I know that Summer was here just a minute ago.  Now it seems that when I look for it, it’s cleverly disguising itself as Fall, and it’s time to get ready to go back to school!

For some, “back to school” means putting on shoes for the first time in months.  For others, it means brand-new pencils, notebooks, and a firm resolution (again) not to wait till the last minute to complete those assignments.  For many, it means stepping out into the world, to a new dorm room, new friends and challenges, new experiences and new decisions.

Prevention should be a part of all this preparation. Most parents and caregivers are really serious about being sure immunizations are current, and that kids have had a fairly recent physical and dental checkup.  They want to know kids can see and hear well enough to receive the information they’re being taught.  But the one factor that contributes most significantly to failure in the form of injury, illness and death—substance use—is rarely considered when we talk about “getting ready for school”.  

Twenty years of surveys in the Cortland County school districts consistently tell us that by 6^th grade, a few kids are experimenting with alcohol, tobacco and marijuana.  By 8^th grade, use of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana are noticeably above the state averages for same-grade kids.  And the age of first use, reported by our Cortland County children, gets lower by grade level.  Today’s 7-8^th graders are starting younger than today’s 11-12^th graders did, according to the most recent county-wide survey.

It’s not just alcohol, cigarettes and marijuana that our kids are reporting having used in the last 30 days…chewing tobacco and over-the-counter and prescription drug use have officially hit the radar screens in Cortland County, starting in 7^th and 8^th grade.

Our Cortland County kids also are reporting that the most frequent source of alcohol is “someone I know age 21 and older” and the most frequent location of use is “someone else’s home”.  Not in school, not in alleyways, not in bars.

I suppose we can take some comfort in figuring, “It had to happen sooner or later”, and “Well, other localities are no doubt having the same problems.”  What would happen, though, if we decided to hold our communities and our families to a little higher standard?  What would happen if, just for a while, “good enough” ---- was not acceptable?

Just as it takes a village to raise a child, so it takes the collective efforts of members of the entire community to say—and mean—“Not in my backyard; not on my watch.”, when it comes to providing youth with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana or other drugs; and it takes a community commitment to excellence to push the age of first use up to a healthier number.

If you want to find ways to protect young people in your home, your neighbors’ homes and in the entire county, stop by 29 Central Avenue, call 7V CASA at 756-8970 and ask to speak with Executive Director Joan Stivers or Associate Director Kim McRae Friedman.  Our website—www.7vcasa.org-- is currently under renovation, but we still receive e-mail sent to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 Joan Stivers is the Executive Director of 7Valleys Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse.