Parents need to talk to their kids about dangers of alcohol

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The community is still recovering from what happened to Brett Finbloom, the 18-year-old who police say possibly died from alcohol. 

Also another binge drinking case in Carmel of a man accused of raping a drunk 13-year-old. Can the dangers of underage drinking reach kids' ears?

Teenager Savannah Sturm started drinking and using drugs at 13. She's now recovering at Fairbanks Hope Academy in Indianapolis. Savannah says parents need to talk to their kids and teens need to understand the consequences, which she didn’t understand when her journey started.

"Nothing could stop me, I was on top of the world," says Savannah Sturm, a recovering addict.

Savannah started to spiral out of control at the young age of 13.

“I've been in a position where I don't know how to stop and I can't and I don't know how to get help,” says Savannah. She is now a student at Hope Academy, a school for teens recovering from addiction. For Savannah hearing about the case of Brett Finbloom brings her back to her struggle.

“It really makes me hurt inside and I've cried and just been really upset over little things, I hear people using because I know exactly what it's like,” explains Savannah.

Shocking statistics by Drug Free Marion County reveals Marion County 8th graders binge drink more than teens in Indiana and across the country. The Executive Director says it's up to parents to change the behavior.

“They need to make sure their kids understand their views, their attitudes, their beliefs and I think even beyond that I think what parents need to do is have some discussions with their kids, frank discussions with their kids about okay these potential situations may come up what are we going to do,” says Randy Miller Executive Director Drug Free Marion County.

Miller recommends giving your kids a code word, that way if they're in an uncomfortable position they can secretly let their parents know, but he admits it's not fool proof.

"Prevention, prevention is like wearing a seat belt so there's no guarantees,” says Miller.

For Savannah she's in a happier and healthier place, but she says her parents wished they did more.

“If they had to do anything differently speaking for them, I think they wouldn't have waited so long to figure out I had a problem,” explains Savannah.

Randy Miller did point out Federal funding called Safe and Drug Free Schools paid for drug education programs in public schools has dried up. He says in the last 10 years the money started dwindling and schools started cutting back or getting rid of the programs.

Miller says other than health class most schools are not addressing the issues, which is why it's so important for parents to talk to their kids.