Alcohol and Substance Use Among Clinton Youth Fall Within the National Average

This past spring The American Drug and Alcohol Survey Core Measures Short Form was administered to 422 students enrolled at The Morgan School.  9th, 10^th, and 11th graders participated in the survey, which was developed by the Rocky Mountain Behavioral Science Institute (RMBSI) and sponsored by the Drug Free Communities Support Program, a project of The First Selectman’s Task Force on Substance Abuse. The core measures include average age of first use; past 30-day use; perception of risk and parental disapproval of substance use.  The number of youth participating in the survey represents 82% of Morgan’s School total enrollment.

The results indicate that 42% of the surveyed youth used alcohol at least once in the prior month and 20% used marijuana at least once in the prior month. A comparison with 10^th graders nationally indicates slightly higher use by Morgan 10^th graders (alcohol nationally 35% vs. 41% Morgan, marijuana nationally 17% vs. 22% Morgan). The likelihood is that Morgan students in actuality are average or below average, nationally when one considers the small number surveyed and that two or three students’ responses can have a significant impact on the results.

A key result of the survey indicated that 58% of the youth reported no use of alcohol in the prior month and 80% reported no marijuana use in the same period. When low frequency of use (one to two times a month) is added to “no use” by students, we see that 80% of the youth have no or low involvement with alcohol and that 89% have no or low involvement with marijuana.

A majority of students would try to stop friends from using drugs most of the time. This sense of “responsibility” is much less when it comes to alcohol use, even when friends are “getting drunk” This represents the misperception that alcohol is less harmful and that “getting drunk” is somewhat “ok” and more or less a rite of passage from adolescents to young adult. This viewpoint is consistent among youth in all three grades. This perspective represents a challenge for Clinton’s prevention efforts.

 Parents influence was very positive in that significant numbers of youth talked to their parents “a lot” about the dangers of drug and alcohol use. Parent involvement was highest in the ninth grade and gradually diminished in the tenth and eleventh grades. The fact that parents were aware of the dangers and communicated with their children about them is positive news for The First Selectman’s Task Force on Substance Abuse and an indication that their efforts to create an awareness of these issues in the community is succeeding. However, we need to urge parents to maintain dialogue with their children throughout the high school and college years.

A focus group of youth met during the summer with Independent Evaluator, Anthony Maltese to discuss the findings. The youth validated much of the survey results, with the exception of alcohol use by students, which they felt was understated. Of important note is the student’s perception of what being “drunk” represented. All saw being drunk as involving significant behavior change and physical impairment. “Although the results were not as scientific as we would have liked them, they give us an excellent ‘measuring stick’ to strategize programs for the town”, says Program Manager Barbara Small.

“While the data generated by any survey bears close scrutiny, I believe that this information will provide valuable direction for programs offered by both The First Selectman’s Task Force and the Clinton Public Schools,” stated Al Coviello, Supt. of Schools.