A strange thing happens to a teens' brain when puberty hits - good reason, judgment and risk assessment temporarily fade, increasing the likelihood of he or she abusing drugs or alcohol.

A free, five-week workshop coming to West Seattle High this month aims to help parents explore this and other factors that make up the "mysterious inner workings of teenage development."

The program is not about telling parents how to parent, said Yvonne Zick, a parent educator who works with the Seattle School District to host the workshops. The goal is to give parents tools to understand teen behavior and define family policies, or "guardrails," as Zick calls them.

"Parents are the No.1 strength of prevention," she said. "So when they are in the mess they have a plan. It's already been discussed as a family so the kids know what they are signed up for."

The curriculum is based on more than 30 years of research and was developed by the University of Washington Social Research Group. The district purchased the program after the Communities That Care Youth Survey was administered in middle and high schools in 2002 and 2004.

It measured risks and protective factors as well as current levels of substance abuse, violence, and delinquency.

The survey found about 72 percent of 10th-graders at West Seattle High said they had used alcohol in 2004 at least once. Less than half of the 10th-graders said they used marijuana.

About 85 percent of 12th-graders said they used alcohol at least once, and more than 62 percent reported to have smoked cigarettes and used marijuana. Roughly 45 percent said they drank heavily and nearly 70 percent said they had drunk alcohol at least once in the past 30 days.

Sue Quigley, a drug and alcohol counselor at West Seattle High, said she's aware of her students using drugs and alcohol, but doesn't think it's worse than other high schools. She hopes the workshop will reach parents of the freshman students because the failure rate of that class is "alarming." About 20 percent of the class is failing core subject classes.

"We're going to do an all out assault and figure out what's going on with these freshmen," said Quigley.

Part of the problem could be that freshmen, transitioning from a middle school environment, are bombarded with a new set of expectations and pressures.

Research shows that teens are most likely to first use drugs or alcohol in middle school, or during major transitions in their lives, said Zick.

Advancing from elementary to middle school teens often experience new academic and social situations, such as learning to get along with a larger group of peers. This is the age, about 12 or 13, that kids are most likely to encounter drugs for the first time.

When they enter high school the changes intensify with additional social and emotional stress, including peer pressure and educational challenges. Also, drugs and alcohol are more prevalent at social activities.

"We all have many aspects to our lives, think about all the changes freshmen go through," said Quigley. "All those different things are hitting these kids at once."

Not only that, brain development could play a big part in a teen's problem behavior.

The last area of the brain to mature is the prefrontal cortex, which controls functions such as reasoning, decision-making and problem solving, according to Victoria Tenant, who was hired by the district to teach parents about brain development. It goes "off line" during puberty, while it prunes itself of weaker, or less used neural pathways.

It doesn't mean those functions will be lost. They are simply being re-routed. But without a fully functioning prefrontal cortex to regulate emotions, teens are prone to being more spontaneous than adults.

"They often lack the ability and control to think through consequences of their behaviors," said Tenant.

The workshop is supposed to help parents better understand these facts, but also give them tools to set policies that fit their collective beliefs, said Zick.

"If drinking is OK sometimes, when is it not OK? Does the teen still get to use the car?" said Zick. "We ask questions to help parents set boundaries and send a clear message of what their expectations are."

Many parents wonder how much they should reveal to their teens about their own drug and alcohol experiences. Zick tells parents they are the best judges of what they should or should not divulge.

"It's a hard line for parents to walk," said Quigley. "They aren't sure how much to step out or step in."

Zick encourages parents to examine the value behind their anecdotes. Most of all, she said, parents should be clear in the message and be sure their children know and understand the meaning behind it.

"We want to really encourage families that there are ways to be a parent without being their parents," said Quigley. "But you can't always be their buddy cause it'll bite them in the butt."

The workshops series, Staying Connected with Your Teen, runs April 24 and May 1, 8, 15, and 22 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the West Seattle High library. A similar workshop will be held at Denny Middle School. For more information, contact Yvonne Zick 200-9400 ymzick@hotmail.com or Virginia Metz 252-8928 vkmetz@seattleschools.org.

Rebekah Schilperoort may be reached at 783.1244 or rebekahs@robinsonnews.com