Survey enlightens students, parents on Laguna’s underage drinking

Students filled Laguna Beach High School’s library Thursday night as Orange County Department of Education and Sheriff’s Department officials challenged them to consider the consequences of underage drinking.

Education department program specialist Elke Petras and Sheriff’s Deputy Angela Andrade talked about the toll that heavy drinking takes on the brain and the rates of use for alcohol and other substances.

The event was the second in an annual series focusing on social pressures facing teens. Last year the school hosted a session on prescription drug abuse.

On Thursday, parents and students attended separate 40-minute sessions and then together heard from Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard Lee, who works in the juvenile court division.

Also, Petras revealed results from the California Healthy Kids Survey, a data collection service funded by the California Department of Education, on the use of alcohol, marijuana, cigarettes and electronic cigarettes by Laguna Beach students who were juniors in the 2013-14 school year.

Forty-six percent reported using alcohol in the 30 days leading up to the survey, 30% said they had used marijuana, 27% reported using e-cigarettes and 13% smoked cigarettes, Petras said.

The survey asks students in grades 5, 7, 9 and 11 about safety, violence and harassment, substance use, and physical and mental health.

Laguna’s rates in the four categories were higher than county averages.

“Most of the students [in Laguna] are making healthy choices,” Petras said. “Not everyone is doing it. But this issue is a problem for those who are using.”

Compared to the U.S. numbers, Orange County students reported the least tobacco use, she said.

Andrade reported that alcohol is responsible for more than 4,300 deaths among underage youths in the U.S. each year and that 22% said they had ridden with a driver who had been drinking.

“As a parent, this scares me,” Andrade said. “This is why I’m passionate about the job I have.”

Andrade showed students images of a healthy brain and one plagued by excessive drinking.

MRI scans of heavy drinkers’ brains show the hippocampus, which plays a key role in memory, is 10% smaller than those of their non-drinking peers. Drinking can damage the brain’s nerve tissue, leading to reduced attention span in boys and difficulty comprehending information in girls.

The pictures resonated with junior Ryan Gee.

“Going to college is one of my biggest goals in life,” Gee said, adding that he took to heart Lee’s warning that having a driving-under-the-influence arrest could lessen chances of earning acceptance into a university.

Senior Rachel Garrett said the percentage of Laguna students who drink was higher than that of a school she attended in Los Angeles.

“It’s interesting how many students use alcohol,” Garrett said. “I’m impressed there is not as much tobacco usage.”

Petras challenged students to think about goals, such as attending college, as a motivator to abstain from drinking.