TEEN DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE TARGETED

Parents, Teachers And Police Brainstorm To Find Solutions

Concord -- A Concord High guidance counselor told parents last night that
dealing with teen alcohol, tobacco and drug use as a community is like
trying to score a bull's eye in archery.

"There is no silver bullet, there's no golden arrow," said Betsy Peabody.
"But the more we have happening, the more likely we'll have the effect we
want to have."

About 70 parents flocked to a Parent Teacher Student Organization panel
discussion at the high school to learn more about the community's role in
preventing teens from using controlled substances. Though a question and
answer period provoked some dialogue at the end of the night, parents spent
most of the time listening to five panelists who work regularly with Concord
teens. The near-record turnout included just one student, though middle and
high schoolers were invited.

Following a packed PTSO forum in September about school policies governing
athletes' use of controlled substances - and amid related news events such
as the arrest in November of three Hopkinton parents for allegedly hosting a
keg party - the PTSO wanted to get the Concord community together to learn
more and to talk strategy.

"It's not just the parents' responsibility, it's not just the school's
responsibility, it's really the responsibility of the entire community,"
said PTSO president Judy Caron, who said last night's session will be the
first in a series of events addressing the issue.

Concord teenagers are Concord police officer John Zbehlik's beat. The high
school's resource officer offered parents a sketch of the problems he sees
every day. He noted a few statistics: This year, he's arrested 30 kids for
smoking cigarettes on or near school property ("I've arrested kids in the
same spot twice," he added); seven students for assaults on campus; three
for marijuana use; and four for disorderly conduct.

He also gave parents a tip or two.

"This is a pot-smoking device," he declared, holding up a crushed soda can,
which he said kids use as a bong to easily hide the evidence. "Everything's
disposable nowadays."

Zbehlik said Concord High is generally a safe school, but said parents could
make it safer by being clear about their expectations and open to talking
about them.

"Be aggressive, be a cop at home sometimes if you have to," he said. "Ask
your kid, 'Why do you smell like pot? Why are you carrying a cigarette
lighter?'

"If everyone's talking about it, things come to light," Zbehlik said.

Concord Police Chief Bill Halacy said good parents care and set a good
example for their kids. Being tough can even help your child make choices he
or she would prefer to make in the future. Parents who stay up late to greet
their kids when they come home give their kids the opportunity to refuse
drugs and alcohol by saying, 'My dad would kill me,' he said.

Two common mistakes good parents make? Halacy said some parents protect
their kids to a fault and wind up making excuses for them when they're
disciplined in school or by the police. Another: "Don't ever underestimate
the importance of your role in your child's life," Halacy said.

The panelists agreed that setting a good example for kids by settling
conflicts peacefully, leading healthy lives and obeying the law themselves -
and that includes driving the speed limit - ultimately helped teenagers to
make responsible decisions.

But good parents can extend their influence beyond their own front yards,
they said.

A parent who asked not to be named asked what sort of influence adults
outside the immediate family could hope to have on a teenager from a
troubled home.

"Enormous," answered Peabody. Kids who overcome growing up in so-called
"risky" environments, she said, often do so because of the presence of "a
healthy, caring adult who gives them unconditional love."

Barbara Crouse, a Student Assistance Program counselor at Rundlett Middle
and Concord High schools, challenged parents to contact their legislators
about improving health care - especially for teenagers who need serious
abuse counseling.

For kids who need detox or other expensive treatment help, "there may not be
adequate treatment facilities available, especially if the family does not
have health insurance," she said. "There are times that we really know they
need help but we don't have any place to send them. It gets frustrating."

David Gill, recreation supervisor for the city's recreation department, said
he believes the community could make progress by drawing in as many groups
as possible, including members of the business community - especially since
a recent state sting found that 50 percent of local stores surveyed sold
alcohol to underage buyers.

"How do we get them involved in the solution?" Gill said.

On the other hand, Chief Halacy said, the businesses who refuse to sell
liquor to minors ought to be congratulated: The PTSO handed out fliers
naming the 19 of 40 local businesses that passed the spot test.

Gill also noted that while Concord already has lots to offer teenagers,
between school clubs and sports, and community organizations, "a lot of the
resources are not known to everybody."

By the same token, teenagers ought to be leading the way in developing
Concord's assets: "We need to ask them, 'What can we do to improve your
quality of life in Concord?' " Gill said.