Underage drinking issues highlighted at forum
BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer

ALLENTOWN - Underage drinking has become epidemic in New Jersey, with more kids consuming alcohol before they reach high school, according to information provided at the Allentown/Upper Freehold Municipal Alliance to Prevent Alcoholism and Drug Abuse's forum on underage drinking.

Locally, incidents related to the use of alcohol and drugs continue to increase in the community and at Allentown High School. Vice Principal Brian Myslinski said that since the beginning of the school year, six students have undergone drug testing and three of those tests came back positive. He said that last year the school had 10 kids test positive and that four kids tested positive the year before.

Myslinski also reported that students were recently found to have put whiskey in the vitamin shakes served at lunch. He said the students were caught consuming the alcohol in the school's picnic area.

New Jersey State Police Trooper Francis Scott, who also acts as the high school's resource officer, shared other information about underage drinking and its effects on the community.

Scott said an incident involving underage drinking in a Millstone home the previous week resulted in almost $50,000 in theft and damages.

He warned those in attendance at "Start Talking Before They Start Drinking" that "if you think this is going to stop, it certainly is not." However, Scott added, "But I feel [that] with education we can curtail it a bit."

The forum, sponsored by the Allentown/ Upper Freehold Municipal Alliance to Prevent Alcoholism and Drug Abuse's, commonly known as the Drug Alliance, aimed to give parents, educators and other community members information pertaining to underage drinking.

Barbara T. Sprechman, of Prevention First and the Monmouth County Underage Drinking Coalition, said underage drinking has reached epidemic proportions in the state. She said the average age of New Jersey youths getting involved with drinking is 11 years old.

"Kids are drinking to get drunk and not to feel what it's like to have one beer," she said. "Kids are drinking five or more drinks at a time and playing all types of drinking games."

Sprechman outlined the risks of consuming alcohol at a young age and said drinking alcohol could permanently affect brain chemistry, as the brain does not fully form until the ages of 20-25.

"We didn't know that 10 years ago," Sprechman said.

She also reported that adults who first use alcohol before the age of 15 are five times more likely to also report abuse of or dependence on alcohol than adults who first used alcohol at age 21 or older. In addition, she said that approximately 40 percent of individuals who drink before age 15 report having symptoms at some point in their lives that fit a diagnosis of alcohol dependence.

Host liability has become a big issue in Monmouth County, according to Jason Victor, director of the Drug Alliance. He said a number of municipalities has passed a host liability ordinance that stipulate it is illegal for youths under 21 to drink alcohol on private property. Failure to comply with such an ordinance could result in a convicted juvenile receiving a $500 fine, six-month loss of license and six months in jail. He said that he hopes the township will consider such an ordinance.

Sprechman said that hosts who serve alcohol to minors can be brought up on charges. For the first offense, a person convicted of serving alcohol to minors could face up to a $500 fine, six months' loss of his or her driver's license and six months in jail.

Sprechman said that a person who owns a home where alcohol is being served to minors faces the same punishment even if the individual is not aware that the party is going on or that the alcohol is there.

"You can be liable for anything that happens, such as if a child or a person who is drunk leaves your residence and causes a car accident or a fatality," Sprechman said. "There are repercussions, including losing a house or a job and going to jail."

Scott said those who know of activities where underage drinking is going on should report them to the police.

"Folks assume that if they know about it, so do we, and it's absolutely not true," he said, adding that police act on every phone call, even those from people who would like to remain anonymous.

Sprechman said parents should have their children sign a code of conduct that lays out their regulations regarding tobacco, alcohol and drug use.

"Most kids who don't drink say they don't do it because they don't want to disappoint their parents," she said.

Myslinski said he would like to see more parents make sure their kids are involved in doing something good between 2-5 p.m., when kids are most likely to get in trouble.

"Stay as involved as possible," he said. "Surround your children with as many positives as possible. The more positives we have in our lives, the easier it is to push out the negatives. Let's surround these kids with goodness."

Myslinski said the high school has updated its drug/alcohol policy. He said students found with alcohol or drugs or under the influence of alcohol or drugs formerly received on the first offense a five-day out-ofschool suspension (OSS), a two-day in-school suspension (ISS) and three mandated meetings with the school's drug counselor.

He said parents complained about the OSS because they work during the day, so the school changed its first-offense punishments to two days of OSS and five days of ISS. However, students still have to meet with the drug counselor in school.

On second offense, students face a fiveday OSS and a two-day ISS and still have to meet with the student assistance counselor. On the third offense, students receive 10 days of OSS and have to go before the Board of Education for review for out-of-district placement.

In the past, a student's extracurricular activities were not affected if they were caught with or under the influence of alcohol and drugs. However, now the school suspends a student's extracurricular activities for 45 days on the first offense and for 60 days on the second offense.

During readmission into the school regarding any offense, parents are also given the option of signing a waiver to have their children randomly drug tested. Myslinski said the school cannot order treatment or it has to pay for it.

"It's up to parents to follow through on the student assistance counselor's recommendation for treatment," he said.

He said the school also offers books, seminars, support groups and the Lifesavers Club to help prevent underage drinking among its students.

"Still, in 2006 we had a student die in a drunk-driving accident," he said. "The student died one day after we did our drunkdriving program."

Myslinski said the school district is looking into having random drug testing for all students involved in extracurricular activities, as well as exploring the option of drug testing for all students. He said that the high school will appear before the Board of Education in January 2008 with its recommendations regarding random drug testing.

Myslinski told parents to become fluent in their children's lingo and to monitor text messages along with cell phone and Internet use. He also said that a heated conversation could prevent parents from having to take their kids to rehab, pick them up from the police station or bury them.

The Drug Alliance provides resources for students, parents, and members of the community. A fundraiser for the Drug Alliance will be held at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1 at the Allentown Presbyterian Church, featuring the Princeton Garden Statesman Barbershop Chorus.

For more information about the Drug Alliance and its confidential and free services, call (609) 758-7738, ext. 230, or visit www.ufadrugalliance.org.