Noticing a rise in Marin County cases involving substance abuse and sexual assault, Marin County District Attorney Edward Berberian worked with psychologist Michael Grogan to create an educational video displaying the dangers of sexual activity under the influence, along with other topics relevant to high school students.
“Alcohol use in this county per capita is probably among some of the highest per state among young people,” Berberian said. “We’ve had tragic results in the past.”

According to a recent Bark survey, 62.0 percent of students say at least sometimes they are under the influence when engaging in kissing or beyond, and 23.1 percent of students who have lost their virginity were under the influence at the time.
The short film, titled Irreversible Consequences is shown in Redwood’s Social Issues classes each year and depicts the dangers of poor communication leading to sexual abuse, especially the fact that alcohol has lowered the ability to communicate properly.
Grogan said that alcohol is a common feature in many of the sexual assault cases he sees at the Jeannette Prandi Children’s Center in San Rafael, which supports children who have been sexually molested.
“It pushes the limit of the relationship in a way that things could happen if both people are on alcohol,” Grogan said. “There are certain things on alcohol that you wouldn’t do if you were not drinking.”
Berberian also emphasized the importance of communication in setting boundaries.
“Part of what we’re trying to get across in the movie is you’ve got to make sure you’re clear on your boundaries as to just what you are going to be willing to do and what you won’t be willing to do,” Berberian said.
According to Hirsch, his Social Issues curriculum covers the topics of both safe sexual activity and how drugs and alcohol alter the decision-making part of the brain.
“Drugs and alcohol hijack the frontal lobe, and you can’t make the kind of rational decisions you would make otherwise,” Hirsch said. “We make sure that our students understand the ramifications of the decisions and why they’re compromised by drugs and alcohol.”
According to both Berberian and Grogan, the video has continued to get very positive results from the students who have seen it. They’ve made a second video and are working on a third to deal with issues such as cyberbullying and sexting.
“If we can save one or two kids, that’s worth the effort,” Berberian said.