JACKSON SCHOOL SURVEY SHOWS ALCOHOL ABUSE IS TOM PROBLEM

JACKSON -- Surveys taken last fall indicate alcohol abuse remains the No. 1 problem and concern of both students and adults in Jackson.

The surveys also indicate the use of tobacco products by high school students has declined since similar surveys were conducted three years ago.

Results of the November 1991 surveys were presented to the Jackson Board of Education Monday by Assistant School Superintendent Fred Jones.

Thirty students in a seventh-grade language arts class and 33 seniors in a government class participated in the Drug Free Statewide Survey, said Jones. In addition, a Community Assessment Drug Free Schools and Communities Program Survey was conducted among 75 people in Jackson ranging in age from teens to 70, said Jones.

Jones said questions on the student survey were prepared by the state while questions on the community assessment survey were compiled by the local Drug Free Schools Advisory Committee.

"I would caution anyone looking at the figures in the surveys to remember that it involves only a small percentage of the total number of students and citizens in the community," Jones said. "We use the survey results as one way to assess how effective our drug education program is in the school system. They are for assessment and planning purposes only."

Jones said figures in the student surveys should be taken with caution "because of the tendency of some students to exaggerate. But again, we think the survey is a valuable tool for our school principals and the Drug Free Schools Council in assessing the results of our drug-abuse programs and for future planning," he said.

Jones said the figures would be much different in an urban school district. "The local surveys tend to reflect the lifestyle of our community, to a degree," he said.

Compared with the survey taken in November 1988, Jones said there has been a noticeable decline in the use of tobacco and smokeless tobacco products among students surveyed.

"On the other hand, the latest surveys indicate both students and those in the community perceive there is a continued abuse of beer and alcohol among the student population, something that our programs are trying to address," said Jones.

Asked which is the most abused drug in the United States today, 54 percent of the seventh-graders and 84 percent of the seniors said alcohol. Marijuana and cocaine tied at a distant 15 percent.

Asked if they had ever had beer or hard liquor, 67 percent of the seventh-graders and 91 percent of the seniors said yes.

Twenty-four percent of the seventh-graders said they first tried an alcoholic drink between 4 and 7 years of age and 39 percent of the seniors said they took their first drink at ages 15 to 18.

Only 3 percent of the seventh-graders said they smoked marijuana, but 24 percent of the seniors said they used the drug. Eighteen percent of the seniors surveyed said they started using marijuana around ages 15 to 18 while 6 percent said they started around 12 to 14.

Only 7 percent of both groups said they used cocaine; 17 percent said they had used amphetamines; and 24 percent said they used inhalants such as glue.

Seventy-one percent of the seventh-graders surveyed said it was difficult for them to get marijuana while 82 percent said it was hard to find tranquilizers and cocaine.

Sixty-seven percent of the seniors surveyed said it was easy to buy marijuana and 41 percent said it was just as easy to get marijuana.

Cocaine was more difficult to obtain, according to 82 percent of the seventh-graders and 75 percent of the seniors.

Twenty-seven percent of the students said they used stay-awake pills and none said they used steroids.

Sixty-three percent of the seventh-graders and 55 percent of the seniors surveyed were males. Over half of the students said their grades ranged between A's and B's.

Thirty-eight percent said they liked school a lot and 40 percent said they liked school some.

Asked to list the major reasons youths try drugs, 51 percent said peer pressure, 33 percent said curiosity, 7 percent said unhappiness, and 5 percent said to get high.

Only 4 percent said advertising was a cause for alcohol and drug abuse. Jones said he questions that figure, but the community survey also indicated those surveyed believed advertising played a minor role in substance abuse among Jackson teenagers.

The school survey revealed many students are still unable to discuss AIDS with their parents. Fifty-five percent of each student group said they have talked with their parents about AIDS and 40 percent said they had not. Five percent said they weren't sure.

However, 97 percent of the students surveyed knew that the AIDS virus is transmitted through sexual intercourse.

Over 70 percent of the students said they learned about negative effects of smoking, drinking, drug abuse, AIDS and nutrition and exercise from school health classes. Only 57 percent said they learned about pregnancy in health class. Ninety-three percent of the students said health classes were useful to them.

Sixty-seven percent of the seventh-graders said the school's drug education programs were very valuable to them while 47 percent of the seniors rated the programs as very valuable. About 25 percent in each age group said the programs were of little value.

The Community Assessment survey asked people to list some of the more serious alcohol and drug problems that hurt youths in Jackson.

Ninety-six percent said alcohol and 76 percent said marijuana. Fifty-seven percent said drug stimulants, 48 percent said cocaine, 39 percent said tranquilizers, and 30 percent said inhalants and sedatives.

Asked to name the biggest abuse problem in Jackson, 91 percent said alcohol, 5 percent said marijuana, and 4 percent didn't know.

Asked why young people use alcohol and other drugs, 81 percent said it was due to peer pressure; 41 percent said to escape from school and family problems; and 15 percent said to imitate adults, out of curiosity or experimentation.

Asked what should be done about alcohol abuse among teenagers in Jackson, 43 percent in the community survey suggested more effective drug-abuse education programs; 33 percent suggested stricter law enforcement and penalties; and 26 percent suggested parental involvement in prevention, treatment, and, or, penalties. Another 26 percent suggested community or school counseling services.

Education was again the first choice of 56 percent of those surveyed when asked what should be done about drug abuse among Jackson teenagers. Thirty-five percent said stricter law enforcement and penalties should be applied to offenders and 11 percent suggested parental involvement.

To meet the challenge of teenage alcohol and drug abuse in Jackson, 94 percent of the people in the community survey said education should be the No. 1 priority, 65 percent said law enforcement should be, 50 percent said recreational activities should be, and 35 percent said jobs for youths should be.

Asked to list health or social services that work with teenage alcohol or drug abuse, 37 percent of the people in the community survey could name none.

Thirteen percent of those surveyed mentioned the Community Counseling Center, Charter Hospital, Teen Challenge and local hospitals, and 9 percent knew about the KOALA Center.

Among other agencies mentioned in the survey were Lutheran Family and Children's Services, community and school counselors, Alcoholics Anonymous, Alanon, and the Family Counseling Center.