Coalition Aims To Curb Drug Abuse By Youth

By: Natalie Brophy
OSWEGO, NY – Data from a survey conducted by the Coalition to Combat Adolescent Substance Abuse in Oswego County shows that alcohol is the main drug abused by youths in Oswego County.

According to research from the coalition, the top three drugs of concern for youths in Oswego County are alcohol, prescription drugs and marijuana, with alcohol being the biggest concern.

“I think sometimes people don’t consider alcohol a drug,” said Penny Morley, the coalition’s co-chair. “They think, ‘It’s just alcohol, it’s part of growing up.’ We know through brain research that it definitely has an impact on the brain, more so than we ever knew.”

This information comes from the Youth Development Survey conducted by the coalition in 2013. The survey gathered data about drug use from 1,203 seventh through 12th grade students throughout Oswego County.

Students were asked questions about their consumption of drugs including alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs, cigarettes, inhalants and chewing tobacco.

The survey also gathered information about binge drinking, where youth get their alcohol and common risk and protective factors that lead to youth drug use.

Some common factors that lead to youth drug use include lack of family attachment, lack of pro-social involvement and interaction with antisocial peers, according to the survey.

According to the Farnham Family Service’s website, causes of underage drinking, especially in rural areas, include economic factors, lack of employment, lack of involvement in school activities, lack of community activities, no parental supervision, parents who drink, being predisposed to alcoholism, media and peer pressure, as well as inadequate alcohol education programs.

Data from the Youth Development Survey is consistent with the national numbers regarding alcohol consumption.

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 10 percent of 12-year-olds reported trying alcohol.

That number jumps to 50 percent by the time kids reach age 15.

“People that use alcohol, tobacco or other drugs before the age of 15 are much more likely to have an addiction later in life,” Morley said. “So that’s why we really work with trying to prevent it from happening in the first place.”

Data from the survey reports that 22.9 percent of seventh graders have tried alcohol. That number jumps up to 42.5 percent by the time students enter high school in ninth grade and rises even higher for 12th grade students at 71.8 percent.

The survey found that many youth get alcohol from their parents, with or without their permission, and friends.

“Most youth report getting their alcohol from parents’ homes without parent permission,” Morley said.

As kids get older, parents are more likely to provide them with alcohol in the home, according to the survey.

Data from the survey shows that only 2.8 percent of seventh grade students obtain alcohol with their parents’ permission.

That number jumps to 20.5 percent for students in 12th grade.

According to SAMHSA, parents have a significant influence on whether their kids drink or not.

In order to discourage parents from providing their children with alcohol, the coalition is working on a campaign called the “Sticker Shock Program.”

The youth in the community will create stickers reminding adults that it is illegal to serve alcohol to people under the age of 21.

According to coalition steering committee member Teresa Woolson, the coalition will then distribute the stickers to local retailers to put on packages and bottles of alcohol.

“This campaign is aimed at [educating] the families,” Morley said.

Another way the coalition is aiming to help the community is by setting up prescription drug drop boxes, a place where people can safely dispose of unwanted prescription drugs.

The drop box, so far the only one in Oswego County, is located in the lobby of the Oswego Police Department on West Second Street.

“This is very important because that’s where a lot of the drugs are being found, just in people’s medicine cabinets and homes,” Woolson said.

Not only do the drop boxes provide a safe way to get unwanted drugs out of the home, it is also a more environmentally conscious way to dispose of them.

According to Morley, the drugs are incinerated, not flushed down the toilet or dumped down the drain, keeping them out of the water supply.

Woolson said the coalition has plans to establish an additional drop box in the future. They just need to decide on a location.

The coalition hopes to help youths by getting them directly involved.

In order to do that, the coalition is starting a youth sub-committee.

Robin Burdick, the coalition’s part-time coordinator, has been going around the county trying to get youth involved with the sub-committee.

“Youth know what youth are doing,” Burdick said. “And youth know how to best reach out and educate youth. They don’t want to hear from adults like myself. They want to hear from each other.”

The first youth sub-committee meeting was set to be held March 3 at the Farnham Family Services Center, 283 W. Second St.

www.farnhaminc.org

Natalie Brophy is a SUNY Oswego junior journalism major, with a minor in public Justice, from Buffalo. This article was for her JLM 309 -Advanced Newswriting and Reporting class.

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