Survey: Drug, alcohol use not rising in Dist. 220

Alcohol and drug use is not rising among Barrington High School students, and the growing number of students who choose to be drug-free say the biggest reason they made their choice was their parents, according to the recent Illinois Youth Survey Data.

The survey results were discussed by a panel of school and community leaders and BHS students at a Time 2 Talk event at the high school Tuesday evening.

Brenda Nelson, the student assistance plan coordinator at the high school, said parents play a major role in their teens' decision making.

"Parents need to remember that what they say and the standards they set really matter," Nelson said. "It's not one 60-minute conversation, it is 60 one-minute conversations. It's that ongoing dialogue to keep the conversation in the front of the mind."

Judge Christopher Stride, an associate court judge in the 19th Judicial Circuit, spoke about the dangerous drug- and alcohol-related incidents he has seen in his time as a judge and a prosector. He encouraged parents to speak to their children about the awful things that can happen when drugs, alcohol and teenage recklessness mix.

"My hope is that you have the courage to have that conversation, no matter how awkward you might think that conversation is," Stride said. "I don't think there is anything you can't talk about with this generation of kids. Yeah, they are under more pressure than our generation, but they are also a lot smarter than we were."

BHS student Amanda Perkins told the crowd of parents and students that a story her father told her was one of the biggest influences on her decision to be drug- and alcohol-free. One of her father's friends was killed, another suffered brain damage and three others were injured in a drunken driving-related car crash, she said.

"He doesn't want to see me go through the same thing that he had to go through," Perkins said. "That really connected me to the LEADs (Leaders Engaged Against Drugs) advisory council and be a part of it."

Nelson said other good news from the newest survey data was that students' perception of harm from alcohol and drugs is increasing, and the perception of coolness about drinking is declining.