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By Susan Weidener
April 11, 2004
MERION STATION - A new online alcohol-prevention program is getting freshmen at Episcopal Academy and Radnor High School to think about the impact of drinking.
"There are explanations and multiple reasons given why alcohol is bad for you," said Winnie Liu, 15, a freshman at Episcopal Academy.
The anonymity of the computer, the "did you know" facts, and the interactive exercises are a new spin on an old subject - how to get through to teenagers that alcohol is a potent drug.
Liu and other ninth graders at Episcopal have taken part in a pilot program called AlcoholEdu. Episcopal is one of four high schools in the nation trying out the science-based alcohol-prevention education program developed by Outside The Classroom, Inc., a Newton, Mass., company.
Another is Radnor High School, where freshmen and some athletes in the upper grades are participating. Radnor anticipates its students will have completed the course and follow-up survey by June 1, said teacher John Schulte, who administers the program at Radnor.
Both Radnor and Episcopal Academy got interested after hearing about AlcoholEdu at Villanova University, which requires its freshmen to take the course. Villanova is one of more than 200 colleges using the program; Outside The Classroom hopes to expand its market with a version geared to high school students.
The 90-minute online program is broken into three chapters: alcohol as a drug, the effects on mind and body, and making healthy choices.
In addition to the "did you know" facts, students face questions such as "Which of the following best represents your own attitude about alcohol for people under the age of 21?
Drinking is never okay.
Drinking is okay, but a person should never get drunk.
Occasionally getting drunk is okay, as long as it doesn't interfere with school or other responsibilities.
Occasionally getting drunk is okay, even if it does interfere with school or other responsibilities.
Frequently getting drunk is okay."
Ninth-grade students said they can take a potentially embarrassing subject and personalize it with their own information.
"You can calculate your blood alcohol concentration by entering your weight and height," said Nate Wineland, 16.
Episcopal students took the course a month ago. Last week, they were back in the computer lab for a follow-up survey, about what they remembered and whether it impacted their thinking.
"There is a lot of stuff I learned that I didn't know. Like how much alcohol is in one drink and what it causes," Liu said.
Students said they remembered the course teaching the impact of drinking on an empty stomach and how drinking quickly - or "chugging" as one student put it - differs from "sipping" a drink.
"Alcohol can really affect a teenager's brain because it is developing. I didn't know that," said Rahul Jha, 15.
Megan McFarland, 15, said girls could drink less than most guys because of different body structures and weight.
Individual student responses are kept confidential, and Outside The Classroom generates reports to the schools based on student feedback, such as how the program affected their thinking about alcohol and in what way. The report can provide schools with useful data on student drinking behavior, said Brian Busteed, founder and CEO of the company.
"What we are really trying to do is teach students how to make decisions, rather than tell them what to do," said Busteed, 27, who started the company in 2000, six months after graduating from Duke University.
The program has been endorsed by MADD and costs $3,995 for a high school of about 750 students in grades nine through 12, he said. The pilot is free.
Busteed said AlcoholEdu is a "non-opinionated educational program that takes a more intellectual approach," compared to "scare tactics and the lecture approach."
Anne Ravreby, the nurse at Episcopal who introduced the program, said AlcoholEdu would work with health programs already in place at the private, co-educational school.
"I think drinking is one of the biggest health concerns for the adolescent population. What I have found is that the amount of social pressure these kids are introduced to freshman year sort of sets the course for what direction they go for the remaining four years.
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