April is Alcohol Awareness Month. Every farmer, rural resident, and/or roadside service or cleanup crew is well aware of the evidence of alcohol and drug use. It's obvious in the littering of bottles, cans and needles in the ditches and side roads. Co-op linemen, our police and paramedics are well aware of the consequences of alcohol and drug abuse. They see the damage done to poles, trees, farmland, cars and human bodies.

As adults we often find it more convenient to look the other way. We deny that our youths' illegal use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs is attacking their wellness of mind and body, as well as their futures.

We once thought that raising our families in the rural areas of our state would safeguard them from the ills of urban life where the drug culture was prevalent. Now, statistics show that there is more illegal alcohol use among youth in rural areas than in urban communities.

The 2000 Illinois Youth Study on Substance Use reports that alcohol is the drug of choice among Illinois youth and rural youth use alcohol at a higher rate than urban youth.

Young people who begin drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21. Youngsters may become alcoholic in six months to three years, versus the 10 to 15 year pattern for adults. An estimated 20 to 30 percent of teenage drinkers are potential or complete alcoholics.

More than one-third of America's alcoholics (3.3 million) are under the legal drinking age. And underage drinking is a factor in nearly half of all teen automobile crashes.

What can you do? YOU can make a difference!

Kids whose parents or grandparents teach them about the dangers of drugs are 36 percent less likely to smoke marijuana, 50 percent less likely to use inhalants, 56 percent less likely to use cocaine and 65 percent less likely to use LSD.

Take action. Educate not only your child, but yourself and the community. Impose limits and consequences. Encourage retailers and pharmacists to monitor and set limits surrounding the sale of over-the-counter medication.

NETWORK! Find other people who are interested in prevention with whom you can discuss the issues and then develop viable solutions.

Supervise teens closely enough to prevent exposure to substance use promotion (whether personal or via commercial media), and make alcohol, tobacco and other drugs difficult for teens to get.

We can become "respondable" as responsible people in our rural communities to the needs of our young people by "care" frontation, not confrontation. This means we listen to our youth without enabling or accusing them, but by caring and letting them know that we're "taking our heads out of the sand" in order to do something to help them make a difference in their lives. It takes courage to accept this challenge. Do not look away when actions threaten to jeopardize a drug-free environment for our youth — our future.

For more information: Illinois Drug Education Alliance (IDEA) www.bestofidea.com (800) 252-8951, Illinois Church Action on Alcohol & Addition Problems www.ilcaaap.org (217) 546-6871, Operation Snowball and Illinois Teen Institute www.os-iti.org (217) 528-7335, Prevention First www.prevention.org (800) 252-8951, InTouch Program - Illinois Network to Organize the Understanding of Community Health (contact Prevention First for local provider), Educating Voices Inc. www.educatingvoices.com (630) 420-9493, and Pray For the Children www.prayforthechildren.net (630) 420-9493.

Source: The Illinois Drug Education Alliance (IDEA), a statewide volunteer group. Other sources include Illinois Youth Study on Substance Use, CASA No Place to Hide, Elks and Prevention Forum.

Kay Horsch of Dewey is on the board of directors of Eastern lllini Electric Co-op, IDEA and Dewey State Bank. She is also a Prevention Volunteer and a retired junior high school teacher.

The opinions and views of guest commentators are their own and may not represent those of the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives or the electric co-ops of Illinois.

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