Teen drinking continues at Blair

Where only first names appear, names have been changed to protect the source.

Friday at Blair is coming up again, and for many students that doesn't just mean the chance to relax for two days. Hundreds of Blazers, from all income and academic levels, will be drinking during the upcoming weekend.

In an informal poll of 100 Blazers conducted on the week of December 1, 63% of students said that they had used alcohol for recreational purposes before. This is by no means unique among high schools around the nation.

Monitoring the Future (MTF) is an annual national survey of 50,000 secondary school students regarding drug use. In 2002, 20% of eight graders, 35% of tenth graders, and 49% of twelfth graders reported to MTF that they drank alcohol at least once in the 30 days before the survey. According to the 2002 Maryland Adolescent Survey (MAS) about 44% of Maryland high seniors reported drinking in the previous 30 days. Also, 20% of tenth and 30% of twelfth grade students reported going on a drinking binge of five or more drinks at least once in the last two weeks.

Even though this data show a slight drop in teen drinking over the last several years, some alarming trends are still present. According to the MAS report, drinking rates still increase at consistent rates from grade to grade as students get older, and many students believe that drinking is fine with their peers.

"I first tasted alcohol when I was ten or eleven. It was one of those things where the kid is curious and the parents will let you have a sip of their wine," says Ann, a junior. "I first got really drunk like at the beginning of sophomore year."

Ann now drinks "usually every weekend' with a large group of Blair students. "In high school, there will usually be at least one party every weekend, and that means alcohol. Its hard to find a party to go to where there aren't drunk people," she says.

Alcohol is, of course, illegal for anyone under 21 to buy or consume, but it is remarkably easy for most high school students to obtain. According to MTF, 95% of seniors believe that they have "easy access" to alcohol. "People will get together once Friday rolls around, buy alcohol from older people, and get drunk," explains Ann.

Many Blazers attempt to moderate their drinking, and many seem to view it as a harmless social, or sometimes even family, activity. "My parents are cool with it, and they're with me when I do it," says Mark, a freshman who drinks beer and wine regularly with his family. "I guess I've developed a small tolerance to it, but my dad's cool with it as long as I do it responsibly."

According to most of the students surveyed at Blair, alcohol is viewed as cheap, easy to buy, and except for the occasional hangover, relatively risk free. However, there are often far more serious consequences to weekend binge drinking.

"I view it as serious, particularly when the outcome, and often the purpose, is to become intoxicated," says Patti Meyer, an assistant with MTF. "Of course, long term addiction is a distinct risk from alcohol use, and those who start using earlier are more likely to succumb. Some of the most serious long-term consequences from alcohol use by teenagers are likely to be injuries caused to self and others while under the influence."

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) automobile accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers and young adults. Of teenagers surveyed in a CDC study, one-third said that they had driven with someone they knew was drunk, and one-sixth admitted that they had driven drunk.

Not just fun and games

"If you're under 21, don't drink," says Officer Derek Baliles, spokesman for the Montgomery County Police Department. "We're looking for people who are buying it, looking for people who are selling it, and we'll find them."

Officer Baliles describes the procedure MCPD uses when someone calls their 24-hour party busting hotline and alcohol enforcement officers find teens drinking. "If we come to a party, everyone just puts down their beer. We'll put everyone in a room, test them one by one, and we'll call your parents," he says. "No matter who your parents are, no matter where they are, we'll find them. A drinking citation is not just something you put in your pocket and sneak back into the house with."

While the consequences for possessing alcohol under 21 include a mandatory court appointment and a $500 fine, there are even more severe consequences for driving drunk. "Getting locked up for drunk driving under 18 could mean that you'll lose your license and not get it back until you're 21. We're not even talking about the fact that you might hurt yourself or one of your friends, or destroy the vehicle," Baliles says.

According to Baliles, MCPD is also engaging in an aggressive program to police and cite liquor stores that sell to underage buyers. With the new Cops in Shops initiative, which puts plainclothes officers in shops, "you won't know if the guy behind the counter is an officer or a clerk." Police are also conducting surveillance of parking lots around liquor stores, to catch people who buy alcohol for underage friends or relatives.

Plenty of Blazers have already felt the consequences of underage drinking. "The first time I got drunk – a little too drunk – I somehow fell down and put my hand trough two [basement] windows," James, a senior, remembers about a large party. "By the morning it was fine and my parents never knew. I paid the guy $80 and a stolen metal flask, because I couldn't afford to pay for it all."

"I've gotten suspended for being intoxicated on school grounds," Ann confesses. "Before the first football game I went tailgating and drank way too much." She and a large group of Blair students arrived at the football game already severely intoxicated. "I ended up blacking out and throwing up all over the place. My friends had to take care of me the entire night. I thought I had gotten away with it come Monday morning, but apparently a teacher had seen me and told."

Ann has a theory about why drinking is so popular among high school students. "In my opinion, alcohol has that certain reputation among teenagers. High-schoolers will hear about a party, and if there's alcohol there, they'll come. If there isn't any, then the party doesn't even sound worth it," she says.

However, not all Blazers drink, and a great many abstain totally. Junior Nathan Barrymore doesn't think that he needs alcohol to have fun. "It's just not something I have any desire to do," he says. "Some of my friends do, and it doesn't bother me as long as they don't hurt themselves. But I just don't want to."

Junior Tanu Suri has strong reasons for just saying no. "I don't drink because I'm afraid of doing something stupid if I get drunk," she says. "Anything can happen. You're not in your correct state of mind, and you just cannot make the right decisions."