ELYRIA – Local youths are still experimenting with alcohol and drugs at high rates and believe those risky behaviors will not stop them from excelling in life, according to the results of a countywide survey.

Getting kids to open up about their drug and alcohol use and other behaviors that parents would frown upon was not easy.

But in fall 2009, Communities That Care of Lorain County, a county-based coalition focused on underage substance abuse, did just that when it conducted the survey of 10,000 sixth-, eighth-, 10th- and 12th-grade students.

The survey targeted students in each of the county’s 14 school districts.

The data provide a snapshot of what life is like for 11- to 18-year-olds living in Lorain County and reflects both positive and negative trends, said Catherine Gabe, coordinator for Communities That Care of Lorain County.

“This is not a look at the schools – this is really a snapshot of the community,” she said. “This will help parents confirm their suspicions or understand what it’s like to be in a kid in Lorain County in 2009, which was the year the survey was conducted.”

The survey presented students with 144 questions designed to determine usage of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other drugs, along with other risk and protective factors. Teens also answered questions about cell phone, Internet and television use, as well as how often they eat dinner with their families each week.

The results, which were recently released, show that alcohol remains the drug of choice among county youth. In addition, marijuana use is near comparable to cigarettes among those surveyed.

While startling at first, the survey helps establish stronger programming geared toward youth, said Elaine Georgas, executive director of the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Board of Lorain County.

“Our strength is in our numbers – the more neighbors, youth and providers we can empower, the further along we move,” she said. “This is no longer just about saying ‘no’ or looking the other way. It is about ensuring that what we do helps to make Lorain County a better place for our youth and families.”

Some simple solutions include emphasizing how important it is for adults to limit access to alcohol to youth and supporting retailers in their training to ensure they are not selling to underage customers and are promoting drug-free and alcohol-free events in the community, Georgas said.

Parents also play a part in the solution, Gabe said.

“The more time parents share with their kids doing simple things like sitting down for dinner and using the time as teaching moments, the less likely kids are to engage in risky behavior,” she said. “If we can strengthen the parents, they can strengthen the kids. It’s very much a situation where one hand helps the other.”

Still, there is a lot of good news in the survey as well, Gabe said.

“We can get stuck in the problems when we need to look at the solutions,” she said. “Kids have said that they want to do well and get rewarded for those times when they do good.”

Contact Lisa Roberson at 329-7121 or lroberson@chroniclet.com.

---

Print this story
Report an inappropriate comment

---

In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement and discussion guidelines.

Need help? Email Us.

---