(Montana Kaimin) (UWIRE) MISSOULA, Mont. -- Montana's youth abuse drugs and Alcohol at a higher rate than the national average, leading to some of the nation's highest drinking and driving rates, according to a report by the Montana Business Quarterly Magazine.

"It really shows that very much (of the Montana youth) are using Alcohol at rates that we really have to pay attention to," said Daphne Herling, director of Montana Kids Count, a project that collects data on Montana children and families.

This is especially true for the college-aged population, Herling said.

"The kids in that age group use Alcohol higher than any other age group," she said. "The 18-22 year olds have a very high rate of binge drinking."

According to the report, 38 percent of ninth- through 12th-graders reported binge drinking in the past 30 days. The national average is 28 percent.

Fatal Alcohol related motor-vehicle crashes in Montana are 12.6 per 100,000 people in comparison to the national rate of 5.2 per 100,000.

Because of the high mortality rate resulting from accidents occurring while driving under the influence, the Missoula County Health Department has created Responsible Alcohol Server Training, a workshop for bartenders, bouncers and restaurant servers to learn about Alcohol laws and prevent youth drinking.

Lonie Hutchison, coordinator of the Missoula County DUI Task Force said as more bar and restaurant staff receives training on how to spot fake IDs and learns to identify warning signs, she said she hopes underage drinking and driving will be reduced.

Missoula County is now offering a class for restaurant and bar staff teaching them to spot potential problems.

"It's against the law to serve to someone that has obvious signs of intoxication," Hutchison said. "Even if they have a ride."

She said if someone is served despite obvious intoxication and gets into an accident, a lawsuit can be filed. In November 2003, Richard Presler, a minor, was served at a strip club near Bozeman, despite being visibly underage and intoxicated.

"That person (Presler) left the establishment and hit a pickup truck head-on, driven by a sober gentlemen in his 50's," Hutchison said. Both of them died.

Presler's parents and the widow of the victim sued the strip club and were awarded $3 million.

"The liability is huge," Hutchison said. "In a civil law suit, there's no guess what a sympathetic jury might reward."

DUI accidents are not uncommon, but too much Alcohol itself can also kill someone.

"It goes beyond traffic crashes, where the rubber meets the road," Hutchison said.

The other two most commonly abused substances in Montana are tobacco and Marijuana, which Mike Frost, director of Self Over Substance at Curry Health Center, said are also the most commonly used substances among UM students.

The SOS program runs treatment groups for students through Curry, teaching them to either stop or moderate Alcohol and drug habits.

"People come in and they are experiencing troubles with their drinking," Frost said. "They don't want to quit. And what they want to do is moderate their use so they can quit experiencing academic problems and social problems."

Frost said it's impossible to eliminate substance abuse among college students, but through moderation, problems can be reduced.

"You have this whole continuum. But most of the (UM) students are fairly heavy drinkers," Frost said. "It (the program) does give them tools when they are ready to take fewer risks."

If a UM student is caught drinking on campus they will be required to go through an SOS intervention program and talk with eight to 10 of their peers about their substance use. The program, Frost said, helps influence future habits.

Peer groups are the biggest contributor to substance abuse, he said.

"I think that you really have to choose your friends wisely because they influence you. And you influence them," Frost said. "It depends as to what your circle of friends is. For some people, drinking and doing drugs are very important to them."

It's tough for young people to develop good habits, and it may take awhile before Montana curbs its substance abuse problems, Frost said.

"When you put addictive chemical into your brains -- it's an equal opportunity employer. There are points in time where you're more vulnerable to substance abuse and the younger you are the more vulnerable you are," Frost said.