NORWAY – One out of every three kids in Maine reports coming from a family where alcohol or drugs are a problem.

That’s according to Bill Lowenstein, who presented the latest data on youth drug and alcohol use Friday at a seminar at Stephens Memorial Hospital.

“We have a lot more data than we ever did,” said Lowenstein, who is associate director of state Office of Substance Abuse. In February, the 2004 Maine Youth Drug and Alcohol Use Survey was given to more than 75,000 students in grades 6 to 12 statewide.

In Oxford County, where about 6,000 students were polled, the use of inhalants and smokeless tobacco is significantly higher than elsewhere in the state, he said.

He said 14 percent of Oxford County youths reported using inhalants at least once in their life. Inhalants include such chemicals as gasoline, glue or any kind of aerosol spray or chemical that uses a propellant. What’s just as disturbing, said Lowenstein, is that 5.2 percent of students reported using inhalants within the last 30 days.

“It’s really scary, because inhalant use can kill anyone the first time that they use it,” Lowenstein said. “It poisons a person. Their body goes into respiratory arrest,” he said.

Bingeing on alcohol

Parents need to take the blinders off when it comes to their children and substance abuse, he said.

“The cabinet under the sink is a medicine cabinet for these kids,” he said.

Alcohol abuse is another area where the numbers may surprise parents, he said. Only 47 percent of Oxford County students said they had never used alcohol; 22 percent said they had drunk alcohol at least 10 times in their life. Nearly 15 percent of students admitted to binge-drinking in the two weeks before they filled out the survey; of that total, 3.3 percent of them were sixth-graders.

By the 12th grade, that percentage grows to 25 percent. Statewide, that number is 30 percent.

“It’s hard for me to believe that three out of 10 kids are binge-drinking and nobody knows that,” he said. Referring to parents, he said, “Personally, I think they do. The question is, what do we choose to do about it?”

Lowenstein said kids report that they don’t have much problem getting any kind of drug they want, be it alcohol, marijuana or prescription drugs. It’s not just the marginal kids who use alcohol and drugs, he said.

“These are the kids who look real good. They’re the honor students, the cheerleaders, the football players,” Lowenstein said.

He said part of the problem is an attitude among adults that “their kids are going to drink anyway, so let’s make sure they drink safely.” Parents’ attitudes about preventing kids from drinking have changed, he said. “They want to prevent the tragedy, but not the use.”

Lowenstein said, “If we’re really looking at what we need to change, there’s a whole lot of hard work that needs to be done.”

About 50 people attended the seminar, which was designed for professionals who may encounter youths’ drug and alcohol abuse, such as teachers, guidance counselors, medical people, law enforcement personnel and clergy.