Mesa Prevention Alliance event offers youth ideas to live 'above the influence'

Posted: Tuesday, April 16, 2013 6:00 am | Updated: 7:37 pm, Wed Apr 17, 2013.

Mesa Prevention Alliance event offers youth ideas to live 'above the influence' By Michelle Reese,

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With as many as 35 percent of Mesa eighth graders

admitting to at least trying alcohol, the Mesa Prevention

Alliance is planning an event this weekend to show them

there’s another lifestyle to choose.

“Live Above the Influence” is a nationwide drug- and alcohol-

use prevention theme that the alliance has also adopted for

its 4/20 event Saturday at Mesa’s Amazing Jake’s. The first

300 visitors ages 13 to 18 will receive an all-day pass for

free. Anyone that age who arrives after the tickets are given

away will be offered a discounted $17.99 daylong pass.

This marks the fourth year the Mesa Prevention Alliance has

put on a April 20 event to take the day away from the

unofficial “holiday” often claimed by marijuana users, the

alliance states.

“We don’t want it to look like we’re celebrating 4/20. We want

to offer an alternative for that day. How can we get them

involved in something that is positive?” said alliance

executive director Karen Frias-Long. To that effort, the

alliance also invites groups like the Walk a Mile in My Shoes,

Safe Home Place and various recreation centers who give

youth ideas about where they can get involved.

The problem, she said, is that youth are “inundated” with

mixed messages.

“If you have one of hour of education with them, the rest of

the day they’re inundated with social media, the news,

music, mixed messaging,” she said. “Our youth are starting

to take their first sip of alcohol at just under 12 years of age.

What we want to do, what we’re trying to do, a lot of it is to

educate adults about what’s going on. I think a lot of parents

Mesa Prevention Alliance event

Youth share what keeps them "above the influence" and away

from drugs and alcohol during last year's 4/20 event hosted by

the Mesa Prevention Alliance. This year, the alliance is hosting

its event at Mesa's Amazing Jakes.

don’t realize how young they’re starting to drink. We look

at alcohol as the gateway drug that opens the door to

marijuana and the synthetic drugs. We’re just trying to

say, 'This is what’s going on; this is what we’re seeing.'"

Every two years, students in eighth, 10th and 12th

grades are asked about substance use in the Arizona

Youth Survey. According to the most recent one – 2012 –

there was a 5 percent drop in the number of eighth

graders who said they have used or tried alcohol, from

40 percent to 35 percent.

In fact, across the board, many of the statistics dipped,

even a bit, Frias-Long said. But one statistic went up that

alarmed her.

More high school seniors said they receive alcohol from

the adults they know, she said.

“That went up almost 5 percent from 2010 to 2012. This

is what the youth are telling us. That increase is with

adults, family members, giving them alcohol,” she said.

She believes there is a belief by parents that “kids are

going to drink anyway” and they fear drinking and driving

so they think, “I’d rather them drink at home as opposed

to being out drinking. Of course our biggest fear is for

them to be in an accident or hurt someone else.”

“The problem is you’re giving them the green light to

drink and they’re doing it elsewhere. … There you go

again with the mixed messaging. You tell them not to do

it, but then it’s OK to do it in the home,” she said.

Saturday's event will be held 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at

Amazing Jakes, 1830 E. Baseline Road, Mesa. The first

300 youth ages 13 to 18 will be admitted free; a

discounted full-day pass will be available the rest of the

day to youth that age for $17.99.

Parents with questions or concerns can reach the

alliance at (480) 768-6036 or

mesapreventionalliance.org.

Contact writer: (480) 898-6549 or

mreese@evtrib.com

Arizona Youth Survey

Percent of eighth graders who said they have

used alcohol

2010 40%

2012 35%

Percent of youth in 2012 who have said they

have used alcohol in the last 30 days

Eighth graders 15.6%

12th graders 36.5%

Percent of youth in 2012 who said they have

used marijuana in the last 30 days

Eighth graders 8.3%

12th graders 18.8%

Percent of youth in 2012 who said they have

tried synthetic drugs

Eighth graders 4.5%

12th graders 4.6%

Source: Mesa Prevention Alliance

Above the Influence event

When: 10 a.m. Saturday

Where: Amazing Jakes, 1830 E. Baseline Road,

Mesa

Who: The first 300 youth ages 13 to 18 will be

given free all-day passes. A discounted rate of

$17.99 will be available to youth ages 13 to 18

after all the free passes have been distributed.