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Parent searches for answers at countywide town hall meeting

Teen alcohol use a concern for county

Staff reporter

It's every parent's worst nightmare. The sickening telephone call in the middle of the night to say your son has been killed in a car accident — and there was alcohol involved.

"I'm looking for answers," said Mary Beth Bowers of Marion, in opening remarks Thursday evening at a countywide town hall meeting to discuss underage alcohol abuse.

More than 50 people attended the meeting to hear comments and discussion about the age-old problem.

Bowers was a member of a panel to discuss topics pertinent to teen alcohol abuse. She said she was a frustrated parent because she doesn't know how to "get to" teens to impress the dangers of teen drinking.

Bowers and husband Greg recently lost son Stephen in a car accident when a car he was riding in lost control and rolled. Stephen was thrown from the vehicle and died a short time later.

Other members of the panel were Erin Engelken, Eighth Judicial District Court Services; Teresa Walters, Flint Hills Regional Prevention Center; and Jami Lawless, Prairie View.

Eighth Judicial District Chief Judge Mike Powers was the moderator with Linda Ogden, director of Communities in Schools of Marion County, presenting information and introducing the panel.

New knowledge

Recent research indicates the human brain is not fully developed until people are in their early 20s.

The part of the brain that governs emotions matures earlier than the part responsible for planning, self-control, and decision-making.

Extensive alcohol use in teens may result in reduced brain activity and memory loss.

"Teens who wait at least until they are 21 years old will have a less chance of being alcoholics as adults," said Ogden.

Ogden said the county town hall meeting was part of a nationwide awareness campaign to encourage parents to start talking to their teens before the teens start drinking.

Contributing factors

The media plays a major role in teen drinking because of the saturation of advertisements on television, at sporting events and community events, and billboards.

"It's socially acceptable," said Walters. "The main characters on a television show grabs a drink when he walks in the door."

Availability of alcohol also is a factor. Children observe alcohol use by parents and think it's OK.

"We need to change the adult's attitude," said Walters.

It's more difficult these days for youth because both parents are working away from the home and less time is being spent as a family.

"Kids don't feel they have other options," said Lawless. She added that parents don't see alcohol abuse to be as dangerous as other drugs.

Bowers still struggles with why her son was tempted.

"Greg and I don't use alcohol but Stephen's attitude was other parents are giving it to their kids," said Bowers.

She compared underage drinking with the speed limit.

"Some drive over the speed by eight or nine miles per hour and don't get a ticket but the law says the speed limit is 65 mph," said Bowers. Society tends to do the same thing with underage drinking.

Challenges of treatment

A shortage of qualified, trained professionals seems to be one challenge, said Lawless.

Bowers said she would like to get to those adults who provide alcohol to minors.

"Parents need to communicate with their children to fill gaps," said Engelken. Education also is important.

"I have 40 kids on probation who consistently say there is nothing to do," she said.

Advice for parents

Lawless suggested parents know their children's friends.

"Don't wait for a problem," she said.

Bowers said she constantly asks herself, "What did we do wrong? Where did we fail?"

"We're mystified," she added. She related to the commercial where the wife was literally on the husband's back to have a medical test.

"I wished we had done that with Stephen," said Bowers.

Engelken said parents' jobs are not to be their children's friends but to protect and direct.

"Parents and teens should sign a contract regarding rules, chores, and expectations," she said.

"Even good kids make poor decisions," said Lawless. "Knowingly letting kids drink is the same as encouraging unsafe driving."

Drinking until drunk

Walters said research indicates that today's youth don't socially drink but binge drink where large amounts of alcohol are consumed in a short period of time.

Bowers said she asked a friend of Stephen's why he drank. The friend responded he drank to be part of the crowd and he didn't want to be the only sober one.

Questions from the audience

Hillsboro Police Chief Dan Kinning said he has referred many families to Prairie View and wondered how many actually received treatment.

"Nine out of 10 times I'll see teens (and their families) after they're in trouble," said Lawless.

Phil Smith, pastor of Valley United Methodist Church of Marion, said if someone had told him 10 years ago that smoking would be turned around, he wouldn't have believed it. Can this be compared to drinking, he asked?

Marion County Sheriff Lee Becker commented that his department will seek and arrest adults who provide alcohol to minors.

Gordon Mohn, superintendent of USD #410, asked why the media doesn't print names of minors caught for underage drinking? Becker responded information is available to the newspapers for youth 14 years of age and older and it was up to the individual editors to determine whether to print it.

Nancy Pihl of Hillsboro asked what a resident should do regarding illegal drug activity in a neighborhood? Becker said his and other agencies rely on the public coming forward with information. He commended her willingness to report such matters.

Pat Enos, Marion resident and aunt to Stephen Bowers, said parents have to band together and need to know what's going on.

"Our kids need to know that parents are going to show up at parties and activities their children are attending," said Enos.

The law and other dangers

It's simple. Any drinking before the 21st birthday is not only dangerous, but illegal.

The legal blood alcohol content limit for any driver under 21 is 0.00 percent. All 50 states have passed zero tolerance laws that allow police officers to immediately confiscate drivers' licenses of any minors caught driving with a BAC above 0.00 percent.

Anyone — an adult, family member, or even another teen — who provides alcohol to a person under 21 can be charged with "contributing to the delinquency of a minor." If convicted, the person may be sentenced to up to a year in jail.

Property owners also are subject to both criminal charges and civil lawsuits if minors use drugs or alcohol on their property.

Car crashes are the leading cause of death for 15 to 20-year-olds. An average of six young people die in alcohol-related crashes every day.

Drinking alcohol increases the chance that teens will engage in unplanned sexual activity. Teens who drink are less likely to use condoms or other forms of birth control. This can lead to pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV.

Alcohol consumption, by an offender, increases a teen's risk of sexual assault. Alcohol is involved in 90 percent of campus rapes.

Alcohol is reported in 60 percent of fires and burns, and 68 percent of drowning deaths. It also can lead to aggressive behavior, and suicide.

Binge drinking and alcohol poisoning

While adults usually drink alcohol to socialize, most teens drink to get "hammered." Nearly 20 percent of 12 to 20-year-olds report binge drinking.

According to experts, if a male has five or more drinks in a row and a female has four, they can be classified as binge drinkers.

It takes the body two hours to process the alcohol contained in one drink whether it is wine, beer, liquor, wine coolers, hard cider, or a malt beverage.

Alcohol poisoning is a severe elevation of the BAC which may lead to coma and death, resulting from consumption of large amounts of alcohol.

Everyone has a different tolerance to alcohol. What is relatively safe for one person can be lethal for another. Some people have died after drinking the same amount of alcohol as their friends who survived.

A young person who has consumed five or more drinks at one sitting can die by gagging on his or her own vomit, or by passing out and lapsing into a coma.

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