At parties there is always somebody who is drinking, smoking or doing drugs. I usually ask them why and they say the party is boring and it’s the only way to have fun. I never tried drinking or drugs, but I know it’s not for me. So what needs to change so teenagers will be convinced they can have fun without getting trashed?

We would need a fundamental change in our approach to what have become cultural "norms." We have gradually slipped into a state of apathy and resignation that teen curiosity triggers experimentation with chemicals, that it’s inevitable, even "normal." But what fuels the fires of teen curiosity? Alcohol is the biggest problem and the best example. Why would teens think alcohol is anything other than the greatest thing on the planet when everywhere they look they see slick advertising that shows drinking as fun, cool, sexy and mature; when they watch huge events with drunken youth at exotic locales on MTV, or when they see adults model excessive drinking. Teens are simply jumping on the bandwagon of demand that’s rolled right up to their doors. Until our "adult" population deals with its own chemical appetite, the adult demand for substances will continue to spawn succeeding generations who follow in their footsteps. What needs to change? Education. Prevention. Adults. Activism. Perhaps the youth of our nation needs to say to the baby-boomer generation that spoke out on Vietnam, "we demand better than this, our generation sees the wastefulness of human potential from using substances, we want a healthier culture for ourselves and our little brothers and sisters." Perhaps then we will see a climate in which teenagers can be convinced then can enjoy life without getting wasted.

Daniel K. Duncan, LCSW
Director of Community Services
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse
St. Louis Area
314-962-3456

As experienced workers and experts in the field of substance abuse prevention, we know the early years of adolescence are often the most confusing. As the adolescent moves away from the protected world of childhood toward a new and independent way of life, they can easily find themselves lost between two worlds. As they pass erratically back and forth between these two worlds they belong to neither and their behavior is often inconsistent and unpredictable. One problem is that adolescents want to participate in adult behaviors. An adolescent desiring to do adult things is not necessarily a bad thing. They are exploring all the possibilities and adventures of young adulthood: sexual self, career goals, personal values, a sense of confidence or doubt, etc. They are also looking to other adults for information and experience. Sadly, most of our youth’s recreational tendencies are garnered from what they perceive to be adult and fun. Alcohol is one of those tendencies. They may also witness adults abusing other substances and this too can be perceived as fun. Since drinking or using drugs in the "adult" thing to do and it’s "fun", some adolescents will require drinking as part of their recreational activity. What needs to change? Adults must show adolescents that there are alternatives to substance and alcohol abuse in the party setting. Then we must replace the adolescent’s need for alcohol as recreation, giving them alternative activities. This can be accomplished with training and careful planning.

Rev. Robert E. Buckner, Sr.
"Friends With A Better Plan"
Community Action Program
314-361-2371

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