Website allows teens to discuss drugs’ dangers

Kimberley McGee

Friday, Sept. 28, 2001 | 4:26 a.m.

Prom. First kiss. Driver's license. First car.

These are rites of passage for many American teenagers.

But what about the first drink?

In a 1999 study of teen alcohol use conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, half of all students nationwide polled said that they'd consumed more than one drink on more than one occasion within 30 days of the study.

In response to the issue of teen drinking the Clark County School District created HelpZone.org, a website for teens who want to know more about the pitfalls of substance abuse, said Pat Nelson, communications coordinator for the Clark County School District.

The school district took the war on drugs into cyberspace in April with the launch of HelpZone.org.

The youth-oriented site is updated regularly with new information and anti-drug messages from celebrities such as Bill Cosby and the Dixie Chicks.

The website is meant to be a tool to educate teens and their parents about drugs and alcohol, Nelson said. It is also a forum for teens to discuss their problems in chat rooms, find support and offer advice as only other teens can understand.

On the site, the mystique of drinking, getting high and using drugs is stripped down to stark reality: Teens discuss their views and share harrowing accounts of their experience with illegal substances; a long list of liquor and street drugs, such as Ecstasy, state the fatal symptoms that can occur with long- and short-term use.

The website evolved from a grant for substance abuse education in schools provided by Sheldon Adelson, owner of the Venetian, and his wife, Dr. Miriam Adelson, founder and chairperson of the Adelson Clinic for Drug Abuse Treatment and Research in Las Vegas.

Pamphlets and other abuse information texts were created for students from the grant funds.

But there was no clear distribution route, said Joyce Haldeman, executive director of communications and government relations for the school district.

The pamphlets, posters and packets lay stacked neatly in piles in a school district office.

"It's hard to get kids to come to an office and get (substance abuse) information, much less to show themselves," vulnerable and reaching out for help, Haldeman said.

The website seemed a solution to the distribution problem.

Instead of reading about drug and alcohol statistics and facts, teens and parents could easily access the site to learn more specific and detailed information as well as discuss their fears.

In recent months the fledgling website has received input on its chat rooms.

Some recent messages that have been posted include advice on what to do instead of take drugs:

Someone using the name "Raven" suggested "Talk to boys," while "Glitter Girl" offered, "Draw pictures and give them away."

Also from the website, teens gave their opinions on the media's often glamorous portrayal of drugs in advertisements and magazine articles:

A pair calling themselves "Sheila & Ronnie" wrote, "(The media) GLAMORIZE it at 1 x-treme and DESTROY society by x-posing their addictions instead of offering a solution i.e. Robert Downey Jr."

"We've had thousands of hits over the summer without any advertising," Troy Miller, web designer for the CCSD, said.

A school district counselor monitors the site daily and approves each message before it is posted.

"We don't want anyone to ruin what we've made or feel uncomfortable because of jokesters messing around on the site," Miller said.

He polled local teens for their input on design and text.

"They pitched in about what would be easier for them, the message boards, the questions," Miller said. "We went to them because this is for them."

Privacy seemed to be the teens' biggest concern, Miller said.

"They wanted to know it was safe, that they couldn't be tracked," Miller said. "That way they will come."

Cathleen Razon, Valley High School junior class president, was one of the teens approached by Miller and other school district employees last year for her input. She viewed the website and was impressed with the bright colors and easy-to-read design, but not the limited interactive ability.

"I really liked it, but I thought it could have more (chat) rooms," Razon said. Accessible and anonymous chat rooms are important, she said, because, "Some kids may not know where to turn. They can go on (the site) and talk to other people about whatever."

Jay Bungay, Valley High junior class vice president, has surfed the web for information about substance abuse for teens to compare to HelpZone.org.

"This is a lot more interactive than what I've seen before," Bungay said. "There's a lot of information I didn't know about and you can post messages and talk about your problems, or just talk."

The site can open a door for parents to discuss drugs and alcohol consumption with their children as well as educate parents about the signs of substance abuse.

"This gives a lot of suggestions for kids and parents," Bungay said. "It's not just listing information."

Joyce Balaoro, a Valley High senior, viewed the site with her younger brothers.

"I wanted them to know what drugs can do to them," Balaoro said. "It's important they know."

As a youth leader in her church, she talks with other teens who have questions about substance abuse. They are worried about friends, parents and sometimes themselves, Balaoro said.

"I think there are more problems with alcohol today because there are a lot of teenagers who do it," Balaoro said. "It's easy to get ahold of."

And now so is the information and support network that may make that first drink a bit harder to swallow.

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