SOUTH GATE : Children of Addicts Share Survival Tips

Fifteen-year-old Susy said her father drinks regularly and often drives afterward. Although she tries to ignore his behavior, the two often end up arguing, she said.

“You’re not alone,” Yvonne, a 16-year-old friend, tells her. “There are people here with the same problem. You should talk to somebody.”

Welcome to the Concerned Students Group for children of alcoholics and drug users, part of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s “Impact Program” at South Gate High School.

Through the program, 600 troubled teen-agers last school year received group counseling for such issues as depression, pregnancy, drug and alcohol use and sex. Impact coordinators say the groups are an outlet that students are often unable to find elsewhere.

Group members share their problems, and leaders--including teachers, the school police officer and other staff--offer solutions for dealing with the students’ often difficult home lives.

Although some participants are walk-ins, most are referred by counselors, teachers, the dean’s office or parents, Impact Coordinator Lou Cohan said. Attendance is voluntary except for students caught with alcohol or drugs during school activities. These students must attend to remain in school, he said.

Cohan would like to see the program expanded. It now serves about one-sixth of the school’s more than 3,600 students.

Assistant Impact Coordinator Pat Norton urges members of the Concerned Students Group to call a friend when a parent begins to drink and to call a cab if a drunk parent wants to drive.

“Remember, you didn’t cause your parent’s problem,” Norton told a group of 14 students recently. “They may blame you, but you are absolved of any guilt.

“You can’t cure your parent’s drinking. Use that energy to take care of yourself. There’s an illness in your family, and somebody who doesn’t particularly want to cure it. We need to talk about how to make yourself feel OK in spite of it.”

South Gate High officials say the Impact Program, which started in October, 1990, has helped the school establish the best attendance record and the lowest dropout rate among L.A. Unified’s 49 high schools.