MORE MIDDLE, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS REPORT DRINKING ALCOHOL

Drug use is down in Palm Beach County public schools, but more high
school students are consuming alcohol and as many as 20 percent
report binge drinking, according to a 2006 state report on youth
substance abuse.

The Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey, which reports teenage drug
use every two years, shows that despite a decrease in drinking among
middle schoolers, Palm Beach County has a higher rate of alcohol use
and binge drinking than the state average.

That's because of a increase from 40 percent in 2000 to 46.3 percent
last year - and nearly 25 percent rise in binge drinking - of high
school students.

About 60 percent of middle and high school students in Palm Beach
County report drinking alcohol at least once, with 35 percent saying
they've consumed alcohol within the month. About 14 percent say they
have been drunk at school.

"I'm not surprised," said Kim Williams, assistant director of the
district's prevention center. "Alcohol is the most widely used drug,
and it is a drug, in the United States. Why would it be any different
in Palm Beach County?"

Use of illicit drugs such as cocaine, mushrooms and methamphetamines
remained less than 1 percent.

While recent use of marijuana use has declined slightly to 12.2
percent this year, the percentage of students who have tried it at
least once increased to 25 percent, a reflection of the state average.

Cigarette use declined once again to 10 percent, a 50 percent decline
from 2000.

In an effort to stem substance abuse, the district has developed
several programs aimed at helping students make better choices in all
aspects of life, as well as offering alternatives to suspension for
students who have been caught drinking or doing drugs on campus.
School-based teams, which include teachers and guidance counselors,
also refer students to counseling if they see a substance abuse problems.

Several high schools also have drug counselors for easy access by
students. Next year, the district will pilot a new program for
freshman to decrease alcohol use.

The current efforts have made an impact on middle school drinking,
which declined from 25.6 in 2000 to 19.8 this year, Williams said.

Still, the report indicates that students in Palm Beach County have
more risk factors for substance abuse than students across the state,
such as having a friend with a drug problem, mobility, criminal
history within the family and poor academic performance.

When many of these students get to high school, alcohol use explodes.
Nearly 10 percent of middle schoolers and 25 percent of high
schoolers say they have binged on alcohol within the past two weeks,
a higher rate compared with the state average of 23 percent.

Carol Owsiany, who oversees the Florida Division of Alcoholic
Beverages and Tobacco in Palm Beach and Broward counties, blames the
high use on parents who allow their children to drink at home. In
some cases, parents have thrown house parties that have attracted
dozens of teenagers.

In August, a house party thrown by a Seminole High student turned
deadly when two young men were shot and killed. Police also have
investigated sexual assaults and stabbings during house parties,
Owsiany said.

Oswiany's agency also conducts undercover stings to catch retailers
and bars that sell alcohol to minors. But the real problem Owsiany
said is at home, where most students get the alcohol.

"I just don't think they understand the dangers," she said.
"Unfortunately, it's an accepted norm like a rite of passage and
parents don't take it as seriously as they should."