Town Hall addresses underage drinking

BY JULIE MURPHY
STAFF WRITER

It's not OK to go to school drunk. It's not OK to drink in school. It's not OK to get arrested.

Those were the words delivered by Mundelein Police Chief Ray Rose during the second town hall meeting April 25 on underage drinking, sponsored by the Lake County After School Coalition to rank the problem and prioritize solutions.

About 50 people attended the event, held at Carmel High School.

The family-wide affects of addiction were personalized by Sean, a junior at Mundelein High School, and a recovering alcoholic and drug addict at age 17.

"I've been clean for 53 days," Seans said. "I would get friends to take liquor and prescription drugs from their homes. And, then there is over-the-counter stuff. I overdosed on sea sickness pills and Robitussin."

Sean said the short version of the problem is that it is impossible for parents to be with their children 24 hours a day.

As Sean stood before the assembly with his parents, his mother, Mary, described the progression of the relationship with drugs and alcohol as being the same as falling in love. In hindsight, she said the stages were clear, though she missed the signs at the time.

The first stage is attraction and experimentation, she said.

"This happened in seventh and eighth grade," said Mary. "He had his first drink and smoked his first joint."

She said regular use is like dating when those in the thick of it can only see the good qualities. Familiarity and pleasure are also part of the equation.

Mary said Sean went through this stage as a freshman when she found beer cans in his golf bag.

"We thought this was just part of being a teen," she said. "We didn't think too much about it."

Mary likened drug abuse to going steady, because there are symbols of connection: drugs and paraphernalia. She said addiction is like marriage - lifelong.

Mary said all of Sean's friends knew about her son's abuse but his family did not.

"During his sophomore year, we were called to Mundelein High School because Sean was caught drinking vodka from a water bottle at lunch," said his mother. "We were called to pick up our son; he was suspended for three days."

Mary thought Sean learned his lesson and the problem was solved after he went through Omni Youth Services as required by the high school.

But nine months ago Sean snuck out of the house in the middle of the night and was arrested on his first DUI. He called home to have his parents pick him up from the Mundelein Police Department and then entered a more intensive substance abuse program.

Mary said the whole family is affected at this stage. In a symbolic gesture, Sean's grandparents and siblings joined him and his parents at the front of the room.

"Life revolves around it," she said.

Mary said some of the signs of Sean's addiction included his falling grades which dropped from Bs and Cs to Ds and Fs; growing seclusion, and his sleeping between school and dinner. Older siblings also began to become more frustrated with him.

"He spent seven days in an out program," said Mary. "He spent nights in our bed going through sweats. He said, 'Mom, you don't have to do this for me. I don't deserve your love.' It was at this point we realized it was a disease."

Mary said Sean stayed clean for one week before Mundelein High School called again. She said her son overdosed on alcohol and vicodin, threw up on himself and his desk and then passed out during his government class.

Mary said Sean's car keys and bank account were under parental control. Despite that, she said kids are crafty and get what they "need."

"What is being done here is so important," she said. "It can happen to everyone, but we can work to change the statistics."

Julie Murphy can be reached at jmurphy@pioneerlocal.com.