Substance Abuse Prevention Program Targets Bloomfield Hills Athletes

Officials with the Bloomfield Hills Schools athletic programs and the Birmingham-Bloomfield Community Coalition (BBCC) will embark on a new strategy to try and curb alcohol and drug use this year by focusing on athletes as student leaders.

The process begins Tuesday night with a special event called Understanding Your Code of Conduct at Lahser High School at 7 p.m. Patch Blogger John Ceicko III, who serves as Lahser's head athletic trainer, and project coordinator for the BBCC's Preventing Student Alcohol Abuse Among Athletes (PS4A), will present the district's athletic code of conduct, and offer information on the harmful affects of drugs and alcohol on the brain.

Ciecko said that every student knows about and signs the code, but generally, don't read it or fully understand it's purpose. He said he hopes that changes, and that athletes can become models for other students when it comes to staying away from harmful substances.

"Our hope is  . . . that presenting the code of conduct to the students will put forth the expectations and consequences so that students will make better decisions, especially with drugs and alcohol," he said.

"I didn't know" will no longer be an excuse when it comes to the code, or on the specific effects drugs and alcohol can have on athletic performance, which Ciecko researches and writes about  as part of his field.

Organizers will also take feedback from the event and make recommendations to improve the current standards.

Meeting a need

The idea for the project stemmed from the BBCC's Youth Action Board, which recognized that the group never specifically targeted district athletes, BBCC Executive Director Carol Mastroianni said.

About 70 percent of students participate in one or two sports, and organizers said they believe athletes are generally school and community leaders.

"If we can reach those leaders with education of prevention, we hope they will help carry that message to other students and social norms for alcohol in the high school setting will change," Ciecko said.

The project is grant funded, and could become a model for use in other schools inside and outside the district, Mastroianni envisions. With BHS high school students merging to the new Bloomfield Hills High School next fall, and Ciecko's presence in the district, she said now is the time to get this project moving.

"Having someone with John’s background and who is the athlete trainer
in one of our targeted schools is absolutely ideal," she said. "John understands high school athletics, is respected in his field and has a passion for keeping our youth safe and substance free."

Read more of John's blogs on related topics:

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• Athletics and Alcohol