DRINKING AND DRUGGING -- SECOND OF TWO PARTS

Substance Abuse On Bainbridge Is Shaped By Island Demographics.

Wealthy Kids Have Money In Hand. Often, Both Parents Work.

"BHS is almost like the perfect scenario," said BHS sophomore "Jared"
(not his real name). "There are, like, all these big houses with
parents who are gone all the time, and the kids have large
allowances."

But the push for suburban perfection also takes a toll, Jared says,
and overloaded parents pass the stress down to kids. Depression,
substance abuse and eating disorders may result.

Jared classifies his own once-a-week use of alcohol and pot as
"moderate," like his friends.

"These are kids who are busy during the week, and like to reward
themselves," he said.

One student says kids buy on campus but use off. Perennial favorites
are alcohol and marijuana. Bainbridge Police Detective Scott Anderson
agrees with the assessment.

"If it was a scavenger hunt and you gave them that goal (of buying
marijuana), every school-age child could accomplish it whether they
use or not," Anderson said.

Other drugs of choice change.

Five years ago, cocaine was prevalent. Now, anecdotal accounts suggest
that amphetamine-based ecstasy, or "E," is a presence here. "Shrooms"
- - or hallucinogenic psilocybin mushrooms - are native to the area.

While drugs can change hands at the high school - a deal often
arranged the night before - most use takes place off-campus.

Some youths are turned on by older friends, young grownups in the
community; others cite depression or just a social experience.

Jared was introduced to alcohol in ninth grade; he tried speed once
and ecstasy two times, but quickly retrenched. Not all his friends
stopped using "E," however, and one in particular seems caught.

"She's done it more than a dozen times," said Jared, who says he is
bothered by her use.

For Jared, motivation for using will divide kids whose once-a-week use
he deems recreational from those who use heavily.

"It's the reasons they do it," he said. "Usually they're less happy
with their lives. They do it to escape. So whether it's stress or
depression, kids try it, too, and they just don't stop."

'I was bored'

A BHS student focus group also identified boredom as a reason kids
here use. Former island resident and BHS graduate Jessie Robinson says
it was a major factor contributing to her own use.

Robinson, whom Anderson calls "very credible, very smart," graduated
from Bainbridge High School in 1997. Young enough to have kids as
friends, but old enough to have some distance on the "scene," Robinson
has gained clarity about past mistakes.

She experimented with drinking and pot in eighth grade but her use
"took off" during her sophomore year.

"It wasn't so much 'oh, man, I have to have it,' it was something to
do," she said. "There were classes in my schedule I didn't like. They
were just more enjoyable if you were stoned.

"We'd go off campus and hang out. They'd be able to hook me up by the
end of the day. The fact that it was so readily available made it
difficult to stop." Robinson finally had to move off the island to
stop.

"I was never diagnosed as having a substance abuse problem," she said.
"It was fun. I wasn't aware at the time how my choices would affect my
later life." Robinson quit substances when she became pregnant at 20;
she now lives in Suquamish and raises her 3-year-old son.

When she considers how her island friends used, the division doesn't
fall in line with conventional wisdom; her friends often came from
intact families with money, and were athletic and got good grades.

Conversely, some friends who abstained came from dysfunctional
families and learned to become self-reliant.

Circumstances aside, Robinson has come to believe, people need to own
up to their deeds.

"I'm not judging people because I was one of them," she said. "But I
do think that people should be held accountable for their choices."

The law

For Bainbridge Island Police Detective Scott Anderson, holding kids
accountable can be a frustrating task in the face of the sense of
invincibility - the sense that there is no price to pay.

"In general, the kids do not respect or fear the consequences,"
Anderson said. "Up to this point, the message from the community to
the police and school is that we really don't want to do what we need
to do to solve this problem."

Parents protective of their children may block police from talking to
a youth suspected in a drug or alcohol incident without a parent
present - "significantly" impeding investigations because, Anderson
says, kids are loath to admit to wrongdoing in front of parents.

"Bainbridge Island is one of those communities with a vocal minority
that has demanded that there be protections provided to our students
above and beyond what the law requires," he said, "and this puts the
school district in a difficult position."

Anderson says he is more intent on arresting whoever supplies a youth
with an illegal substance than arresting the user.

But while it is a gross misdemeanor to provide minors with alcohol,
overfull Kitsap jails mean that the penalty of up to a year of jail
time translates to a fine of $750 - and, with criminal history, some
community service.

Deputy prosecutor for Kitsap County Bonnie Martin has charged only two
Bainbridge adults with the offense since last April.

Anderson says that beyond the obvious health risks involved, substance
abuse can also raise other safety issues. When he investigates a date
rape, chances are drugs or alcohol are involved.

"I've only investigated one (rape) case out of dozens in the last five
years where the victim wasn't impaired by substances," Anderson said.

Sometimes impairment is deliberate. Robinson can count, she says, "at
least a dozen" young women and one young man here who believe they
were "slipped a mickey."

The drugs used may be Rohypnol, or "Roofies," a colorless, odorless
sedative that renders the victim inert and causes amnesia, or the
horse tranquilizer Ketamine, or "Special K."

What will keep kids from using, Robinson believes, is something they
decide is more important than drinking and drugging.

And, they need both mentorship and accountability.

"When I got busted for things, my mother didn't get me off the hook,"
Robinson said. "The consequences my parents did make sense. If I used
drugs, I had to have my purse searched.

"On the island, when kids are busted, there may be a big intervention
with everyone talking, but no consequences."

She added: "Parents are good at addressing underlying emotional
issues, but they are so intent on helping kids heal that they are not
allowing them to learn."