Teens discuss alcohol and drug use

By Carolyn Brewer
George Washington High School

Whether on the silver screen on in real life, teens are no strangers to alcohol and drugs. Twenty-five percent of the alcohol consumed in the U.S. is by people under age 21, according to Joseph Califano, president of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. Also, the 2003-04 National Survey on Drug Use & Health revealed that by age 19, half of all teens will have tried marijuana, with 18 percent having used within a month of the survey.

George Washington junior Ben Agsten has one theory as to why those numbers are so high. “The hype of people talking [about drinking or doing drugs] encourages it,” he said.

Sophomore Katina Nicoloudakis, however, is not bothered by the numbers. She is unconcerned with others who drink or do drugs.

“I don’t care if they do,” she said. “It’s not my business if they want to get wasted.”

Statistics like these raise the issue of parental awareness. Do teens’ parents know that their children are doing drugs?

Tom*, a senior who started drinking and doing drugs during his sophomore year, thinks so. “Parents know but pretend not to know to avoid confrontation,” he said.

“Some parents have some idea, but most have no idea,” said junior Robert Gaum, who moved to West Virginia from South Africa, where the drinking age is only 18. He noted that underage drinking is a bigger problem here than there.

Junior Elise Oliphant feels that teens underestimate their parents’ awareness of their lives. “[Teens] think their parents are stupid,” she said.

Parental involvement is an important tool in keeping teens from drinking and/or doing drugs. The frequency and amount of drinking and drunkenness among teens has been traced back to lack of parental support and communication, according to Focus Adolescent Services. Of course, this lack of interaction isn’t always the fault of the parent.

“Teens always seem proud that they keep [their drinking or drug use] from their parents,” Oliphant said.

The average age that boys begin drinking is 11, according to FAS. For girls, it’s 13. However, of the students interviewed for this article, the girls actually started three to four years before the boys.

Sophomore Susan* started drinking the summer before seventh grade but stopped by eighth grade, only drinking on occasion now. “I don’t really hide it [from my parents], I’m just not open about it,” she said. “It’s like the military policy on gays: they know it’s going on, but no one talks about it.”

Susan said that when she does drink, she takes precautions like staying over at a friend’s house. “My parent’s don’t allow me to drink, but they know it would be difficult to stop me. They trust my judgment and know that I’ll always be safe.”

Lilly* is a junior who started doing drugs and drinking in seventh grade. She hides these behaviors from her parents by not doing them at home and not letting them “affect my sober life.” She hides them from her parents mainly “so they won’t yell at me.”

Tom hides his behavior with “cologne, lies and music to cover up the noise.” He says he has an open relationship with his mother as long as “I don’t do anything stupid and get my homework in.”

However, his dad would be less understanding if he ever found out. “He would flip out and ground me.”

Senior Bernard* began drinking as a junior but says its not a problem for him. “I barely drink, and usually if I do, I don’t get drunk.”

He isn’t bothered, though, by teens who talk about their drinking exploits. “These activities are a part of growing up, so of course, people will talk about it.”

Interestingly, Jacqueline*, a senior who does not drink or use drugs, said that although her friends drink and/or do drugs, their talk is not about oblivious parents. Instead, it’s just the opposite.

“Usually the talk is about hiding it from parents who are quite observant,” she said.

While five of the nine students interviewed for this story do not drink or do drugs, parents should not overlook the severity of the problem. Roughly 83 percent of high school students — that’s more than two million teens — who have ever been drunk are still getting drunk in their senior year.

* name has been changed