than 11,000 teens have been charged with driving under the influence — which brings a minimum driving suspension of two years — and another 11,000 have lost drivers licenses for at least three months.
“Not all teens or parents are getting the message,” said Marti Belluschi, a spokeswoman for the Secretary of State’s office. “We know of one case in which an 18-year-old boy was stopped by police for (zero tolerance) and driving. His mother was highly critical of the police, complaining the boy was simply drinking beer and not snorting cocaine.
“Three weeks later, the same boy (without a valid license) got into an accident. He killed three generations of a family in the other car.”
Misuse and abuse can start early, and so should the prevention efforts of parents and other adults. The 1997 Illinois Youth Study on Substance Abuse shows 55 percent of 8th graders in this state have used alcohol at least once. By senior year in high school, the number grows to 77 percent.
Other research, presented last month at the American Academy of Pediatrics annual meeting in Chicago, reveals one-third of high school seniors has consumed five or more drinks during a single outing at least once in the last two weeks.
The statistics are daunting — a survey by the Weekly Reader children’s magazine showed 45 percent of 6th graders and 25 percent of 4th graders had tried alcohol with friends. Parents can play the key role in preventing alcohol experimentation turning into behavioral problems and the all-too-common dire outcomes.
Step one for parents is to avoid being in denial.
“No community is without an underage drinking problem,” said Judge Robert J. Anderson of the DuPage County Circuit Court. “I have seen kids as young as junior high in my courtroom.”
Anderson was part of a panel discussion sponsored by the Elmhurst Community Effort organization and presented, along with the student skit, at Elmhurst College’s Mill Theatre. He was joined among others by attorney Linda Pieczynski, who is the prosecutor for about 10 towns in the western suburbs, including Hinsdale, Downers Grove, Oak Brook and Lombard.
“Lots of parents say, `At least my child is not smoking marijuana,’ ” Pieczynski said. “Things haven’t changed, there is no upswing or downswing (of alcohol misuse). Parents are absent or oblivious, then they get upset when their children are put in handcuffs in a squad car.”
Even top students might be high-risk drinkers, said Dr. Mark J. Werner, chairman of pediatrics at Franklin Square Hospital Center in Baltimore and a top researcher in field.
“The classic mistake parents make is thinking their son or daughter is getting A’s and B’s, plays on a team, so they couldn’t have alcohol problems,” Werner said. “Another common tendency is thinking colleges and universities are the place where kids’ heavy drinking troubles start.”
Werner conducted studies while working at Vanderbilt University in Nashville that showed the high-risk drinkers at the college level were already high-risk drinkers during high school.
Here’s how Werner distinguishes between high-risk and low-risk:
“There are positives kids see in drinking alcohol, such as feeling more relaxed, having more fun, thinking of themselves as more attractive and finding it easier to socialize,” said Werner, who returned to clinical practice because he wanted to help change teenage lives rather than observe them from the academic setting. “The negatives include impaired coordination, clumsiness and bad decision-making.
“All kids have the same awareness about the positives and negatives of drinking. They value the positives similarly, but the high-risk drinkers are less worried about the negative consequences.”
Even the threat of bodily harm doesn’t deter high-risk drinkers.
“It’s not what a teenager does, but how he or she reacts,” Werner explained. “Let’s say the teen drank 6 or 8 beers, then hit a tree with his car. The first kid might shrug it off as a great party, thinking he’s glad to be alive and looking forward to next Friday night. A second kid might be saying, `That was stupid; I nearly killed myself and I have to make changes.’ “
Drivers education teachers have used fatality statistics and straight-talk videos to help persuade students about the dangers of drinking and driving. Some local school districts are now employing a more teen-friendly device, “Fatal Vision” virtual-reality goggles developed by a Stevens Point, Wis., non-profit organization called the Center for Injury Prevention. Students wear the goggles to experience the loss of equilibrium and coordination associated with legal intoxication. One pair, which costs $149, shows what it feels like to have a blood alcohol level of .08, which is the DUI minimum in Illinois.
In a typical demonstration, kids might be asked to perform simple tasks such as passing one another without running into a desk or catching a softly tossed ball. Goggle wearers fail miserably and gain a newfound appreciation for alcohol-induced impairment, especially as a possible driver.
