underage DRINKING is a BIG PROBLEM IN MONTANA
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008HELENA INDEPENDENT RECORD *By IR Staff - 11/18/07*
“Youth Connections Director Drenda Carlson and several members of the
group’s board of directors stopped by the IR’s Editorial Board last
week.
They were nice folks, but they sure had a scary message.
It turns out that Montana teenagers rank highest in the nation for
underage binge drinking and the rate for Helena-area teens is among
the worst in Montana. Nearly half of local high school students (48
percent) reported binge drinking, defined as five or more drinks at a
time, during the past 30 days. And they start young: 45 percent before
they reach the age of 15. In Lewis and Clark County, there were 666
“minor in possession” violations in 2006.
Youth Connections, a coalition of parents, students, teachers and
community organizations, is working on ways to support teenagers in
resisting first use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. In terms of
the overall threat to area youths, alcohol easily tops the list.
Nationwide, it kills more teens than all other illegal drugs combined.
Carlson stressed that addressing the problem requires a many-pronged
approach, and the mobilization of the community at large to change a
culture that still too often acts as though underage drinking is
somehow OK.
The group tries to identify and help teens with a problem by
supporting high school programs aimed at young alcohol abusers,
provide alcohol-free events, teach “media literacy” classes to help
young people resist the advertising that paints such a happy picture
of alcohol use, and a variety of other methods.
One particularly alarming piece of news is that alcohol use doesn’t
just mess up kids’ judgment at the very time that their still-maturing
brains often lack the skills needed to keep them out of trouble.
Alcohol, according to recent research, can permanently mess up a
teenager’s brain itself.
A young person’s brain undergoes much change, with a rapid increase of
neural connections in early adolescence and, later, a pruning of
connections in order to enhance the brain’s efficiency. Drinking at an
early age can damage that wiring, resulting in neurocognitive
impairment. Is that worth being cool with your hard-drinking peers?
Maybe the most important message has to do with Helena’s families. Far
too many parents, frankly, are screwing up letting their kids drink at
home, looking the other way as they head off to drinking parties, just
plain not doing their jobs.
Nobody said dealing with your teenagers was going to be easy. But
there’s too much at stake. Your children’s future, for one thing. And
the future of your community. Let’s not blow it.”
Thanks to all the people in Boulder who have supported Mariah’s Challenge and the prevention specialists who have worked so hard to educate members of all ages in our community.