Drugs and Alcohol - Dirty Little Secrets

[MysterE]

Good evening CD,

I was having a conversation with a former member today and something came up that - while not shocking - did cause me to think long and hard about how I handle certain things on my team. Very often, because the students that are part of the team compete well and with gracious professionalism, I like to believe that their lives outside of the team are as innocent as they seem while at the build site.

Unfortunately, this is not always true.

While I will not say that I have a rampant problem of drug and alcohol use on my team, I also know that it would be ludicrous to believe that it does not exist at all. Further, I can list specific people and instances where I know that at least one has been in use by my high schoolers.

I think in large part many coaches attempt to turn a blind eye to these things. Because of the trust my students put in me as a coach, I am often privy to discussions about their lives that they would not bring to others. I hear of everything from relationship problems to family issues and for the most part, I believe my job is to create a safe space for students to learn and to grow in all areas of their lives.

How then, do you think that the issues of drug and alcohol abuse should be handled? Again, this is not something that is done on trips or while present with the team - it is something that happens when they go home, with their friends. My deepest concern is that some of these kids - who are often the best and brightest might simply cut their dreams short - because after all both drinking and drug use are illegal activities. One arrest could mean the loss of a scholarship and the destruction of a student's future.

Thoughts?

[Jon Stratis]

Yes, getting in trouble for drug/alcohol use while underage is bad... but using underage is also pretty bad, and can easily lead to even bigger problems. The last thing any of us want to see is one of our students spiral out of control and wind up hurting themselves or others because of drug or alcohol use.

It's important for all of us to look at the schools we work with and understand their policies and procedures for these types of situations. I'm no expert on the law, but I doubt much is going to happen from a legal/police standpoint if you say "I heard so-and-so talking, and I think they were drinking last friday night" - that may depend on exactly what the law is where you live. Rather, I think you could probably take that to officials at the school and use it to leverage the student into getting help. It's a serious enough issue, I think, to warrant a discussion with the school officials so you can fully understand what would happen if you were to report suspected activity.

Personally, I hope I'm never put in that position... I know we foster a relaxed, safe atmosphere at our meetings, and the students are generally very open about things, but I've never heard even a hint of alcohol or drug use with any of my students. But it's a private catholic school, so that may not be too surprising.

[T^2]

Originally Posted by Jon Stratis

I've never heard even a hint of alcohol or drug use with any of my students.

Your students are doing a pretty good job of keeping their mouths shut, then.


To the OP: What exactly is the point of your post? You're not providing very many details, and you seem to have come in with a horribly biased point of view.

[Michael Hill]

Originally Posted by T^2

Your students are doing a pretty good job of keeping their mouths shut, then.


To the OP: What exactly is the point of your post? You're not providing very many details, and you seem to have come in with a horribly biased point of view.

I don't think he meant to come off as biased or anything, just wanting to know what an FRC coach's responsibilities are when issues like this come up, and it can vary team to team depending on policies already in place either by the team or the school the team is associated with. This is one area I believe having teachers on the team are super beneficial. They deal with this kind of stuff all the time, and as we know, in general, "engineers aren't good at dealing with people." A lot of coaches tend to turn a blind eye because they don't want it to be their "fault" if a student gets in trouble.

[Monochron]

I was trying to figure out what my thoughts on this are, but I honestly think I may still be too close to the college culture of drinking. In my high school and college years the fact that someone was into drinking or did (relatively mundane) drugs tended to have very little to do with their success in school or in life later. What mattered had more to do with the amount they drank/used, the frequency, and if they developed an addiction or had the kind of personality that might fall victim to an addictive lifestyle. Determining if drugs or alcohol are going to have a negative effect on someone's life can be very hard to judge unless you know the person very well.

That said, alcohol in particular is treated in a very unhealthy way in American culture. While high school students of other countries have much more access to alcohol, typically the cultural pressures around it are much less "you can't drink often so you better get drunk". Catching those unhealthy tendencies and showing students healthy ways to treat alcohol is, I think, a very useful thing for adults to do.

[bkahl]

Alcohol is a drug.

