Alcohol and sex are a ‘dangerous pairing.’ Here’s one way to educate Macon teens

Allegations of an alcohol-fueled sexual assault at a teen party not only derailed a Supreme Court justice confirmation process this week but exposed a local deficiency in deterrents.

Christine Blasey Ford testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee that President Trump’s nominee Brett Kavanaugh was intoxicated when he tried to rape her while his friend cheered him on more than 35 years ago.

Although Kavanaugh adamantly denies he was the high school student in question, the scenario Ford presented was familiar to those who prosecute sexual assaults and counsel victims.

Macon Judicial Circuit District Attorney David Cooke said the “Me Too” movement’s recent disclosures from public figures with a history of sexual assault is perpetuating myths that only “potential victims have the responsibility to prevent” those crimes.

Cooke believes alcohol and sex abuse are a “dangerous pairing,” and counselors should tackle both issues together.

“Any program that advises teenagers and college kids and any young people about alcohol should include sex abuse, and any program about sex abuse should include alcohol awareness,” Cooke told The Telegraph.

Of U.S. high school students surveyed, 30 percent admit to having a drink of alcohol in the past 30 days, according to the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System Overview on the CDC’s website.

Nearly half of those students are binge drinkers who consume multiple drinks in a short period of time.

Consequences of youth alcohol consumption include “unwanted, unplanned and unprotected sexual activity and assaults,” according to the CDC.

The CDC also reports 35.8 percent of all sexual assaults occur between the ages of 12 and 17. Alcohol is involved in about half of reported assaults, the study showed.

All too often, Cooke hears cases where a young man or multiple people take sexual advantage of an incapacitated girl, who cannot legally give consent.

“There aren’t enough resources invested in reducing the supply of perpetrators and idle bystanders. That has to change,” said Cooke, a married father of a high school-aged son and daughters in college and middle school.

Cooke is working with Crisis Line & Safe House, which serves seven counties including Bibb, to develop a prevention program targeting young men and boys.

“Treating women with respect, empathy, not being a passive bystander when you see something bad happen,” Cooke said.

Crisis Line & Safe House Executive Director Dee Simms hopes to secure a grant to hire an advocate who will put together a teen dating violence awareness program.

The “Coaching Boys to Men” program is one example she’s looking at where athletic coaches promote respectful behaviors among players and curtail abuse, harassment and sexual assault.

“Athletics is a big thing with these kids, a lot of them,” Simms said. “I think it’s a phenomenal program.”

Simms believes Georgia’s new mandate for schools to provide age-appropriate lessons on sexual abuse and assault from kindergarten to age 9 will give children a better understanding of what is acceptable behavior.

Some Bibb County schools are piloting a two-year study of the FLASH program that began last fall. FLASH, curriculum developed in King County, Washington, is designed to prevent teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and sexual assaults.

Such awareness programs are common on college campuses.

At Middle Georgia State University, all new students receive training on sexual assault and alcohol awareness through EverFi provided by the University System of Georgia.

A recent survey shows 88 percent of Middle Georgia State students taking alcohol training said it prepared them to make responsible decisions about drinking.

Of those taking the sexual assault training, 85 percent said they took away valuable information about sexual consent that they plan to use.

The Crisis Line & Safe House’s new program could be operational early next year if funding for the position is secured.

Cooke favors getting information to teens early before they are offered their first drink or decide to become sexually active.

“I think that is a dangerous pairing, and all young people should be cautioned about both,” he said.

Telegraph writer Jenna Eason contributed to this report.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the provider of EverFi. It’s the University System of Georgia.

This story was originally published September 28, 2018 at 3:54 PM.