Central Valley Prevention Program on the Fontana Herald News

By ALEJANDRO CANO
Published: Thursday, March 25, 2010 12:24 PM CDT

Although underage drinking is illegal throughout the entire nation, statistics show that people aged 12-20 years drink 11 percent of all alcohol consumed in the country, and more than 90 percent of this alcohol is consumed in the form of binge drinking — an alarming number taking into consideration the high risks associated with this activity.

In order to help reduce this alarming rate by educating teens and parents, the Fontana Mayor’s Youth Advisory Council, in collaboration with the Fontana Community Coalition (FCC), hosted a World Café last Saturday at Jack Bulik Teen Center.

The event’s main speaker was Toren Volkmann, a renowned co-author of the New York Times best-selling book, “From Binge to Blackout: A Mother and son Struggle with Teen Drinking.”

“In many cultures, people see underage drinking as a rite of passage into maturity. Wrongly what we are doing is putting our kids at risk of developing diseases and even dying,” said Volkmann, a recovering alcoholic who for six years experienced the pain of addiction. “As adults, our perception of danger is different than those of teens, thus we should guide them with responsibility ... and that is teaching them what alcohol can do to their systems and lives.”

According to Volkmann, most underage drinkers begin the activity out of curiosity but could quickly develop an addiction if lack of supervision is present — an addiction that might destroy their lives and those of their relatives.

“The problem is that in most households alcohol is present; alcohol is part of our society and is everywhere, and kids are always tempted to try it. Thus, education of parents is the key role in prevention,” added Volkmann, who tried alcohol for the first time at age 12.

During the event, teens and their parents answered a series of questions, including: What can the community do to better focus on the issue? What seed can the community plant for future generations? How can the community support the fight against underage drinking.?

“The community is already fighting the issue by having forums such as this one. The fight is a tough one because we face a government that has special interests and that lacks a wide prevention and intervention alcohol program,” said Volkmann. “Change starts at home.”

In 2007, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found that among high school students, 45 percent drank some alcohol during the past 30 days; 26 percent binge drank; 11 percent drove after drinking alcohol; and 29 percent rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol.

Locally, the issue is a major concern. In 2008, according to a survey of 1,085 Fontana Unified School District employees (teachers, administrators and police officers), 681 indicated that alcohol is a serious problem for local students. The California School Climate Survey was conducted by the California Department of Education.

According to national health reports, underage drinkers are more likely to experience problems at school, such as higher absence and poor or failing grades; social problems, such as fighting and lack of participation in youth activities; legal problems, such as arrests for driving or physically hurting someone while drunk; physical problems, such as hangovers or illnesses; unwanted, unplanned and unprotected sex that could lead to unwanted pregnancy and disease; physical assaults; higher risk of suicide; memory problems; and death from alcohol poisoning.

“The risks are many and are completely not worth it. Kids who start drinking before age 15 are five times more likely to develop alcohol dependence or abuse later in life than a person who began drinking at 21 years of age,” said Volkmann.

For more information on underage drinking, visit cdc.gov, or contact the Mental Health Systems Inc. Central Valley Prevention Program at (909) 423-0312 or visit www.mhsinc.org.

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