TEENS PLOT STRATEGIES FOR FIGHTING APPEAL OF DRUGS, ALCOHOL

High school students are constantly bombarded with advertisements for
alcohol -- often in magazines or during television shows that cater almost
exclusively to young audiences. With alcohol propaganda all around, it's no
wonder so many students feel beer is a necessity at any Friday night gathering.

To help students combat the temptations of alcohol advertising and the
dangers of underage drinking, River Valley Behavioral Health brought
together teens from area high schools this weekend for a teen leadership
conference at Mount Saint Joseph. The conference, which also was sponsored
by the Kentucky State Police and the Department of Highway Safety, focused
on the dangers of alcohol advertising, tobacco products and "club drugs"
and encouraged the students to tackle alcohol and drug issues at their schools.

"The teen leadership conference has evolved from being a variety of team
building and peer support efforts to being very specific in (creation) of
environmental strategies," said Gary Hall, senior director at River
Valley's Regional Prevention Center. "The effort here is to target on a
specific thing."

Rather than simply discuss an issue, the teens brainstorm ideas and take
them back to their schools, Hall said. Past participants sponsored
initiatives that eventually led to a smoking ban at the Owensboro
Sportscenter during school events. They also championed an effort to get
all beer kegs sold in Daviess County registered in an effort to track
people who allow underage drinking.

About 50 student from six regional high schools attended the two-day
conference. Most of the students at the conference were either selected by
their school guidance counselors or are members of groups such as Students
Against Drunk Driving, Hall said.

Often, Hall said, the students have a better grasp of the problem of teen
drinking and substance abuse than even prevention experts.

"We may give them some ideas" at the conference, Hall said, "but, often,
what adults think are the real problems, the teens will give us other ideas."

Brittany Cole, an Owensboro High School senior who has attended the
conference four years in a row, said the students plan out strategies at
the conference "so when you (go) back, you already have a plan," she said.

Students from the various schools support one another when trying to enact
their plans, Cole said. The conference gives students an opportunity to
fight the influences of alcohol and other substances, she noted.

"It has always been a passion of mine to help the community," she said.
"Just because we all live in Kentucky doesn't mean we all smoke and drink."