Children Drinking

• When teens drink: The warning signs and how parents should react
BY GENEVIEVE BOOKWALTER AND JEFF TOBIN
SENTINEL STAFF WRITERS
Beer. It’s not just for weekends anymore.
Saturday-night drinkers have started bringing their habits to school, another sign that the problem has progressed from a so-called rite of passage to a community problem, parents say.
It’s pretty common, according to San Lorenzo Valley High junior Amanda Torres, 17.
Between making it to classes on time and socializing with friends, "If you walk into a bathroom at SLV you’ll most likely see an empty alcohol container," Torres says.
Torres expresses great affection for her school, saying it has a much more student-friendly environment than the Oakland School District, where she formerly attended.
She stresses that students at the high school are doing the same things as students across the county, and that her school offers help if students have problems.
"I think that they handle it pretty productively here," Torres says of the drinking at SLV. "People don’t get punished. Our school isn’t about punishment. It’s about helping."
Researchers say teenagers have more to lose than control of a car when they frequently turn to the bottle. Like adults, they can lose control of their lives, resulting in alcoholism and depression.
"If you notice changes in your teen’s behavior, take a deep breath and try not to overreact," advises Diane Glass, prevention coordinator for the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention in Reno, Nev. "Becoming overprotective can make things worse. This change in behavior can be a signal to open the door to communication."
The signs to look for, according to the center, include frequent sadness, decreased interest in activities, low energy, low self esteem, extreme sensitivity to rejection, increased irritability and frequent complaints of physical pain.
According to a new study by the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth in Washington, D.C., 20 percent of fifth-graders, 33 percent of 10th-graders and 50 percent of 12th-graders said they occasionally drink.
The center proposes three steps parents should take if they suspect alcoholism or depression brought on by alcohol abuse.
• Create a space where your teen feels safe to share feelings in the open.
• Keep notes of behavior changes.
• Talk about the changes with your teen.
Gerry Anastasia, a Santa Cruz parent of four, anticipates the challenges as his oldest daughter heads to high school next year.
"The one thing I do is make sure I’m a person they can look up to, a person they feel comfortable asking the tough questions — no matter the topic," says Anastasia. "I can’t think of a more crucial time in a person’s life than when they are starting to really develop into adults."
In light of the alcohol-related car crash on Highway 101 near Prunedale earlier this year that killed four Santa Cruz County teens and one 21-year old, Anastasia keeps a closer eye on what his children "are into."
National health experts say that is the best decision a parent can make in this age of increased teen alcohol consumption.
"We have a huge public health crisis in this country with our kids drinking, and as a nation we are in denial," says Jernigan. "The National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine made a simple recommendation — reach out to parents."
Doug Stone of Capitola shares Anastasia’s concern.
Stone says he wants his daughter to finish high school without the specter of drugs and alcohol looming over her, but knows that’s not going to happen.
"She’s only 10 years old and I’m already starting to think about all the possibilities," Stone says. "I don’t understand a culture that allows its children to get drunk. That’s not something I can condone."
Contact Jeff Tobin at jtobin [at] santacruzsentinel.com. Contact Genevieve Bookwalter at gbookwalter [at] santacruzsentinel.com.


Dear Genevieve, and Jeff,

I was very intrigued by the notion of the article. I feel that Children should not be drinking at such a young age. The article touches a strong point about parents being accessible to their children. I feel that if a child is not sheltered from alcohol or drugs then they will become more aware of the issue and know how to handle it when it comes their way. I really appreciate the fact that this article is being broadcasted to parents because it is demonstrating to them method and alternatives to dealing urgent issue. Adolescent Alcohol consumption is becoming a very big problem and has been hitting children at very young ages as stated in the article. So if parents know how to deal with the issue than they can take bigger steps to reducing the problem.