Early Drinking Could Lead to Alcoholism

Vodka-soaked tampons and sandals that have a small canteen and bottle opener in them—these are just some of the ways teens are using alcohol before they are legally allowed to do so. These and other facts came fast and furious from presenters at the program entitled “Not In My Town” spearheaded by the

Heidi Brotzman of Morris County Prevention is Key opened the program by presenting a list of statistics to the approximately 50 attendees. For example:

• Children who try alcohol by age 15 are seven times more likely to become an alcoholic later in life
• Traffic crashes are the leading killer of teenagers, and about half of them are alcohol-related
• Marijuana is the most commonly abused illegal drug by teenagers
• There are more than 400 chemicals in marijuana, which stay in the body for a few weeks
• More than 40 percent of high school seniors have admitted to trying heroin, and they don’t believe there is any risk in trying it

And, according to Skip McLaughlin, the director of New Life Recovery Center in West Milford, the onset of marijuana use seems, in his estimation, to be in about sixth or seventh grade, an age that has gone lower and lower over the 25 years since he has been in the field of substance abuse and awareness.

“We know the teenage years are a tough time, but under no circumstances should parents mistake drug use for normal adolescent behavior,” McLaughlin said. “It’s not.”

Brotzman outlined several of the current trends she’s seen in her experience with teenagers, including the aforementioned vodka soaked tampons, which girls insert vaginally and boys insert rectally. A tampon can hold about 1.5 shots of vodka.

“Kids seem to think that if they don’t ingest the vodka by mouth, it won’t show up on a Breathalyzer. That’s not true, because the breathalyzer measures blood alcohol content, and no matter how it gets into the body, the alcohol is in the blood,” she said.

Children are also ingesting salvia, a common garden plant. According to Brotzman, they crush the leaves and roll them into a joint, or extract the juices and vaporize them.

Reef, a popular name in flip-flop sandals, makes a model that contains a bottle opener on the underside of the foot and has a small canteen that can hold liquid and be screwed shut. Brotzman said that many teens are using these sandals to carry alcohol around with them.

McLaughlin described some of the symptoms of possible heroin use to the audience. They include:

• A pin-like look to the eyes
• Nodding off during waking hours
• Drooling
• Droopy face
• Change in voice inflection

Jefferson Township police Officer Joe Hale was on hand to discuss his role as the student resource officer at the high school.

“I’m always around to talk to the kids about what is going on. I’m there to help them,” Hale said. “I’m also available to help parents. You can call me, and you don’t even have to give your name. I’ll help you in any way I can.”

Finally, Joanne Martino, the student assistance counselor, discussed the school’s drug policy.

The school will send a student out for drug testing under a number of circumstances, including suspicion by a teacher or another student. The complete policy can be found on the school web site.

Before a question-and-answer period, Joseph Kraemer, superintendent of schools, spoke more about the school’s drug policy and what the school is trying to do to help students avoid alcohol and drugs.

“The one thing I want to emphasize is how strict we are on testing the kids when there is any suspicion,” Kraemer said. “Sometimes parents get upset with us about this, but I will never back down from this policy. I’d rather apologize to a parent for incorrect suspicions than have to attend a student’s wake.”