SOBRIETY

Prof. Berry offered another excellent piece of advice to new freshmen and
transfer students at Monday's ceremony -- you have a lot more fun in life
if you stay sober.

That remark coincides nicely with the most recent results from a statewide
survey of 13,000 students in the seventh, ninth and 11th grades at 116
schools across California, including several in Santa Barbara County. The
survey found that drug and alcohol use declined significantly for the first
time in more than 10 years. Use of marijuana, methamphetamines and
inhalants by students in all three grades was lower last year than the year
before. The overall decline in alcohol use was the first drop in 15 years.

These results represent a significant change for the better -- and for the
future. But there are warning signs.

Heroin use was up among 11th graders, most likely because the drug is
relatively inexpensive and it's now widely available in smokeable form.
Drug and alcohol abuse by students already classified as heavy users
remained steady.

The survey offers good news, but also sobering statistics that tell us
there is still plenty of work to be done in the war against substance abuse
by teens.