RAD Town Hall Today Takes on “Rethinking Alcohol and Drugs”

A small percentage of surprisingly young students from Pasadena’s school district admitted in a survey taken last year to using drugs and alcohol on school property.

The results of that survey and many other topics will be part of a discussion during a town-hall meeting hosted by the RAD (Rethinking Alcohol and Drugs) Coalition Wednesday evening from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The 2014-2015 California Healthy Kids Survey Data for Pasadena Unified School District revealed that five percent of seventh graders admitted to currently using alcohol and drugs on school property.

Seventeen percent of seventh graders have consumed alcohol and/or drugs in the past. Nearly half of all 11th graders made the same claim.

Catalina Gonzalez, Environmental Prevention Coordinator for Day One said the meeting is part of Communities Talk, a three-part series presented to raise awareness about underage drinking and other drug use.

“The purpose is to engage community members, youth and adults, in a discussion about alcohol misuse and abuse among teens,” Gonzalez said.

An Alcohol Opinion Survey conducted by Day One from 2014-2016 questioned over 1,000 Pasadena youth and adults. Those questioned believed that teens most commonly obtained alcohol from friends or family and 75% of teens indicated that it was generally “easy” to get alcohol in Pasadena.

A 17-year old non-drinking student from Marshall Fundamental High School said there is constant pressure to join the party crowd.

“On social media, it’s portrayed as cool; the thing to do,” the student said. Teens realize that being drunk creates a different mental state. It becomes attractive because it offers an alternative to “normal,” which can include feelings of awkwardness and other self-critical thinking.

For this student, the collective voice of peer pressure is not nearly as loud as the voice of reason from within. Some family members had backgrounds that included alcohol and drug abuse.

“It’s what led them to end up in situations and that is somewhere I don’t want to be,” the student said. “I’ve seen with my own eyes where that can lead, so I’m very cautious of my surroundings.”

While teenagers are feeling the pressure, law enforcement said incidents are only occasional.

Lieutenant Vasken Gourdikian, Public Information Officer for the Pasadena Police Department said officers do have the occasional run-in with an underage drinker.

“While we do encounter persons under the age of 21 who do consume alcohol on occasion, it’s not a prevalent or chronic problem that our patrol teams or our officers in the field address on a continual basis,” Gourdikian said.

Gourdikian said Pasadena is unlike other municipalities that are known to have large universities within their jurisdictions. The agencies in those communities respond to calls of that kind with more frequency, he said.

The town-hall meeting will be located at the Villa Parke Community Center Auditorium, 363 E. Villa St., in Pasadena. The event is free and will offer free food, child care, Spanish translation, raffle prizes, a resource fair and free parking.

“Come hear first-hand from local youth advocates about what really goes on in your neighborhood during a typical teen drinking party,” Gonzalez said. There will be information on community prevention efforts to combat violence, sexual assault and driving under the influence.

The RAD Coalition formed in 2012 and declared its mission was to create a healthier San Gabriel Valley by reducing Alcohol and other Drug (AOD) use through education and prevention policy.

Coalition members include Day One, Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County of Education, National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Pacific Clinics – Asian Pacific Family Center and Pasadena Public Health.

Today’s event will be held from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Villa Parke Community Center Auditorium, 363 E. Villa St. For more information contact (626) 600-8-RAD (8723).