Drug & Alcohol Presentation at DHS

Parents of Davis High and junior high children received a sobering presentation in October, on such serious issues as underage drinking, drug and substance abuse and alcohol poisoning. The discussion, sponsored by the Davis High PTA, was led by Michelle Famula, MD, a community physician who is co-chair of the Davis Campus/Community Alcohol and Drug Coalition, director of the UC Davis Cowell Student Health Center and also a DHS parent. The presentation was titled "Reducing Alcohol Risk for Davis Teens and Young Adults - A Plan for Action in Our Community." Famula said drinking and substance abuse "are complex issues and are going to require a multifaceted approach to reach a solution."

Then she delivered some startling statistics on youth drinking. According to the 2000 Health Risk Survey, 65 percent of 11th graders in the Davis Joint Unified School District said they had tried alcohol. More than 40 percent of those 11th graders said they drank alcohol in the past 30 days. In addition, 25 percent had been drunk or sick from alcohol on three or more occasions, the survey found, and 13 percent had done so on school property. "These are a significant number of our kids who have access to alcohol," Famula said. These numbers increase dramatically at the college level, where 75 percent of UCD students reported having drank in the past year, Famula added.

To parallel these numbers, Famula also reported that the Sutter Davis emergency room typically sees four to six alcohol poisoning cases every weekend. "While we would love to talk to our students about what classes they're taking, what institutions of higher study they want to go on to, we're too busy cleaning up after the weekend," Famula said. "We all own this issue... It's a problem for our entire community."

She said that teens and underage college students have four typical methods for accessing alcohol: a parent's personal supply, through a friend, through a stranger outside a store and using fake IDs. She added that "the most common time to party for teens is when the parents are out of town and there's an available home to party in."

Famula also offered the following tips for parents who may think they are witnessing drug or alcohol use in their teens' life. She said the following behaviors can be indicative of a serious problem:

• Withdrawn, depressed, tired or careless about personal grooming;
• Hostile, uncooperative and frequently breaks curfews;
• Relationships with family have deteriorated;
• Has an entirely new group of friends;
• Grades have slipped; and
• Household money has been disappearing.

Famula said parents, teachers, medical professionals and business leaders must work together to effectively combat serious drug and alcohol issues. She added that it is important to deliver a strong and consistent professional message to parents and teens, and target children on the issue while they are in their early adolescence. "We are a community rich in resources," Famula said. "We shouldn't need to beat the bushes. ... We should be able to pull together parents, community leaders, teachers and professionals on this issue."

Reach David Lacy at dlacy@davisenterprise.net