SURVEY: ALCOHOL, DRUG USE COMMON

More than half of the seniors in the West Windsor-Plainsboro School
District drank alcohol during a one-month period last spring,
according to a survey of students in grades 7 to 12.

A third of the seniors admitted getting drunk during that month, and
more than a quarter of them admitted smoking pot.

Four percent of the seventh-graders admitted they had "huffed"
inhalants.

The survey was sponsored by the West Windsor-Plainsboro Drug and
Alcohol Alliance and administered by the Rocky Mountain Behavioral
Science Institute.

Each student anonymously filled out and turned in a written
form.

While the level of drug use here is not as bad as it is statewide,
community members are not resting on their laurels.

"These new numbers are very similar to the results of a survey we did
five years ago," said Plainsboro Police Chief David Lyon, a member of
the drug and alcohol alliance. "We seem to be treading water."

"We are not hiding our heads in the sand. We acknowledge there is a
problem," acting school board President Cheryl Larrier-Jemmott said.
"We have been working with other community groups in the past to
address the problem, and we will continue to do that."

A STATEWIDE study done in 1998 showed that 78.6 percent of all high
school students had used alcohol within a month of the survey and that
42.1 percent had used marijuana.

"To some degree, we are encouraged by the fact that we are under state
averages for substance abuse, but quite frankly we are not satisfied
by that fact," said Lyon.

The survey here showed that all kinds of drug use grew more common and
severe as students got older -- except for one.

Use of inhalants or "huffing" reached its peak at the bottom end of
the survey with 4 percent of the seventh-graders huffing within the
one-month period. Only 2 percent of 12th-graders admitting huffing.

The students' responses showed that while many substances -- like
inhalants, stimulants, hallucinogens, cocaine and other narcotics --
are readily available to students, alcohol and marijuana remain the
most widely used drugs throughout the district.

The survey also demonstrated that most students view alcohol and
marijuana use as relatively harmless, an attitude school officials
worry may lead to traffic accidents.

Although a lower percentage of students admitted to driving drunk last
spring than did five years ago, a higher percentage admitted allowing
a drunk person to drive them. About 6 percent of the seniors and 1
percent of the eighth-graders reported drinking "while driving around."

A PORTION of the survey designed to help drug prevention efforts
revealed that students whose parents talk to them about drug use,
whose friends do not use drugs and who learn much about the dangers of
drug use are less likely to be users.

That same portion of the survey also showed that student drug users
are far more likely to dislike school and dislike their teachers than
those who don't use drugs.

As a follow-up to the study, the alliance will hold a program titled
"Teen Substance Use: A discussion," at 7 p.m. March 16 at the High
School South.

Guest speaker John Brick, a biological psychologist specializing in
alcohol and drug studies, will offer an in-depth review of the study
results and lead a discussion on how to curtail teenage substance abuse.

School and community officials already offer a number of programs to
reduce drug and alcohol use among students. Besides having a drug
counselor in the district, there is a DARE program for all
fifth-graders, a follow-up program in eighth grade and various
"drug-free" extra-curricular activities, including the after-prom
party, Lyon said.

In an effort to improve those efforts, the school board plans to
budget for a second substance abuse counselor.

The alliance has representatives from the school district, the
Plainsboro and West Windsor police departments, both township
governments and numerous citizen volunteers. It meets monthly and
operates using state and local grants.