A higher percentage of Illinois middle and high school students drink alcohol than their counterparts nationwide, according to findings by a drug prevention organization released this week.

According to a study by Prevention First, 29 percent of Illinois eighth-graders admitted drinking alcohol in the past month when surveyed in 2006, compared to 17 percent nationwide.

Illinois high school students also drank more than the national average, with 42.6 percent of sophomores drinking compared to 33 percent nationally, and 52 percent of seniors compared to 45 percent nationwide.

Prevention First, which held a board meeting Tuesday in Oak Brook, is the Illinois affiliate of Partnership for a Drug Free America, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing illicit drug use.

One reason for the increase of alcohol use among young teens and high school students is a lack of parental diligence, said Tari Marshall, director of communications for the Illinois chapter.
“Parents need to be more diligent, and not be the pals of their kids. And when they smell alcohol on their friends’ breaths, they need to call those friends’ parents, and make sure they have a safe way to get home,” she said.

Marshall said parents need to know once is not enough when talking to their children about alcohol and drug abuse.

“What the study shows is kids whose parents talk to them regularly about drug use, not just once or twice but in an ongoing conversation, those kids are 50 percent less likely to use a substance of any kind,” she said.