DRUG OF CHOICE: TEEN DRINKING ON THE RISE

I read with great interest the article "Are Cars the New Bars?" in the Aug.
3 Flipside supplement to the Gazette. The author, Ry Rivard, apparently a
student at Braxton County High School, is to be commended for his writing
and for bringing this to our attention.

Mr. Russ Rader, spokesman for the Insurance Highway Safety Institute, was
quoted as saying "What works is sobriety." Indeed, if only it were that
simple. Humans have not been known to practice sobriety for centuries.
Alcohol has been the "drug of choice" since before the time of the ancient
Greeks and Romans, and it remains the drug of choice for current day
American youth.

Accidents are the leading cause of injury and death in our teens with motor
vehicle accidents being responsible for 31 percent of the deaths, with
homicide and suicide being second and third. Thirty-three percent of our
teens report having been riding with a drinking driver in the 30 days prior
to the survey. (Center for Disease Control, 1999 Youth Risk Behavior
Survey.) Alcohol is a major contributor to these deaths. In fact, one study
(NHTSA 1998) showed that over 21 percent of the nearly 8,000 drivers ages
15-20 who were involved in fatal automobile crashes had been drinking and
almost 14 percent were legally intoxicated.

In the United States, 88.3 percent of our youth have used alcohol by the
time they are seniors in high school; 61.7 percent report current use; and
41.6 percent report episodic heavy drinking (CDC). In West Virginia, 81.5
percent have had alcohol by the time they are high school seniors; 48.6
percent report drinking in the last 30 days;, and 35.5 percent report
episodic heavy drinking. An incredible 32 percent report having their first
drinks (more than a few sips) prior to age 13!

The long-term impact of this is severe. People who begin drinking prior to
age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence and more
than twice as likely to develop alcohol abuse than those who delay drinking
to age 21.

Where does it all come from? First look at the home, where adults model
inappropriate behavior through their own drinking. I know one young man,
now 24 years of age, who at age 11 was taught to drink and to fight by his
grandfather. By the time he was 15, he was addicted to cocaine.

Next it comes from merchants who sell alcohol to underage customers, or to
legal age customers who then share it with teens. And finally, the schools
have to bear some responsibility as well. The sad statistic is that 7.3
percent of teens report having consumed alcohol on school property. And an
incredible 27.8 percent report having offered, sold, or been given an
illegal drug on school property.

Given the long-standing use of alcohol over the centuries, I do not look
for sobriety any time soon. But that does not mean we cannot try to do
something about it. To use a phrase from one of my favorite people, Dr.
Margaret Mead, anthropologist, "Never doubt that a small group of dedicated
citizens can change the world. In fact, it's the only thing that ever has."

So let's get to work.