Teen Drinking Discussion Raises Awareness

Officials from District 220 and The Barrington Area Drug Prevention Coalition met for a panel discussion called Strong Parents=Strong Youth on Tuesday night, focusing on the dangers of, and strategies for dealing with underage drinking.

“The Barrington Area Drug Prevention Coalition is a coalition between government, school systems, parents, social service organizations and the community, with the goal of addressing underage drinking,” said Frank Wagner, a Barrington Psychotherapist and member of The Barrington Area Drug Prevention Coalition.

Among more widely known issues associated with teen drinking, such as bad judgment and impaired behavior, Wagner pointed out another issue.  “The earlier someone begins drinking, the more likely they are to begin problem drinking, and the less likely they are to finish college and be the successful children we want them to be,” he said.

The crowd attending was a relatively small, but focused audience of what seemed to be mostly parents with a small turnout of teenaged students.

The young people were engaged even before the event began. Wearing goggles, which simulated the effects of drinking four beers or two glasses of wine, they were challenged to walk a straight line of leaflets placed on the floor.  None were completely successful, but the attempts were not only humorous but also illuminating.

Teen attendee Brock Workman donned the goggles and slowly and carefully followed the straight line set out for him.  There was occasional course adjustment, complete with outstretched arms to regain balance.  “You go in and you don’t think it’s going to be as bad as it looks. But everything starts to get distorted,” he observed.  “It makes you second guess about how you think about it.”

The program for the evening included Barrington 220 Superintendent, Dr. Tom Leonard who presented statistics from 6-12 grade students who were polled every two years regarding alcohol.  Results included that students over estimated the number of drinkers among their classmates and that most underaged drinkers either steal alcohol from their parents or are given liquor with the parent’s permission.

Dr. William Watson, the Medical Director of Trauma Services at Advocate Condell, shared harrowing information, presenting photos of wrecked cars and the medical disasters associated with the teen-aged drivers of the vehicles.  “All she did was make one mistake,” he said as he showed the wreckage of a BMW bought as a graduation gift.  “It only takes one mistake.”

Watson also discussed the development of the pre-frontal cortex, the area that governs decision-making, which is not fully developed until around 25-years-old. “Parents should be the prefrontal cortex until then,” he advised.

Also on the panel were Dr. Heather Hale, who spoke on, The Child, Adolescent, Underage Drinking and Mental Health; Judge Christopher Stride, 19th Judicial Circuit Court on Legal Risks Related to Hosting Parties; Jerry Libit, Barrington Chief of Police on Local Perspective on Underage Drinking; BHS Students Tara Martino, Kyle Kennicott, and Erika Pauley on Student Stories on Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle; Sue Randall with a Barrington 220 Parent- Parent Perspective and Gabrielle Johnson, Counselor & Life Coach with Barrington Youth and Family Services (BYFS).

“We’re trying to raise awareness, not only of the level of teen drinking that we are aware of in our school district, but also the implications of what  that might be for parents,” said Jeff  Arnett, Communications Officer for the School District. “And how parents and the school district can work together to try to prevent students from abusing substances like alcohol and drugs.”