Monte Vista HS Students Pledge to 'Live to Celebrate' Without Alcohol, Drugs

Members of the East County Youth Coalition held an alcohol awareness rally Friday at Monte Vista High School to encourage teens to sign a pledge for a healthy and sober lifestyle.

 “I think this rally can make a difference. We just want to give everyone the facts and get everyone thinking about the choices they make,” Coalition member Ashlyn Thomas said at the event.

 The main goal for Coalition members is to show their peers that substance abuse isn’t “cool” and won’t make you popular. Additionally, they want their peers to realize there are many risks involved with substance abuse and that there are laws in place to prevent underage drinking.

Underage drinking is a problem in East County.

From 2006 to 2008, 650 East County minors (age 20 and younger) were admitted to local emergency rooms for binge drinking or for being injured or overdosing on alcohol while binge drinking, according to San Diego County’s Health and Human Services Agency.

Thomas said Coalition members are focusing on preventative measures when it comes to substance abuse by educating students about alcohol laws, such as social host laws that are intended to help students steer clear of house parties (where underage drinking often occurs). Members are also educating students about DUIs, overdoses and other serious drug and alcohol-related problems.

In San Diego County, 144 minors age 20 and younger died with alcohol in their system from 2006-2011, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office. Fifteen of these deaths were East County youth.

“We’re reading facts like this every five minutes during the rally to really raise awareness. Kids don’t think you can die from this stuff. They don’t think it can happen to them. But it can. So this is about making the right choices now,” Thomas said.

The lunchtime rally was held in the Monte Vista quad, where students signed a large poster pledging not to use alcohol or marijuana.  Each student who signed the pledge received a blue ribbon to tie around his or her wrist to spread the message throughout campus. Students also participated in a flash mob, as well as a lyric contest to discourage students from using alcohol and marijuana.

Thomas said she has heard of students at her school who use alcohol. National and local student surveys provide an example of just how prevalent alcohol is in teens’ lives.

According to the 2011 Monitoring of the Future Survey, 35 percent of American teens reported using alcohol in the past month.

Half of local 11th graders surveyed in East County say alcohol is “very easy” to obtain, according to the 2008-2010 California Healthy Kids Survey. So, as graduation and the summer season approach, it may not be a problem for teens to find alcohol.

Thomas said house parties are common for teens, both during breaks and throughout the year. She said kids at school will post on Facebook about parties or invite other kids by word-of-mouth.

“Sometimes, a party may have several hosts and that’s when it gets crazy. So many people show up who are friends of friends and things get out of hand,” Thomas said.

What some students don’t realize is that there are social host laws in place to discourage underage drinking at house parties. Adults and minors who provide minors a place to drink run the risk of fines, community service, or even jail time.

Social host or “house party” laws have been on the books throughout most of San Diego County for nearly a decade.

The laws ensure that even if the individual who purchased the alcohol can’t be found, those who host parties can be held accountable.

House parties and parents’ liquor cabinets are where many teens get their alcohol, Thomas said. Half of the 15-year-olds in California who drink alcohol say they drink at home or at a friend’s house according to the California Department of Alcohol Drug Programs.

Thomas said she has heard of kids who have gotten into accidents, gotten alcohol poisoning or have gotten into undesirable situations because of substance-abuse.

“This is real and you have to be careful. A lot of people just don’t know the risks,” Thomas said.

Throughout the week leading up to the rally, students decorated the campus with large posters with alcohol and marijuana-related facts and pictures showing the dangers of teen drinking. They also put up blue and gold-colored ribbons to remind students of the rally and that drugs and alcohol are something teens are constantly faced with.

“I feel like kids will actually think about things before they do it. The students at Monte Vista are honest with themselves and I think the rally and the pledge will really prevent them from drinking,” Thomas said.