At home, parents should be alert to any differences in a teen’s normal mood patterns. Werner said mood swings — usually from normal to euphoric to normal again–are the first body changes experienced by teenage drinkers. The next stage is what professionals call misuse, in which the teen is enjoying the physiological effects of alcohol but knows the behavior is not condoned. Many teens in this category start adjusting alcohol habits to seek a euphoric mood swing.
What the parents might start noticing in their children is less interest in school activities or hobbies. There might be an increased level of fights with parents or siblings, or a teen who is suddenly more sullen or private. Lying is a common tendency. New friends might emerge that seem less likable. The teen might dress differently.
Of course, some of these “symptoms” could be easily interpreted as the teenage years, period.
“The challenge is to recognize kids in this stage (before they become preoccupied or dependent on alcohol) and offer intervention,” Werner said.
Exactly how parents should intervene is a frequent question.
One effective measure is simply acting as responsible role models. Perceived adult use is critical to how children decide what is appropriate alcohol use, especially at younger ages and as early as 4 or 5. Another plus is participative parenting style, though it may be less about words and more about action during the teenage years.
“Parents should never give up (on their kids),” said David S. Anderson, an associate research professor at George Mason University’s Center for the Advancement of Public Health in Washington. “Studies show good parenting positively affects who a teen selects as peers.”
A common piece of advice is to be a parent first, not a pal.
How not to do it: Elmhurst Detective Steve Wright said he hears from west suburban motel managers that some parents have rented hotel rooms for the teens to have unsupervised parties on prom nights and other special occasions.
For her part, Pieczynski said the shock of her first daughter lying about going to underage drinking parties has prompted not accepting her second daughter’s evening plans on word alone.
“The most effective thing a parent can do is ask their kids where are you going,” she said, “then get a phone number and make sure an adult will be supervising.
“Make a call to check out the information. I want my daughter to believe I will do it. If she says she’s going to a movie, I say, `OK, bring me the stub.’ “
Wright said he has seen too many non-drinker teens get arrested because they show up at small parties that turn big and inevitably result in someone bringing marijuana or controlled substances. What’s more, Elmhurst, like most local communities in the Chicago area and many other parts of the U.S. now requires court appearances by adults — along with the kids — who permit unsupervised parties in their homes.
“Get involved in your children’s lives,” Wright said. “Don’t be afraid to be nosy.”
Not knowing about your child’s intentions for a party might not be a plausible defense. Pieczynski said she has tried cases against parents who “failed to protect access to the liquor supply in the home and access to the house.” Fines of $500 to $1,000 are the usual first penalty.
Werner said he works with many parents who aren’t sure about the way to connect on the alcohol issue. He suggests a parent “raise concerns objectively and neutrally, without expecting any immediate resolutions.”
“You can say something like, `I’m concerned you may have problem because I have observed this,’ ” Werner said. “You are not judging (or accusing), but observing.”
There may be times when a physician, counselor or other adult in a teen’s life can make the breakthrough. Werner and his colleagues use a set of “CAGE” questions, first designed for adults, when a young patient shows signs of significant alcohol use:
– Have you ever felt the need to cut down on your drinking?
– Have you ever felt annoyed by criticism about your drinking?
– Have you ever felt guilty about something you did while drinking?
– Have you ever taken a morning eye-opener?
Answering “yes” to any of the four questions is a red flag. Werner said parents “shouldn’t get hung up on family control and personal pride” if they find out that a teen opened up about drinking at the doctor’s office.
A critical question, said Werner, is asking the teen, “What will have to happen to you to change your drinking pattern?” An initial conversation can stop right there to allow the teen to think about the question, then have a meaningful followup conversation.
Werner said one high school boy recently came in for a second visit, telling him, “Dr. Werner, every time I pick up a beer glass, your face is on it.”
“That’s a positive step in my mind,” Werner said. “My objective is to get kids to move through the process of change. I’m not going to get them to stop drinking in one conversation.”
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Next week: Teens and tobacco
More than 3,000 American children under 18 become new cigarette smokers every day. While it is documented that tobacco use leads to premature death — and will eventually kill about 5 million of today’s childhood smokers if current trends continue — a more urgent issue is whether tobacco is a “gateway” drug that leads children to illegal substance abuse and other life-altering behaviors.
