GETTING HIGH IS WAY OF LIFE FOR TOO MANY
MEMO} TEENS SAY BOREDOM AND CURIOUSITY OFTEN LEAD TO DRUGS, ALCOHOL AND CRIME.
LAST OF A 5-PART SERIES.Every morning for more than two years, Don walked out to his car and drank a couple of cans of beer before showering and going to school.
During school, he and his friends skipped a class or two each day and took a drive up the canyon - where they would drink a couple more beers, smoke some marijuana, pop a painkiller or two and return to school."School bored me," said Don, now a year out of school, married and a parent. "Getting high was my way of making school fun."
After school Don either went to work or to a party. On days he worked the partying began after his shift. Some nights Don and his friends climbed on a railroad bridge where they would lie drunk alongside the tracks as speeding freight trains passed within a few feet of them.
Don always kept a cooler full of beer in the back seat of his car. When driving, he was usually drunk and seldom obeyed traffic laws.
"It's amazing that I never got a DUI. It's even more amazing that I didn't kill myself or someone else," he said.
Don arrived home most nights around midnight, where he slept until his daily routine began again the next morning in the driveway with a couple of beers.
"From the first thing in the morning 'til the last thing at night, it was a constant party for me, every day," he said. "If I wasn't sleeping or working, I was partying."
Scott was on a different trip during high school. Almost nightly he ventured to neighboring cities and broke into cars and homes. He sold the items he had stolen to classmates at bargain prices. He didn't stop until he got caught shortly after graduation and spent some time in jail.
"I made money at it, but I did it because it was fun," Scott said. "The excitement of getting away with things is what kept me going."
Most teens aren't like Don and Scott. The problems they face are nothing more than relationship difficulties with peers and family - the same problems experienced by all age groups.
"Most kids go through school and do well," said Victoria Anderson, a licensed psychologist and director of student services for Alpine School District. "They adjust, they grow up and they learn to adapt."
However, statistics show a significant portion of teens do have problems like Don and Scott's. According to the Utah Division of Substance Abuse, about 16 percent of Utah County teens regularly use alcohol. More than 25 percent of local teens have consumed alcohol at least once. About 12 percent of local students use tobacco regularly, and about 5 percent use controlled drugs regularly. More than 4 percent of local adolescents smoke marijuana.
A State Office of Education survey shows about 16 percent of teens are sexually active. About 20 percent of teens are considered at-risk students. According to Utah Department of Health reports, more than 500 Utah County teens give birth each year. About 200 of those teenage mothers are unwed.
Orem Police detective Terry Taylor said more than half of all burglaries and thefts are committed by juveniles. More than 60 percent of all drug offenses involve juveniles.
Referrals to 4th District Juvenile Court have more than doubled in the past 10 years. In 1992, almost 6,000 juveniles were referred to Juvenile Court.
"We handle more cases per probation officer than any other office in the state," he said.
Experts and teens say drugs, alcohol, tobacco and crime are readily available for anyone looking for them. Many of those who participate in crime and who use illegal substances say they do so because of boredom.
"There are lots of teens smoking and drinking and taking drugs because nobody has anything else better to do," said Brian, a student at Pleasant Grove High School.
Other teens, however, say plenty of activities are available for anyone willing to become involved. Boredom is just an excuse used by those who choose crime, drugs and alcohol over an activity that takes more effort, they say.
"They just want the easy way out," said Troy, a senior who participates in football, wrestling and track at Orem High School. "It doesn't take much effort to get high."
Don said curiosity got him started on drugs and alcohol. He later became hooked and used drugs and alcohol to escape from pressure and responsibility.
"I heard (using drugs and alcohol) was fun," he said. "After using it for a while I felt indestructible and more relaxed around people."
At the end of his senior year, however, Don realized he was heading for a bleak future. He checked into a private hospital for substance abuse treatment for three months and hasn't used drugs or alcohol since.
"I still have some friends who are in the same old mode, but now they hang out at bars instead of school," he said. "I look at them and it scares me to see what I could have become."
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(Chart)
Teenage drug use in 1989
Drug Utah County Statewide
Alcohol 16% 22%
Tobacco 12% 13%
Pain Medication 11% 8%
Marijuana 4% 6%
Inhalants 5% 4%
Amphetamines 5% 4%
Tranquilizers 3% 2%
LSD 2% 2%
Cocaine 1% 2%
Source: Utah Division of Substance Abuse