“Substance Use In Yeshiva High Schools: A Look At The Data” is the title of the article in the Jewish Link two weeks ago by Rabbi Tuly Harczstark and Dr. Rivka Press Schwartz. In the article they describe the research study they coordinated, under the auspices of Machon Siach. Their study utilized the Communities That Care Risk and Protective Factor Youth Survey designed to determine the need for “prevention services among youth in the areas of substance abuse, delinquency, antisocial behavior and violence.” In 2019 they administered this survey to 3500 10th and 12th graders and in 2020 to 2800 different 10th and 12th graders in 19 yeshiva high schools.
The results of the study when it comes to substance use are worthy of their own article- especially the “drinking problem” that exists in the yeshiva high school world. And, we will continue doing our substance abuse awareness sessions in our 8th grade Advisory tackling, alcohol, drugs, and vaping.
However, I want to focus on one surprising result of this survey- which is more timely for this March Madness time of year.
In areas other than substance use, while our community is doing well with a wide range of protective and risk factors, our kids exceeded the national average in one other category of anti-social behavior, as measured by the survey: gambling in a number of forms, including betting on sports, internet gambling and video poker. Even more than substance use, this behavior is strongly gendered, with boys far more likely to gamble than girls.
Who would have imagined?
For those of you who have had middle schoolers before this year, you might know that we do a lesson in March on gambling in Advisory with our 7th grade boys. The students did do this lesson this past week in Advisory (along with our 8th graders, who missed it last year during covid).
After reading the results of this survey I modified the lesson a bit and included the results of this survey in the lesson. I wanted the students to see that the discussion of gambling and teens is not just a fear I have, but has been substantiated by this recent study. Often, students say that these issues do not apply to the Jewish community. But, this study, (which I showed them in black and white), showed we are not immune. Interestingly enough, the students were not as surprised by the results as I was. They shared that kids play online poker, fantasy football for real money and that it of course makes sense that we have higher levels of gambling than the general community as we tend to have better jobs than the general community and make more money so teens have more access to money- their words- not mine!
We shared with the students that we are not here to talk about the halachic issues of gambling nor whether it is legal for them to bet on March Madness, but rather to help them realize that children who gamble before the age of 12 are four times more likely to have a gambling problem. We talked about how gambling is an addiction and therefore we do not always realize when we are being sucked in. 4% to 8% of young people have a gambling problem, compared to 1% to 2% of adults.
Research shows that discussing the dangers of gambling/betting with your children in their tween years before they get to high school is essential. And, discuss with them the access to internet gambling which can easily trick them into thinking they “have nothing to lose” as it is free, as these websites are trying to introduce them to gambling. And, as always, modeling for them control in these areas.
As you recall, I quoted Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski, z”l, last week as I focused on addiction to technology. Dr. Twerski focused on the dangers of gambling as well. He wrote a book Compulsive Gambling: More Than Dreidel. Clearly, we as the Jewish community are not immune. Interestingly enough, when this book came out in 2008, Twerski suggested that Jews are more susceptible to compulsive gambling than other ethnic or religious groups. (Although no research study is quoted there). When it comes to teens and gambling he noted, “ You need to keep an eye on it. Gambling is seductive and kids are risk takers. What kind of money are they playing for? If a 16-year-old can walk away with a pot of $85, that’s way too tempting.” Even in 2008, Twerski noted the Jewish problem of addiction to gambling. While the Machon Siach study alerts us to the reality, this reality is not new.
Aside from being proactive, speaking to our children when they are young, and monitoring them carefully, clearly there are signs that a child is engaged in this dangerous behavior. We need to look out for signs such as money missing, their seeming disengaged, anxious or nervous, excessive time spent on the internet, being overly interested in the outcome of sports events, and of course finding betting sheets etc.
Rabbi Dr. Twerski believed that all addiction is due in part to the absence of spirituality and a piece of the treatment needs to be the development of spirituality, (hence the success of the 12 step programs).
This coming Shabbat is called “Shabbat HaGadol.” On this Shabbat the Jews in Egypt took the “god” of the Egyptians, the sheep, and put it aside for the Korban Pesach. They were thereby defying the paganism of the Egyptians. As Twerski noted in his article “Passover, Freedom and Shabbat HaGadol” everyone knows that a sheep does not have power as a god. But, “People who are driven by powerful cravings may rationalize, and rather than resist the compulsion, they may try to justify their behavior. Idolatry is nothing but a self-deceiving rationalization.”
He then continues to discuss, similar to what I noted in last week’s column on the internet, that when someone is an addict he can truly relate to the slavey in Egypt and to the freedom the Jews achieved. He quotes an addict, “When I was in my addiction, I had no freedom at all. I was under the tyranny of drugs. I did many things that I never thought myself capable of doing. I did them because I had no choice. I was a slave to drugs and they were my master. Today I can make choices. Today I am free.” These addictions relate to gambling as well.
When the Jews sacrificed the sheep, It was our Declaration of Independence, not only of our freedom from the rule of Pharaoh, but also from the ruthless tyranny of our internal drives. We would now be free to choose what is right and proper, even if it is in defiance of a bodily urge.
He continues to note that children, deemed in halacha before bar/bat mitzvah as a “katan” are unable to distinguish good from bad, and therefore, they are not held responsible for their actions. After bar/bat mitzvah, when their intellect can overcome their internal drives they are called a “gadol.” That is another meaning of Shabbat HaGadol- the Shabbat when the Jewish people achieved maturity and could control their impulses.
When the Jews were about to leave Egypt they were on the 49th level of the 50 levels of tumah (spiritual decadence). Pesach is when they “leaped into spirituality.” “The days of Passover are propitious for repetition of the unique phenomenon of achieving spirituality when one is in a state that would make this impossible at other times.”
It is quite fitting that March Madness coincides with Nissan- זמן חרותינו and is near שבת הגדול . May we raise our “tweens” to be גדולים- to overcome their internal impulses and achieve spirituality, through our frank discussions and modeling.
Advisory Update:
Sixth Grade: Students either finished their organization of their in-school spaces or focused on how to organize their at-home spaces. Some students also planned goals for the coming semester.
Seventh Grade: Boys discussed March Madness and gambling and our girls began a frank discussion about the BDS movement and our role in not standing idly by.
Eighth Grade: Students discussed March Madness and gambling.