[The other Gabe]

Originally Posted by bkahl

Alcohol is a drug.

so is caffeine. "drugs" are generally treated differently by law (IE being entirely illegal except in a few states), while alcohol is legal once a person turns 21, or under religious rules, or with parental permission on personal property.

[RoboChair]

Originally Posted by The other Gabe

so is caffeine. "drugs" are generally treated differently by law (IE being entirely illegal except in a few states), while alcohol is legal once a person turns 21, or under religious rules, or with parental permission on personal property.

Dang, you beat me by one post. But I would say instead that caffeine is an addictive drug. Also the drinking age in the USA is 18 at the federal level, but is 21 at the state level because all the states want their tax money for road work.

[Munchskull]

All opinions with in this post are my personal opinions and are independent of the my team.

As a student I have seen other students* get into trouble with substances such as alcohol and other illegal drugs. It is my personal belief that if a student confides with a mentor about issues pertaining to drugs and alcohol, a mentor should work with the student to create a safe environment to get help. That said I also understand the risk a team can get into if issues arise with their school(s) and/or sponsoring organization(s).

I can only speak to what is know of my area from both rumor (which I take with a grain of salt) and policies which i have personally read. That said I know that my team is treated like a sports team in terms of a zero tolerance for substances.

What I am try to say here is that I personally believe that mentors should try to help students who come to them with substance problems in a way that gets students the help they need with out damaging the students future potential. At the same time they should try to keep the team as a whole in mind.




*(none have been associated with our team)

[bkahl]

Originally Posted by The other Gabe

so is caffeine. "drugs" are generally treated differently by law (IE being entirely illegal except in a few states), while alcohol is legal once a person turns 21, or under religious rules, or with parental permission on personal property.

Correct, but Alcohol is a depressant, a drug that greatly inhibits the body function. There's a reason it has a surgeon general's warning on every container.

I really don't want to get into a debate in a thread that has already been derailed. While controversial, the OP brought to question a very important topic. For the most part it has been ignored and turned into a Health Class argument.

[The other Gabe]

Originally Posted by bkahl

Correct, but Alcohol is a depressant, a drug that greatly inhibits the body function. There's a reason it has a surgeon general's warning on every container.

I really don't want to get into a debate in a thread that has already been derailed. While controversial, the OP brought to question a very important topic. For the most part it has been ignored and turned into a Health Class argument.

And meth and Nicotine are stimulants, yet still classified as drugs

Back on track: In most circumstances I could not, in all good conscience, get a kid in trouble for confiding in me about drinking or doing drugs or whatever. (s)He obviously trusts me if they're telling me about it, and I shouldn't break that trust, especially if it's a case of "there was alcohol at a party and I kinda got pressured into having some after I was curious as to what it tasted like." That being said, there are times when it would need to be addressed in some form. if a kid is addicted, action needs to be taken, and how they're dealing with that addiction may play a part in that (someone who comes to a teacher knowing they have a problem vs someone openly bragging about sneaking beer to an FRC event). This is an opinion coming from a student(ish, graduated this year) perspective

Originally Posted by Sean Raia

Either way, US drug policy needs a massive overhaul and I think we're starting to see that. The best cure for addiction and reckless behavior is love and kindness, not ham-fisted rules and lectures.

\End hippy-activist rant.

agreed

[Monochron]

Originally Posted by The other Gabe

In most circumstances I could not, in all good conscience, get a kid in trouble for confiding in me about drinking or doing drugs or whatever. (s)He obviously trusts me if they're telling me about it, and I shouldn't break that trust

Just for the sake of the question, would you be prepared to face legal consequences for not reporting it?

[techhelpbb]

Drinking alcohol is a tricky issue for minors, the law is not quite cut and dry:
http://blogs.findlaw.com/law_and_lif...h-parents.html

Schools might have additional obligations that create penalties.

[The other Gabe]

Originally Posted by Monochron

Just for the sake of the question, would you be prepared to face legal consequences for not reporting it?

that is a tough question. I'm not sure

[orangemoore]

Originally Posted by Monochron

Just for the sake of the question, would you be prepared to face legal consequences for not reporting it?

What kind of legal consequences are you thinking of?