Pubdate: Sun, 17 Jul 2005
Source: St. Augustine Record (FL)
Copyright: 2005 The St. Augustine Record
Contact:  http://www.staugustine.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/771
Author: Paulette Perhach, Staff Writer
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

TEEN DRUG USE UP

Students In St. Johns Rank Above The State Average In Use Of Tobacco,
Alcohol, Marijuana

Middle and high school students in St. Johns County have a reputation
for high grades and high test scores.

But there's also a trend many people -- especially parents -- may not
know about.

"St. Augustine has a big problem," said Jim McDonough, director of the
Florida Office of Drug Control, "A bigger problem than (people) think."

Students in St. Johns County rank above the state average in use of
tobacco, alcohol, marijuana and almost every other drug, according to
the 2004 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey.

"The first mistake is to say, 'because we're affluent, we have less of
a drug problem,' " said McDonough. "I find drug abuse is an equal-
opportunity curse. If you ever think your children are safe because
you live in a gated community or a nice area, think again."

Senta Goudy, director of prevention for the Florida Alcohol and Drug
Abuse Association in Tallahassee, said the numbers speak for themselves.

"We think it happens in poor communities and in rural communities,"
said Goudy. "If you look at the state's demographics, it's suburbia,
where people think it's safe."

Julia Szczes (pronounced sizz) works as a coordinator for the
Prevention Coalition of St. Johns County, created in 1988 to combat
the drug and alcohol abuse in the county.

"Alcohol, tobacco and drug use in St. Johns County affects all of us
and our quality of life," said Szczes. "It affects education and the
lives of youth. They can go on to be a risk to the community because
they grow up to be users, which leads to DUIs, drug sales and higher
crime."

Drunk Teens

"Parents would be surprised by what their kids are doing," said
Christian, 16, a Nease High School student who was arrested last year
for drinking alcohol. He is going by his middle name to maintain
confidentiality.

Christian was 15 years old the night he decided to stop over at a
friend's house for some drinks before a football game. He slammed
eight shots of vodka before they headed off to the school. A sober
friend was driving.

"Ten minutes into the game I blacked out," he said. "I guess I just
drank too much."

 From what he heard afterward, a friend took him to the bathroom to
vomit, and a cop came in.

He was suspended from school for two weeks and had to serve 16 hours
of community service.

But Christian said there are plenty of students who go under the radar
of parents and police.

"A couple cases of beer, handles (of liquor), some weed," that's how
Christian describes the average high school party. "There's a
selection of people who get really, really smashed, some drink a
little, some don't drink."

They get the alcohol from older friends and siblings, or from asking
people who are going into the liquor store, said Christian. "Kids
these days drink as much as they can get it," he said.

So what do the parents think they're doing? "Parents think the kids
are doing whatever they tell them they're doing. Watching a movie,
whatever," said Christian.

Some Reasons

Growth and change in the county may be contributing to the teen drug
problem, said Szczes.

The drug survey shows that St. Johns County students show a high level
of a risk factor called Personal Transitions and Mobility scale.

High scores on this scale mean that students are changing homes and
schools often, which makes it harder for them to become involved in
prosocial organizations and people in their schools and
communities.

With top-ranking schools and high student test scores, it may be a
surprise to some people that St. Johns County's youth have a problem,
said Nickie Gorce, director of student assistance programs for the
Prevention Coalition who counsels students at Pedro Menendez and St.
Augustine High Schools.

There are no counselors at Nease or Bartram Trail High
Schools.

"There's a common belief that drug use will result in failing or
dropping out," she said. "But that's not always a reality. I have
known several honor students who have had substance abuse problems."

Even though students on drugs may not fail out of school, Szczes warns
that their problems might get worse in the future.

"Associates of mine who grew up in the 60s and have kids have told me
that in their time, people experimented, then dropped the habit,"
Szczes said. "These days, they've noticed kids pick it up as a lifestyle."

Rx And Alcohol

Nickie Gorce works at Allen D. Nease and Pedro Menendez High Schools
as a counselor.

"We're seeing rapidly escalating use by teens of prescription drugs,
and not their own," she said of drugs such as Oxycontin, Vicodin,
Percocet, Xanax and Valium. "They're getting them out of the medicine
cabinet at home, or they're getting them on the streets. They're more
readily available and affordable."

She said she's even known students who use these pills in a
"hard-core" way -- shooting up Oxycontin.

Gorce said this trend is coupling with the long-time epidemic of
alcohol use in the county. Lifetime use of alcohol in St. Johns county
is 60.6 percent, 3 percent higher than the Florida average.

Gorce said more students are using prescription pills with alcohol.
"There's a dangerous lack of knowledge about the outcome mixing
alcohol and pills," said Gorce. It can result in loss of bodily
function, comas and DUIs."

Depressant pills plus alcohol more rapidly shuts down bodily function
and it exacerbates the effects of alcohol.

Christian said he knows people who smoke marijuana or "pop pills"
before school.

"School is just something they have to do," said Christian, "They want
to make it more interesting, I guess."

What can parents do?

Although some parents feel like hypocrites because they may have
experimented with drugs, they need to realize today's drug world is
different, said Szczes.

Marijuana today has been found to be 10 to 20 times more potent than
the marijuana sold in the '60s and '70s.

One of the main messages of the coalition is the idea of "parenting as
prevention."

"There are several things parents can do," said Szczes. "Be vigilant.
Ask your kids what they're doing. Model responsible behavior with
alcohol. Don't use illegal drugs."

In her counseling, Gorce has noticed parents can play a huge role in a
student's drinking and drug use.

"One of the reasons kids get into self-medicating with alcohol and
drugs is that it's pervasive in adult society," she said. "That's how
many adults handle their stress."

Gorce said the best thing parents can do is care and know what their
children are doing.

"It never ceases to amaze me, the number of parents who don't know
where their kids are, what they're doing or who they're with," she
said. "That to me is alarming."

Facts About Student Drug Use Locally

# Surveyed students reported a substantial reduction in past-30-day
cigarette use. The rate dropped from 23.2 percent in 2000 to 13.3
percent in 2004.

# With overall prevalence rates of 60.6 percent for lifetime use and
36.2 percent for past-30-day use, alcohol is the most commonly used
drug among St. Johns County students.

# Binge drinking (defined as the consumption of five or more drinks in
a row within the last two weeks) is more prevalent than past-30-day
tobacco, marijuana and other illicit drug use.

# After alcohol, students reported cigarettes (36.4 percent lifetime
and 13.3 percent past-30-day) and marijuana (27.3 percent lifetime and
15.3 percent past-30-day) as the most commonly used drugs. Prevalence
rates for other drugs are substantially lower.

# Of surveyed St. Johns County students, 15.0 percent reported being
drunk or high at school.

# More than one student out of every 10 reported lifetime use of
depressants (10.1 percent lifetime and 4.2 percent past-30-day) or
other prescription pain relievers (10.4 percent lifetime and 4.4
percent past-30-day).

# St. Johns County students reported one of their highest percentile
scores for the community risk factor scale Personal Transitions and
Mobility. This means that students are less likely to become involved
with prosocial organizations and positive role models in their
communities.

Source: 2004 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey
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