Alcohol and Drug Use Rises Among MHS Students

Youth Survey Shows Some Decline at the Hommocks

by Joan R. Simon

(November 2, 2006) Results from the Communities That Care (CTC) Youth Survey given to Hommocks and Mamaroneck High School students last April were shared with an audience of several hundred high school, middle school and elementary parents at the Hommocks auditorium on November 2nd. The sobering news was that despite some downturns among middle school students, the overall trend in Mamaroneck is an increase in alcohol and drug use.

The same survey given in 2002 showed Mamaroneck students overall used more alcohol than the national average. (See: Mamaroneck Teen Drinking Way Above Average But on the Way Down). Four years later, survey results indicate MHS students continuing to drink not only more than the national average, but more than they did four years ago. Nearly 76% of seniors said they had drunk alcohol within 30 days of the survey, compared with 50% four years ago. The national average in 2005 was 48.6%.

In addition, the use of cocaine and prescription tranquilizers and pain killers has begun to creep up in the high school, with 5% of seniors saying they had used cocaine. School officials believe the number to be even higher now, six months after the survey was conducted in April. In the 2002 survey, no student reported using any of the three groups of drugs. Marijuana use locally has also increased, from 22% to 38% for seniors and from 25% to 31% for sophomores, compared with a small decline nationally from 21.5% to 19.8%.

The news on alcohol use at the Hommocks was more encouraging, with 7th graders reducing their drinking from 18.8% to 10%, and 8th graders increasing only slightly from 25% to 27%, though well above the national rate of 17% (there are no national statistics for the 7th grade). Hommocks Principal Seth Weitzman described the jump between 10% usage by 7th graders and 27% by 8th graders as a "developmental trend," and encouraged parents "to have a discussion with your child" early on. In addition, use of both marijuana and inhalants are on the rise, with the biggest increase in the 8th grade, where 5.9% of the students are using inhalants, compared with 1.8% in 2002.

Binge Drinking/High While at School

There was more disturbing news about high schoolers who abuse alcohol: 44% of sophomores and 55.2% of seniors said they had binged (had 5 or more drinks in a row) during the two weeks prior to the survey.

Among seniors, 35.2% had been drunk or high in school sometime within the past year (6.1% said the number of times was 40 or more.) In October, faculty members were briefed on the survey results, and according to high school social worker Helene Fremder, “they were very eager to figure out what they can do to help with this issue.” Already this year there have been 13 suspensions, a marked increase over previous years, with police patrolling off-campus as well as school hangouts frequented by high school students. Ms. Fremder explained that a student found intoxicated during school hours, regardless of whether he/she is on school grounds, is subject to suspension.

Risk and Protective Factors

Part of the survey focused on the risk and protective factors in the community. Protective factors are conditions that buffer youth from exposure to risk of alcohol and drug use. The survey pointed to school involvement and family support and attachment as the strongest protective factors in Larchmont-Mamaroneck community.

Risk factors are conditions that increase the likelihood that a young person will become involved in drug and alcohol use. The survey showed that the biggest risk factors in Mamaroneck, when compared with comparable communities nationwide, are poor family supervision, peer rewards for antisocial behavior, and lax parental attitudes toward alcohol and drugs.

“Be very careful about the message” you give your children, noted Ms. Fremder, referencing the dramatic correlation shown between the way teens perceive their parents’ attitude toward drinking and actual alcohol consumption (see chart below). “It is never too late – or too soon to establish rules and open communication with teenagers.”

What is Being Done to Combat Alcohol and Drug Use?

Many programs are in place already, including the 5th grade DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program and health classes in the 6th and 7th grades. There are also groups led by guidance counselors for all three middle school grades and the Peer Leader Program through which high school students mentor 7th graders. In addition, the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Community Counseling Center (LMCCC) offers a Life Skills Program for 6th and 7th graders and advocacy groups for 8th graders.

At the high school, health classes include extensive drug and alcohol education, as well as presentations by Mike Nerney, an expert on the impact of drugs and alcohol on the brain. RADAR (Responsible Action: A Drug and Alcohol Resource), a school-based alcohol and drug prevention group, currently sponsors social events at Harbor Island, a parenting newsletter, and an alcohol tip hotline (381-6103), coordinated with police in the tri-municipalities. Within the community, LMCCC offers individual and family counseling in addition to the middle school programs.

Where Do We Go From Here?

“We’re all in this together,” said Ms. Fremder, “and the only way this is going to work is if we work together.” Officials from all three municipalities, as well as police officers and teachers, guidance counselors and other school staff attended the meeting and spoke in support of community wide efforts to combat the problem. Mark Levy, Director of the LMCCC, stressed the “need to firm up the fabric” of the community and "change the norms in the community -- what's okay and what is not okay."

LMCCC will be offering a program called “Staying Connected with your Teen," which Ms. Fremder said would help parents learn "how to speak in a way your kids will understand.” Parents were encouraged to sign-up for the program, which is part of a multi-year federal grant to help combat drug and alcohol use and to strengthen the protective factors with the community (see: RADAR Gets $500K* to Combat Teen Alcohol & Drug Use). Another initiative funded by the grant will be a campaign in the spring entitled, “Parents Who Host, Lose the Most.”

Parent Response

The response from the audience reflected an eagerness to find solutions to the growing problems of alcohol and drug use among teenagers. The first questions concerned closing the high school campus (it is currently an open campus) and Superintendent Paul Fried encouraged parents to contact the administration and PTA leaders with their suggestions. In response to a query about the effectiveness of the athletic code of conduct, Director of Athletics Bari Suman said that the current code was being reevaluated and Dr. Fried agreed that it "doesn't have enough teeth in it."

The police were asked why they didn’t patrol areas of known alcohol use. Ms. Fremder pointed out that in fact the large number of school suspensions this fall were due to increased police surveillance. Detective Bob Reynolds from the Town of Mamoroneck police also noted that much of the alcohol consumption happened within homes when parents were away. Larchmont Mayor Liz Feld tapped into a strong sentiment in the audience when she pointed out that the kids themselves said in the survey that they are not being adequately supervised. She suggested parents “take a hard look in the mirror at what we’re doing.”

In conclustion, Dr. Levy stressed how difficult adolescence is, for teenagers and parents alike. “The gas pedal is going on forward, but the brake – the frontal cortex of the brain – isn’t fully developed until the 20s," he cautioned.

How Accurate is the Survey?

The survey was given to a random selection of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders and to the entire 10th and 12th grade classes at the high school. Each question was asked (in a different way) three times and any inconsistencies in the answers invalidated the entire questionnaire. In addition, students were asked about usage of a fabricated (made-up?) drug and any positive responses disqualified all the survey answers. As a result of these checks, the test has a margin of error of 2.5%.

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