Laughter can be good for the soul, but on Tuesday night it will be good for a cause led by a nonprofit organization that aims to curb drinking and drug use among youth.
Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley is hosting a comedy night Tuesday at the Santa Maria Country Club, 505 W. Waller Lane, starting at 7:30 p.m. A social hour will precede the show.
Featured comedians include Frances Dilorenzo, stand-up comedian in the TV show “Last Comic Standing,” and Kivi Rogers of “Dharma and Greg.”
More than 230 people are expected to attend the event, which is sponsored by the Murray Group of Morgan Stanley. The event is geared toward adults, but proceeds will go to Fighting Back's youth activity programs such as dance parties and education courses, said Troi Hoffman, event planner with the nonprofit.
“We're hoping to raise $15,000 or more,” Hoffman said. “Without those funds, Fighting Back could not provide the weekend events and talent shows.”
The nonprofit is supported by local leaders, government and private agencies, local police, health providers and faith-based groups who mentor and educate early teen students on the perils of drug and alcohol use.
“They do quite a few youth events throughout the year” at local schools mostly at the jr. high school level, Hoffman said. “Their goal is to catch these kids early.”
And that's not a laughing matter.
“The younger you start drinking or using drugs, the more likely you will become dependent on drugs and alcohol as an adult,” said Fighting Back president Carrick Adam, a pediatrician and medical director of the Santa Barbara County Juvenile Facilities.
Adolescents who start drinking before the age of 15 are five times more likely to become dependent than those who have their first drink after 21, she said.
“Prevention - that's more of what we do,” Adam said.
Adam is among several advocates who try to inform students and parents of those dangers and also dispel some myths. One myth parents often believe is that drugs and alcohol experimentation is part of adolescence, she added.
A 2004 California Healthy Kids Survey at Santa Maria Joint Union High School found that 53 percent of its ninth-graders and 68 percent of its 11th-graders used alcohol and other drugs at least once before.
It also found that 37 percent of ninth-graders and 46 percent of 11th-graders used alcohol or other drugs in the past 30 days of the survey.
Luis Ernesto Gomez can be reached at 739-2218, or
lgomez@santamariatimes.comJune 10, 2007
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