Page A4
May 15,2002
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LETTER TO
THE EDITOR
Make a Difference on Teen Drinking
Unless we work together and take
responsibility as parents and concerned
adults to stop the cycle o f teen use and
addiction, we are creating future
generations o f alcohol and drug abusers.
Dispel Mental Health Ignorance
Regarding the article in your May 1 edition, page A5, entitled “Agency
M ergers Helps M ental H ealth C lients,” may I offer some enlightenm ent?
— Barbara Cimaglio, special assistant for
child and adolescent health services
First o f all, on a personal note, I expect to graduate this December, not next
December. O n a quite personal level those who struggle with a m ental
health issue prefer the term “consum er” or even “client.” Your use o f the
term “m ental patient” reflects a B edlam -m entality that intim ates that the
m entally ill should be locked aw ay in hospitals. The caption reads “Grant
is a m ental patient and C oncordia student who is recovering from her d is
ability.” This is unfortunately untrue also. At this point, bipolar affective
disorder is not som ething from which one “gets over.” Learning to func
tion, sustain and live know ledgeably w ith the anticipation o f event reoc
currence is a lifelong challenge.
And last, U nity’s New M ezz Connection is not actually a place o f study,
but a drop-in center for individuals w ith m ental challenges at which I did
an A m eriC orps stint and a practicum (internship) required for my social
work major. The Mezz is open only to Unity clients with referrals from their
case m anagers.
The reason the m erger effects our com m unity is because m any people who
live in the north and northeast com m unity receive m ental health services
from w hat is now U nity N E M ental H ealth at 5432 N. A lbina. T hat is only
one o f several Unity clinics in Portland M etro area that is part o f the merger.
As o f July 1, form er N etw ork and Mt. H ood m ental health agencies w ill
officially m erge to form C ascadia, the m ost com prehensive m ental health
agency in M ultnom ah County. The m erger is expected to increase avail
able services, and consum ers should see an im provem ent in what is o f
fered in services, support and treatm ent, county wide. The director is Leslie
Ford. The main Cascadia num ber is 503-238-0769.
I hope that any and all those requiring additional inform ation will not hesi
tate to call. To dispel ignorance is to ease the transition. Thank you for
allow ing us the forum to do so. Your service to the com m unity is, as al
ways, invaluable.
Rev. Lindsey Morrison Grant
La Casa de Paz, director
The Portland Observer-Oregon’s Oldest Multicultural Publication—is a member of the
National Newspaper Association-Founded in 1885, and The National Advertising Repre
sentative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New York, NY, and The West Coast Black Publishers
Association • Serving Portland and Vancouver.
Barbara Cimaglio
B y B arbara C imaglio
We would never lead our children in
front of a moving car and yet many of us
unknowingly place our youth in harm’s
way everyday.
We do this with our perception that
underage drinking is nothing more than a
harmless rite of passage. We also do this
by thinking that we, as parents and adults,
cannot influence the actions of our teen
agers.
Wrong on both counts!
American teen-agers consume alco
hol more frequently than all other illicit
drugs combined and alcohol is the drug
most likely to be associated with injury or
death.
Underage drinking is at epidemic lev
els in Oregon. More than 43 percent of our
eleventh graders and nearly 25 percent of
our eighth graders are likely to consume
alcohol within the next 30 days.
This activity is not harmless. The
younger the drinkers, the greater the risk
to the development of their brain. They
are also twice as likely to develop alcohol-
related problems, 10 times more likely to
use marijuana and 20 to 30 times more
likely to use tobacco.
In addition to addiction to alcohol,
tobacco and other drugs, we know that
excessive underage drinking can lead to
health problems, poor grades, car crashes,
drowning and other accidents, date rape
and teen pregnancy, criminal activity in
cluding violence, suicide and even death
of oneself and others.
All this is proof that alcohol is not
harmless and cannot be treated casually.
Parents must take the lead in convey
ing accurate information about alcohol
use to their children — this includes set
ting a positive example.
The good news is that our Healthy
Teen Survey told us that parents do make
a difference. In fact, when parents do not
enforce clear rules, Oregon teens said
they are twice as likely to drink alcohol
and do drugs.
Our state research, as well as national
research, indicates that teens are listen
ing to their parents even if they don’t
show it. They want their parents to show
they care and they want their parents to
get involved in their lives.
This means that parents need to take
the responsibility for discussing alcohol
with youth, acting as a role model and
laying down the rules.
The National Center on Addiction and
Substance Abuse at Columbia Univer
sity has a great checklist for parents:
Set rules and expectations and enforce
consequences; eat dinner together; moni
tor TV and Internet use and CD pur
chases; know your child’s friends and
where they go; send clear messages about
alcohol use; discuss negative conse
quences o f drinking; give youth perspec
tive on media messages; don’t show your
children that it takes a drink to relax or
celebrate; don’t accept underage drink
ing as a rite of passage; and when your
child needs help, get treatment — fast.
In Oregon, help is only a toll-free tele
phone call away. Call the Oregon Partner
ship Help Line at 800-923-4357 or the
Youth Help Line at 877-553-TEEN.
Unless we work together and take re
sponsibility as parents and concerned
adults to stop the cycle of teen use and
addiction, we are creating future genera
tions o f alcohol and drug abusers.
Barbara C im aglio is special assis
tant for child and adolescent health
services in the O regon D epartm ent of
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