The following opinion was written by a Marin County teen.
At age 5, a friend's father took me to a restaurant where we were left unattended at a table while he drank at the bar. At the age of 6, I ran into the clubhouse of our local tennis club, where I was met by a group of mothers who had indulged in various alcoholic beverages during our tennis lesson. At the age of 7, my soccer tournaments became a social event for parents, often ones where coolers of beer and tent bars were normalized. By the time I turned 8, heavy drinking among the adult figures in my life became an expectation. These exposures to regular drinking are seemingly not impactful for young children, yet it all becomes evident in the trends of underage drinking and substance abuse in Marin adolescents.
Marin County has some of the highest rates of substance use among teenagers in California. In the California Healthy Kids Survey, an anonymous survey of school safety, climate, and student well-being, the percentage of Marin County students who had used one or more substances in the past 30 days was nearly double the state-wide percentage for both the 2021-22 and the 2018-19 school years. Among California teens who drink, 24 percent of middle school students and 47 percent of high school students engaged in binge drinking. According to the California Department of Health Care Access and Information, Emergency Department Visit and Hospitalization Data, in 2021, 1,827 youth aged 17 years and younger were hospitalized due to alcohol-related causes.
Why the grim numbers? Many children and teenagers in Marin grapple with maintaining a well-accepted appearance. The unspoken expectation is that we must do extremely well in school, participate in high-level athletics, and be artistically talented. We are told we need to look a specific way, and we are taught to act in a particular way that upholds our family's and peers' reputations. Often, this curated picture of what a Marin kid should look like puts unnecessary stress and hardship on kids. While feeling distressed, many adolescents turn to substances either as a way to "fit in" or an opportunity to escape the reality of their demanding lives.
Unfortunately, mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, bipolar and eating disorders are evident among the children of Marin, and more often than not, they go unnoticed by adults and other support systems in adolescents' lives. Between the pressures of maintaining an appearance and a lack of involvement from parental figures, substance use is only increasing in underage youth. In 2021, my eighth-grade year, using substances was an exciting topic of discussion, yet it wasn't an expectation any of us would be exploring anything until high school. Now, only three years later, I regularly have conversations with middle schoolers who have repeatedly tried or experimented with alcohol, nicotine, and marijuana. Some sip vodka from water bottles on bus rides home. Other’s carry their vapes on them, concealed during school hours for easy access.
The age at which students take their first sip of alcohol or their first hit of a vape has only been getting younger. This alarming reality isn't being vocalized enough. This normalization of experimenting with different substances is beginning to creep into the lives of young students, and a dependence on drugs is spreading like wildfire. This poses the question, why aren't parents taking more control over their children's actions? For some, there is a lack of awareness or ignorance about the issue. However, for others who do attempt to divert their children from exploring substances, many experience a disconnect. Why should they be told they can't do something that has been demonstrated and normalized by most adults in their lives? There's a lingering idea that drinking or the use of drugs is expected in most aspects of their lives. Marin adults have communicated through their actions that having a drink, hitting a vape, taking an edible, or ingesting a drug is acceptable and a fine option for socializing, de-stressing or coping.
When we as young adults see our parents, role models, or other adults in our lives use substances to cope with daily stressors or create a social environment, it formulates a subtle suggestion. So, when we're struggling with academic stress, social pressures, anxiety, or the myriad of other challenges that come with growing up, it feels almost natural to reach for a vape, drink, or edible. After all, it works for our parents; why can't it work for us? This cyclical pattern of substance misuse passed down from one generation to the next, is a critical factor in the escalating crisis of underage substance abuse in our community.
So, what's the answer? The truth is, there isn't a perfect one, but what is certain is that children's behaviors start within their homes and in their daily environment. Breaking this cycle of generational and cultural excessive substance use requires parents to model responsible behaviors and create an atmosphere of open, honest dialogue. Parents can demonstrate moderation and mindfulness when indulging in substances. It's imperative that social drinking is controlled and responsible. Beyond physical actions, having engaged parents creates a supportive environment where children feel comfortable discussing their thoughts and feelings; this open dialogue becomes crucial for early identification of mental health issues and substance use—parental involvement and strong modeling act as protective factors against problematic social behaviors.
Adults can discuss healthy ways to manage stress and emotions and create safe spaces for open conversations about substances. Questions and learning should be encouraged rather than lecturing or threatening punishment. To minimize youth substance use, parents must reflect on their actions, acknowledge the effect of their behavior, and lead by a better example.