PRESCRIPTION MEDS GAIN POPULARITY WITH TEENS

Drinking Declines in Survey of Green Bay-Area Students

Although fewer area students say they are smoking or using alcohol,
experts say more are popping prescription pills.

Surveys of Green Bay metro area students are showing good things: The
number of high school seniors drinking on a regular basis in 2004 was
50 percent, down from 60 percent in 2002, according to Mary
Miceli-Wink, an alcohol- and drug-abuse counselor with the Brown
County Human Services Department. "A regular basis" is defined as at
least once a month. And the use of marijuana also is down.

Nationally, use of both cigarettes and alcohol is declining. But abuse
of OxyContin and Vicodin is going up. Annual abuse of Vicodin was 9.5
percent among 12th graders throughout the United States in 2005,
according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, ranking it among
the most commonly abused drugs.

Since 2001, there has been a 25 percent increase in the annual abuse
of sedatives/barbiturates among 12th graders.

To help raise public awareness about teen drug and alcohol abuse,
Libertas, a local treatment center, the Partners in Education's Drug
Alliance, and the Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay are hosting a
town-hall meeting Monday that will gather local experts to talk about
such issues as drug and alcohol use among teens, the law and how it is
enforced and the impact of drug and alcohol abuse on family insurance
plans.

A 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey in De Pere found that 8.9 percent of
students had used club drugs such as LSD and ecs-tasy, 6.1 percent had
used methamphetamines, 9.2 percent had used cocaine and 2.9 percent
heroin. A similar survey done in the Green Bay School District found
21 percent of students had been offered, sold or given drugs on school
property in the past 12 months. Statewide, that figure was 26 percent
in 2003.

"There's been a steady increase in drugs such as opiates, pain
killers, Vicodin and OxyContin," said Jim Hill, clinical supervisor at
Libertas. There's also a spike in over-the-counter drugs like cold
remedies and sinus medications, he said.

The problem with these drugs, Hill said, is they not only eliminate
pain, they also eliminate emotions.

"It stops kids' emotional development," he said. "OxyContin makes a
person numb, and that becomes the goal. Kids come to believe that's a
normal state."

Trying to Fit In

Courtney Van Rossum, a junior at Denmark High School, thinks most kids
drink or use drugs to fit in.

"I think it's dangerous to do that," Van Rossum, 17, said. "I know a
lot of people in our school drink, so I wanted to start a Teen
Outreach going at our school to give them different
activities."

The outreach has hosted weekend events like a hayride and attending a
Gamblers game, she said. For her efforts, Van Rossum received the 2005
Sue Todey Drug Alliance Achievement Scholarship. Sponsored by Partners
In Education, the program awarded her $1,000 for her first year of
post-secondary education.

But for Van Rossum, it isn't about the money.

"I wanted to get kids more involved and not make them feel like
they're left out if they don't drink," Van Rossum said.

Counselors say teens also will drink or do drugs because they're told
not to do it and because they know it's risky behavior.

It's also a way to deal with difficult emotions, they
say.

"Socially what do we learn?" Hill said. "If you feel uncomfortable,
take pills. Everything will get better. Everything should be quicker
and easier. You don't see commercials about feeling scared.
Adolescence is the part of development where you question yourself and
you feel scared, but you can get through it."

Drugs Easy to Come By

Prescription drugs also are readily available, Hill said. Families
store prescription pills, and often-unused drugs they've forgotten
about, in medicine cabinets.

"Grandma and Grandpa don't see anything wrong with putting needed
medications in the bathroom, but if they have a drug-addicted
grandkid, they know straight where to go," Hill said.

It's also easy for kids to buy meds on the streets, he said. Some
people will go from doctor to doctor or head to the emergency room in
search of pills. And there have been several robberies of local
pharmacies recently.

Some schools are stepping up vigilance. Earlier this school year, De
Pere High School Principal Matt Weller gathered students in an
all-school assembly to offer $500 for solid tips on student dealers.

"I think he was aware parents were concerned and there were concerns .
from students and staff," said Steve Delaney, social worker for the De
Pere School District. "I think he wanted to send the message that if
people are potentially making substances available to other kids,
around his building that would not be tolerated."

Parents also can be part of the problem, counselors
say.

"Sadly, I think for years people in the substance-abuse field battle
cultural beliefs that, 'I went through it, I turned out OK, my kids
will come out OK, too,'" Delaney said.

To keep kids away from drugs and alcohol, parents should take an
active part in their lives: Know their friends and their friends'
families, and set boundaries, counselors said.

"Too often parents are so busy they aren't spending enough time with
their kids," Hill said.

Families also should remember to praise good behavior, Miceli-Wink
said.

"I really think we don't pay enough attention to rewarding kids who
make the right decision," she said. "If 50 percent are drinking
regularly, 50 percent aren't."