Saratoga News

Education

Not all teens are drinking--many just think so

Coalition is working to curb underage drinking

By Michele Leung

Not all teens drink alcohol and party on weekends, but district officials say many young people mistakenly think everyone around them does. District leaders are studying ways to change that flawed perception, which they say encourages teens to get into risky behavior.

A diverse coalition of Los Gatos, Monte Sereno and Saratoga teens, school administrators and community group members is studying how to curb underage drinking, thanks to a three-year $224,000 grant. The Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District was the only school district in the Santa Clara County to receive the grant from the county's Department of Alcohol and Drug Services. The coalition has named itself SHIFT (Safety and Health is First); shifting attitudes is exactly want coalition leaders want to do.

They recently surveyed close to 300 high school students from the district and interviewed students in five focus groups. Coalition leaders found 38 percent of the students said they had attended a party in the past 30 days where alcohol was served. However, 81 percent of those surveyed thought the typical student attended a similar party during the last month where alcohol was available.

"Four out five kids think that everyone else is going to a party. That's not the truth," said L.D. Hirschklau, a program director with the district. "That myth skews what they think is acceptable to do."

Hirschklau said being aware of the misconceptions should help teens realize it's socially acceptable not to participate in underage drinking.

"Nobody says, 'Wow, was I sober this weekend,' " Hirschklau said. "Kids who use alcohol as part of their lifestyle glorify it, and it justifies it for them. The kids that don't partake, maybe they don't think they're cool."

The survey also revealed 56 percent of those who answered the questionnaire said they hadn't had a drink in the last 30 days, but they think only a small minority of their peers (8 percent) similarly abstained. In addition, most of the drinking takes place in small gatherings and not big parties, survey respondents said.

The coalition plans to gather more data. It is looking for environmental changes down the road, such as better training for servers in bars and restaurants and moving where alcohol is placed in grocery stores.

But nothing will occur overnight.

"It took 30 years for the tobacco industry," Hirschklau said.

Saratoga High School freshman Paul Stavropoulos said he is motivated to work with the coalition because the effort will benefit his generation and those that come after him.

"The goal of SHIFT is to stop using drugs at a young age," Paul said. "If you start taking drugs at a young age, you're more likely to stay addicted to them."

According to the survey, 19 percent of the respondents said they were 14 years old when they had their first full drink. This age bracket had the biggest percentage. However, a lot more students (41 percent) said they never had a drink other than a few sips.

"Even though those numbers are disturbing, my peers are leading, overall, a healthy lifestyle," Paul said.

One of the problems Paul sees in the community is the mixed message from adults.

Parents are OK with giving their children permission to drink alcohol at home so they can protect and supervise them, he said.

On the other hand, he also said teens are heeding positive messages.

"In the focus groups, they report using a designated driver, so that does seem to be working," Paul said.

Coalition leaders say it will take the greater community to resolve underage drinking, which they say is a public health issue.

To that end, they will hold a town hall meeting at 7:30 p.m. on May 1 at the PAL Center at Saratoga High School. The town hall meeting will coincide with many other community meetings across the country, where groups will also address underage drinking.

"This is where we will tell the community what's going with our coalition and our hopes for the future, what we've learned and how to go forward," Hirschklau said.

Paul urges residents to pay attention to the work SHIFT is doing.

"If we have people donating some time, their ears and their hearts, listening to the results will make a difference," he said.