How many kids are actually drinking?

A Goldendale Sentinel Editorial

     There are two sides to every story, as the old adage goes. Often there are even three or four. Sometimes five or six. Then there's the truth.
     In the case of teenagers drinking alcohol and using drugs, that last piece seems a bit elusive, though there is certainly no scarcity of opinion.
     You have that of guidance counselors, drug and alcohol experts, school principals, district administrators, superintendents, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers and sisters.
     Everybody has a different idea of how dire the situation is, yet no one seems to have a grasp on the numbers.
     Even the kids themselves don't seem to know what's going on. Some think adults have overestimated the figures while others insist parents are clueless, that practically every teenager is doing drugs.
     One of the problems is that, unlike many topics where handfuls of statistics are readily available, these are highly dependent on a certain contradiction: kids must admit to doing something they've been told not to do. There is an inherent conflict of interest there, even if they've been told it won't count.
     So how many are kids really using? The most recent Healthy Youth Survey showed about 42 percent of high school seniors in Klickitat County reported they were drinking and about 22 percent were using marijuana. The statistics for other drugs go on from there.
     In the end, what really matters? We all can agree that teen drinking and drug abuse is a serious issue and it is imperative it be addressed. Whether it is one student, one hundred, or one thousand, it's too many.
     We've been told many times that early substance abuse causes lifelong effects, yet there is still a laissez-faire attitude at times. Counselors often cite "societal acceptance" as one of the greatest challenges to their work. Why is that?
     In part, perhaps, it is that we forget what it's like to be a teenager. As we grow up and become better able to make proper decisions for ourselves, we forget how much harder that is at 15.
     Maybe we've learned, the hard way or otherwise, when to say no and when enough is enough.      We've gotten to know our own bodies and our limits. It is easy to forget then that these young people are still sorting all of that out and the repercussions, unfortunately, can be irreversible.
     These things are critical to keep in mind when developing attitudes and policies about teen drinking. This coming week, as classes are dismissed for spring break, let's come up with ways to make sure kids are having fun in ways that are healthy and responsible.