PROGRAM REACHES OUT TO PREVENT DRUG ABUSE EARLY

COACHELLA VALLEY -- Research shows plenty of kids experiment with drug
and alcohol -- many at very young ages.

Judy Graham, an eighth-grade teacher at John Glenn Middle School in
Indio, worries about that trend.

She invited her friend, John, a recovering alcoholic and addict to
speak to her classes for Red Ribbon Week this year.

Graham wanted her students to hear from someone who had really been
there, who began drinking as a child, struggled with drug addiction
and made it through -- someone whose first-person account might make
the kids sit up and take notice.

"I don't want them to go that direction," she said.

But even as her students commended John for his honesty in admitting
his troubles, they also acknowledged that alcohol and drug use is
still a reality in schools. The truth is, parents still need to be
vigilant.

John told the class that he had taken his first drink at age 9. By age
15, he was a full-fledged alcoholic.

To Graham's students, that was sad news but not completely shocking.
After all, nearly all of them say they know someone who has
experimented with drugs or alcohol.

"I see it around a lot," said Breana Dominguez, 13.

The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
reports that alcohol is the No. 1 drug of choice among kids.

And one of out every five eighth-graders has tried marijuana,
according to the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Dominguez and several of her classmates agreed that, from what they've
seen and heard, kids seem to have no trouble getting ahold of alcohol.

Some steal from their parents' liquor cabinets or raid the
refrigerator for beer, while others rely on older siblings.

"It's really easy. Anybody can get it," Dominguez added.

Sean White, 13, said he's never tried to do it himself but he knows
"there are plenty of ways to sneak something through."

Amy Rice, 14, recalled seeing a girl at a high school dance who hid a
flask of alcohol under her skirt. Dominguez added that some kids pour
stolen vodka into water bottles because it's clear and easier to hide.
They've also seen kids hide bottles in paper bags and sneak them into
football games.

Why do they risk it? Graham's students speculated that some children
and teens try drinking or drugs for "the rush" or "the excitement" of
getting away with something forbidden.

"It's almost like a game" for some kids, White said.

But Rice had another answer.

"Escape," she said. "I think they're hurting inside if they do
it."

Even for the kids who have heeded the "just say no" message that
they've been bombarded with since kindergarten, that doesn't mean it's
easy for them.

Susan Krakoff, 13, who had a red ribbon pinned to her yellow T-shirt,
said some kids feel pressured to not tell on their friends or
classmates and risk getting them in trouble. They also worry about
getting teased or threatened.

"They're going to call you a snitch and probably throw eggs at your
house," White said.

But the teens agreed that hearing a first-person account was
eye-opening. It was more effective than the anti-drug lectures and
just-say-no speeches.

"You almost say, okay, we get it," White said.