Bingeing puts strain on schools

Almost three-quarters of the schools surveyed had introduced alcohol and drug policies advocating supporting rather than punitive approaches. Photo / Thinkstock

Australia's teenagers are increasingly becoming trapped in a culture of booze, drugs and gambling that is disrupting classrooms, stretching resources and contributing to mental health, violence and bullying.

New studies show that high school students are bringing their problems to school after weekend bingeing and that children as young as 12 are learning to gamble.

But Australian society tended to accept alcohol abuse as normal compared to the use of illicit drugs, "an aspect of the cultural position that needed to be addressed", a National Council on Drugs survey of more than 200 public, private and religious schools said.

Principals told the survey that students arrived on Monday mornings scarred by extreme drunkenness, unprotected sex and other issues from weekend binges that left schools to deal with "major fall-out".

They said significant amounts of time were already being spent by teachers trying to help students catch up on their work. But schools were struggling with shortages of people, funding and time.

"It is unreasonable to simply have a 'leave it to schools' approach to take care of the range of social problems that students face," Secondary Principals' Association chair Sheree Vertigan said.

The new survey follows others also pointing to serious drug and alcohol problems among the young and warning of a culture of abuse that continues into adult life.

Almost three-quarters of the schools surveyed had introduced alcohol and drug policies advocating supporting rather than punitive approaches, with most parents involved in management of their child's abuse.

Students using or dealing illicit drugs were generally suspended - or expelled in rare cases - and police were often involved.

Principals and school communities were also worried about mental health and cyber-bullying, which pointed to related "but not obvious" problems regarding more extensive substance abuse problems.

Studies had shown that students using the two major drugs of concern to schools - alcohol and cannabis - were more likely to suffer or carry out cyber-bullying.

"Principals' concerns centred on the significant impact that binge drinking had on the students themselves, their peers and the school generally," the survey said. "Students who drank alcohol and used other drugs came to school late, tired and often with a poor attitude, leading to disruptive behaviour [and] were also in danger of developing a pattern of non-attendance."

Council chairman John Herron said schools needed far more support from governments, communities and the drug and alcohol sector.

In Victoria, the Responsible Gambling Foundation said children as young as 12 tried gambling and became punters at 15.

"A great proportion of Australians growing up today are likely to have experience of gambling before they are 18."