STUDENT DRUG ABUSE MAY BE WORSE THAN IT APPEARS

Recent dramatic findings of an AADAC survey of Whitecourt students
indicate that perception of drug abuse among students is far worse
than the reality. It is this misperception that AADAC Addictions
Counsellor Michael Quick is trying to counter.

"Our behaviour is influenced by incorrect perceptions of how other
members of our social groups think and act," Quick said at last
Monday's town council meeting.

The Strength in Numbers campaign, AADAC's latest initiative, is using
social norms marketing to impress upon students the fact that users
of drugs such as alcohol, tobacco, and illicit substances are in the minority.

"You're more likely to notice someone smoking outside the school,
than someone sitting around with friends talking," Quick says. "The
tendency is to generalize that behaviour to the rest of the
population, which promotes unhealthy behaviour."

The campaign includes an ongoing survey of students, which asks a
variety of questions, such as students' perception of how many people
are abusing these substances, compared to how many actually are, and
various "protective factors" such as whether or not the students have
curfews at home.

The surveys began last year, with students in Grades 6, 7 and 8, and
will continue with the same group until they reach Grade 12. Quick
says the intent is to determine trends in use, such as when the
students start to use the substances, and whether or not use
diminishes or plateaus over time.

This year, 344 students in Grades 7 and 8, and 183 students in Grade
9 were surveyed.

Quick says the important thing to note is that the questions were
worded differently than expected, with the focus on non-use, rather
than how many people are actually using.

The results were surprising, to say the least, stunning members of council.

In the Grade 7 and 8 survey, students said that they believed that
only 13 per cent of their peers were not smoking cigarettes, when in
fact 92 per cent of students were not smoking - a difference of 79 per cent.

For the Grade 9 students, the perception was that 8 per cent of
students do not smoke, when in fact 74 per cent use tobacco.

On the whole, Quick says, the findings are encouraging. "The surveys
showed that most kids are making good choices around drugs and alcohol."

The statistics on alcohol use are just as stunning. Students in
Grades 7 and 8 perceived that 13 per cent of their peers were not
using alcohol, when 49 per cent of students reported that they do not
drink. Grade 9 students showed the smallest gulf, with a perceived
five per cent refusing alcohol, and 23 per cent actually not using.

The big concern among high school students is alcohol, Quick says.
There is a sharp increase in use in the last year for students polled
last year in Grade 8. Last year, 81 per cent of students reported
that they had never gotten drunk, while this year, only 55 per cent
of those same students reported the same.

"Alcohol is accepted, even though it's illegal for students," Quick
says. "If the kids come home drunk, the parents may ground them, but
they certainly wouldn't be as shocked as if the kids were using other
substances."

While Quick can't draw any conclusions about use among students just
yet, he says that AADAC is already trying to promote awareness to
tackle the misconceptions.

"We do presentations in the schools, educating students on our
findings," he says. "The kids really take to it - they're very
interested, and they look absolutely shocked. Almost nobody smokes,
but they think everybody does."

He says that he thinks the Strength in Numbers campaign has been
successful so far, but it can only go so far.

The second part of the campaign is to educate parents about their
role in helping kids make the right choice when it comes to alcohol
and other drugs. He adds that periodically discussing the perils of
drug use help, but setting kids on the right path can be as easy as
eating dinner as a family two times a week.

"We're making sure that parents know that youth aren't as bad as they
thought they are," Quick says. "Having one talk about drug use isn't
going to make the change - it's got to be something that you do on a
regular basis."