COLERAIN TOWNSHIP — Eighteen-year-old Laura Ferrarelli stood before a crowd of 600 students at Colerain High School Friday and told them she tried to commit suicide three times because of her drinking problem.

        She told them she began drinking at age 10 with a friend who was able to stop abusing alcohol when she was in junior high. But Ms. Ferrarelli couldn't.

CHILD DRINKING

20 percent of 12-year-olds in the United States have tried alcohol    40 percent of children who begin drinking before they are 13 years old will develop alcohol abuse or dependence    20 percent of high school freshmen report binge drinking    Almost one-third of eighth-graders and 50 percent of 10th-graders have been drunk at least once

        And the Oak Hills High School senior told the teens if her parents hadn't placed her in Milford's Kids Helping Kids in June 2001 after two other treatment programs failed, she would have been another statistic.

        “I love my life right now,” said Ms. Ferrarelli, who finished the yearlong inpatient treatment program four months ago. “I have friends that I love. I'm happy when we go places I remember what I did.”

        Ms. Ferrarelli was at Colerain High Friday to help Ohio First Lady Hope Taft introduce her Smart and Sober campaign, which includes a video aimed at reducing and preventing underage drinking.

        The 24-minute video features actor Henry Winkler, who talks with recovering alcoholic teens and those who chose not to drink. The video also features the rapper Bow Wow, a 15-year-old resident of suburban Columbus who chose to never start drinking because of his parents' positive influence.

        Ms. Ferrarelli is one of the teens featured in the video.

        The video will be distributed to schools, youth prevention programs, mayors, sheriffs and chiefs of police at the Sept. 26 First Lady's Leadership Summit to Keep Children Alcohol Free, in Columbus.

        “I was once there and I know what it's like,” Ms. Ferrarelli said after the program. “I'm still there. I was nervous, but once I got up there and started talking, it was just me talking to kids like me.”

        Mrs. Taft said her hope in making the video was to do two things: increase the perception of social disapproval of underage drinking among teenagers and increase teens' perception of the harm and consequences to drinking.

        It does that by examining the consequences of underage drinking by telling the stories of Ohio teens, the damaging effects of alcohol on the brain and the importance of parents in preventing children from drinking.

        “I hope it works. Our teen focus groups says it works,” said Mrs. Taft, who is a trained substance abuse counselor and has worked in the field.

        “It's kids talking to kids. It's not preaching. We use examples that were real life — a dad losing his son, a kid in prison, one who missed his graduation.”

        Former Bengal and Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz, who was present to introduce the first lady of Ohio, told the students how it affected his family.

        Mr. Munoz, who is not featured in the video, said his older brother is a recovering alcoholic and he never knew his dad, who was imprisoned for an alcohol-related offense.

        “I see the destruction that's cause by those evil drugs,” Mr. Munoz said. “I understand the pressure ... Hang in there. Accomplish your dreams.”

        Colerain High Senior Demico Thomas, 18, said he used to drink occasionally and believed the video would have an impact, particularly since it wasn't preachy, as were others he's seen.

        “I stopped drinking. I realized you can't waste your life,” Mr. Thomas said.

        Sam Maslyn, 18, said she was affected by Dan Davis, who described the day he had to identify the remains of his 17-year-old son who was killed in a drunk-driving crash after he was out drinking at a bar.

        “It was sad because I don't think anyone would want their parents to go through that,” said Ms. Maslyn, who said it wasn't a hard decision not to drink.
       

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