Stamford High Hosts Forum on Teen Substance Abuse

A small group of parents, educators, and community members gathered in the auditorium Tuesday evening for a community forum. Principal Dr. Donna Valentine welcomed the crowd and introduced a panel brought together in response to the last week.

Together, the panel provided information on prevention and warning signs. They also debunked some common myths about teens and substance abuse and answered questions from the audience.

Joyce Sixsmith moderated the conversation, chiming in with her own thoughts and experiences between panelists. Sixsmith encouraged audience members from the beginning to think about their own experiences as teenagers and how they could help their own children to do things a little better.

Kathy Steiner, a teacher at , spoke about the teenage brain and the relationship between brain development and substance abuse. Steiner emphasized the fact that brain development continues throughout the teenage years and well into the 20s. The pre-frontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for rational thought, is the last to finish developing. 

Steiner concluded with a metaphor for the role parents can play in helping to set boundaries and keep their teenagers safe.

“Think about going over a beautiful canyon, but without any guardrails, so you’re scared," she said. "As soon as someone puts up guardrails along the side, you know how much space you have—now you can enjoy the beauty, but feel safe and secure."

As James Cooney, a social worker at Stamford High School, took the microphone, he outlined some of the common myths associated with teens and substance abuse, including the idea that scare tactics are effective, that alcohol is less dangerous than other drugs, and that underage drinking is only dangerous when driving is involved.

“I would not want to be a teenager in 2011,” Ed Moran, a social worker at Family Centers began. “Would any of you want to go back?”

Not one hand went up. Moran emphasized the importance of finding the appropriate times to talk with teenagers and find out about their lives, two recommended times being during a family dinner or in the car.

“In the car there’s no spotlight, they’re not looking at you and hopefully you’re not looking at them,” Moran said.

Shari Fanfelli, a therapist at Child Guidance, echoed the importance of open communication.

“Get to know their world and that will build trust,” Fanfelli said. “Get to know the parents [of your child’s friends]. Your teenager may not like it, but it’s so important.”

Barry Halpern, a prevention specialist at Liberation Centers, began with advice and reassurance for parents navigating life with their teenagers.

“If you give young people the guidance they need, I find that’s the best you can do,” Halpern said. “We can’t change anybody — it’s hard enough to change ourselves.”

The final panelist, attorney Matthew Maddax, identified two trends contributing to problems today.

“[Teenagers are] so much more educated in a popular way by the media, our kids talk the talk…they have a grasp on very adult issues,” Maddax said. “And our families are so busy — that creates a vacuum.”

As Sixsmith opened up the floor for questions, many parents took advantage of the opportunity to speak with the expert panel about their own challenges. One question that sparks discussion among panelists involved whether or not parents should share their own teenage experiences with their child.

“It’s a case-by-case situation,” Moran said. “Sharing too much can bring you down to a peer level and it can get complicated…validate their question, make sure they know you’re listening.”

“My bias is to answer the question as simply as possible,” Cooney said. “I came of age in the 70s, it was a generational pharmaceutical experiment — along with that came casualties and when I talk about it, I mention that there were a lot of casualties.”

Valentine closed the evening by stressing that conversations she has had with students have been largely positive — students understand that substance abuse is a serious issue and the majority want to follow the rules and make things better.

Stamford High School plans to host another community forum related to substance abuse later this spring.