Coalition to focus on environment to lower incidences of alcohol
abuse
A handful of employees from the County of San Benito Behavioral
Health Department substance abuse program held a kickoff meeting
last week that will get community members involved in changing teen
alcohol consumption.
Coalition to focus on environment to lower incidences of alcohol abuse
A handful of employees from the County of San Benito Behavioral Health Department substance abuse program held a kickoff meeting last week that will get community members involved in changing teen alcohol consumption.
The program is called “Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol,” and one of the key components is to set up a coalition that will include substance abuse staff as well as members of the community to change attitudes and perceptions about teen drinking, as well as limiting access to alcohol.
“It’s not just us doing the work,” said Renee Hankla, the county’s substance abuse supervisor. “It is empowering community members to take ownership. We need to get more youth involved. It’s not about us.”
The San Benito County Office of Education staff received a three-year grant in 2008 to reduce teen alcohol use in the county, and they partnered with the Behavioral Health Department to implement a program.
Every two years, the state of California conducts a survey of students in fifth, seventh, ninth and eleventh grade to find out about drug and alcohol attitudes and behavior. More than 2,000 students were surveyed in San Benito County.
The results for the most recent study, which came out in 2007, found that 66 percent of high school students reported having consumed alcohol in the last year.
More troubling, officials note, is that 40 percent of students at traditional schools said they had consumed alcohol in the last month and 70 percent of students at alternative high schools did so. The state average was 41 percent (see box for more statistics.)
“We are here because obviously we have a problem,” Hankla said.
For the last year, the staff has been working directly with students in the classroom.
Megan Brown, a substance abuse counselor, said the school program uses a mock trial to make the point that alcohol can be dangerous.
“We teach a different kind of curriculum,” she said. “The kids do all the research in a case of someone with an alcohol-related offense, such as drunk driving or fetal alcohol syndrome. The kids have to present their findings to a jury.”
In addition, staff members are working closely with seven students from San Andreas Continuation High School who are at high-risk. Part of the program is to get kids involved in community service to increase their leadership skills.
In gearing up for the launch of the coalition, substance abuse staff made contact with more than 200 community members and interviewed them about their perception or experience with teen alcohol abuse in San Benito County. The people interviewed included many segments of the population from nonprofit directors to church members to political officials to those working with recovery programs.
At the meeting a handful of representatives from different segments of the population showed up to learn more about CMCA. Some of those in attendance included Diane Ortiz, of the Hollister Youth Alliance; Victor Gomez, a Hollister city councilman; and Mary Anne Hughes, of Community Pantry.
“I want to gather information to get involved,” Gomez said. “I grew up on the west side of town and I have a lot of neighbors who are in jail or hooked on drugs. Alcohol has a lot to do with it.”
Ortiz, of HYA, said her program offers after school programs, outreach and counseling to youth.
“A lot of the issues we see have to do with alcohol,” she said. “I am interested in prevention and in ways to reach out to the community.”
Though many of the community members present focused on the root cause of alcohol consumption in the community – family issues, absent parents, boredom – Hankla stressed that CMCA focuses on environmental factors that can be changed, such as access to alcohol.
“This is an evidence-based prevention program,” said John Bustamante, a substance abuse counselor. “We can change policy in the community.”
The staff are looking at current policies that are already in place such as checking ID before selling alcohol and how effectively they are enforced, and are looking at other policies that could be implemented, such as banning billboards that promote alcohol consumption.
Hankla also mentioned rewarding responsible merchants who do check ID and refuse to sell to minors. The staff has ideas on how to teach parents about their responsibility as host of a party, through a mock house party.
“Positive change doesn’t happen overnight,” Hankla said. “But we are in it for the long haul.”
The coalition will meet at least once a month, and the staff said they would like to get more community members involved. Those interested in getting involved can call the substance abuse staff at 636-4020 or e-mail
rh*****@sb***.org
.
Healthy Kids results 2007
Students who drank alcohol in the last month
70 percent – SBC alternative schools
40 percent – SBC traditional schools
41 percent – CA average
Students who drank alcohol nearly every day
11 percent – SBC alternative schools
1 percent – SBC traditional schools
2 percent – CA average
Students who have been drunk or become sick from drinking alcohol
74 percent – SBC alternative schools
40 percent – SBC traditional schools
41 percent – CA average
Students who have been drunk or sick from drinking alcohol more than seven times
28 percent – SBC alternative schools
10 percent – SBC traditional schools
12 percent – CA average
Students who binge drank in the last month (defined as more than 4 drinks for females and 5 drinks for males)
60 percent – SBC alternative schools
22 percent – SBC traditional schools
21 percent – CA average
Countywide:
66 percent of students drank alcohol in the last year
20 percent think drinking alcohol is harmless
40 percent have friends who approve of them drinking
