OFFICIALS SAY TEEN SUBSTANCE ABUSE WIDESPREAD

A District Task Force Has Formed To Explore The Problem And Its Causes.

CHAPEL HILL -- Linda Hammock braces herself for major school events such as
spring break, which is going on this week for Chapel Hill-Carrboro
students, and the prom each year. Some major fallout occurs; a kid may get
arrested or the police are called to break up a party or another kid has
thrown while mom and dad are out of town for the spring break week.
Oftentimes, the event involves alcohol and drugs, and as the substance
abuse counselor at Chapel Hill High School, she receives plenty of phone
calls from parents and kids.

Incidences such as these prompted Hammock and other parents at the school
to form a task force to look into reasons why young people in the community
are abusing drugs and alcohol. A community panel discussion is planned for
April 10, which is also National Alcohol Screening Day.

Hammock has been trying to organize a task force for some time, but said it
has been difficult to get parents to invest the time. Even though their
children may be showing signs of trouble, she said, many parents don't
realize their kids are abusing drugs until something disastrous happens.

"The parents know something's wrong, but they have no clue that it's drugs
and alcohol," she said. "Until the crisis hits - whatever that crisis is --
there is no reason for parents to even think about that."

Alice Carlton, the parent of a sophomore at Chapel Hill High, said she was
naive about how widespread the access to drugs and alcohol is among
teenagers. And then she began talking to other parents and kids in her
neighborhood.

"They talk about it all the time at school," said Carlton, a clinical
social worker who has worked with teenagers and a member of the task force.
"I learned from my son's pediatrician that they all know who does it and
who doesn't do it and how much. It's just in the culture of the teenagers.
It's a big topic."

Lynne Johnston is the mother of three children, two of whom have graduated.
She said she was "surprised, overwhelmed and frustrated" with the high
percentage of students who have used drugs such as alcohol and marijuana.
She calls it an epidemic and said she would like to uncover reasons as to
why drugs are so popular among teenagers.

"What are the parental factors that contribute to this, what's going on
with kids and what's going on with the school atmosphere?" said Johnston,
also a clinical social worker and task force member. "We hope the community
will come together and really try to address those problems from a lot of
different angles."

Hammock, a recovering alcoholic who has worked with adult addicts for
almost 20 years, said getting drugs is "like breathing around here." The
kids she comes into contact with use a variety of drugs. She knows some who
buy over-the-counter cold medicines and mix them with alcohol. "When they
mix those things with alcohol, it's extremely powerful," she said.

While adults may consider the problem a major issue, kids aren't likely to
see things the same way, said Rachel McCook, an East Chapel Hill High
senior and student body vice president. At parties she attends, alcohol is
usually present. Marijuana is sometimes present also, but it's not used out
in the open as much as alcohol, she said.

McCook said kids who use alcohol and marijuana view it casually and believe
they have it under control. But she said she has known students who have
had to go to rehabilitation centers to try to recover from addiction.

"I think it's pretty easy to get access to alcohol and marijuana, but I
don't think that a lot of teenagers would consider that a problem," she said.

In November, East conducted a survey on alcohol use at the school. Survey
results showed that the number-one reason students drank alcohol was "the
need to fit in or be cool;" the second reason was because alcohol "feels
good." Students also indicated that living in a university town made
alcohol more available and also made it more difficult to resist.

The community panel will be held April 10, 7 to 9:30 p.m. in the Chapel
Hill High School Hanes Theatre. The panel will feature Hammock and Ruby
Bugg, the drug and alcohol abuse counselor at East; Matt Sullivan, a social
worker with the Chapel Hill Police Department, as well as students who will
share their personal experiences with drug and alcohol abuse.

Johnston said drug abuse is not an easy issue for parents to confront; one
thing she hopes to come out of the panel is that parents will be able to
connect with one another and share resources.

"I think a lot of parents need some clear direction on how to handle this
issue with kids," she said. "Parents can be a lot of support to each other."