YOUTH SUBSTANCE ABUSE A GROWING CONCERN

Some parents complain their teenagers don't communicate with them.
Well, now they're talking and parents would be wise to listen.

What they're saying suggests the problem of substance abuse is
becoming increasingly prevalent among youth in Alberta.

That will be borne out at an information session Thursday evening at
the Lethbridge Public Library. The event, called What Youth Are
Telling Us, is organized by the Community Substance Abuse Response
Team (CSART) and will run from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Theatre Gallery.

The aim of the session is to arm parents and youth with the knowledge
that can serve as the foundation for combating the problem of
substance abuse. Much of the information that will be presented is
derived from the recently completed Alberta Youth Experience Survey
and the Lethbridge Youth Forum.

Some of the figures from the Alberta youth survey, compiled from the
responses of more than 3,900 students from grades 7 to 12, should
sound a few alarm bells.

Among the findings, the survey indicates 63.4 per cent of Alberta
youth are current drinkers, defined as those who had consumed at least
one alcoholic drink in the previous 12 months. That's up seven per
cent from the 2002 figure.

The survey also suggests most youth who imbibe sampled their first
alcoholic beverage in grades 7 through 9. By Grade 12, the proportion
of students who consumed alcohol in the past year was 86 per cent.

Almost half of teen drinkers, 49.6 per cent, reported incidents of
binge drinking (consuming five or more drinks on one occasion in the
month prior to the survey).

Using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, the survey
determined 36.7 per cent of current youth drinkers met the AUDIT
criteria for hazardous drinking. For youth in grades 10 to 12, the
figure was 39.5 per cent.

On the subject of illicit drug use, the survey showed 26.7 per cent of
youth reported using cannabis within the previous year and 28.8 per
cent indicated they had used illicit drugs at some point in their lives.

The Alberta youth survey also looked at gambling, indicating that in
2005, 62.6 per cent of Alberta youth took part in at least one
gambling activity in the year before the survey. Of those, 45.8 per
cent reported participating in gambling several times per year,
perhaps a hint that the seeds are being sown for the next generation
of problem gamblers.

Of course, these are cold statistics and statistics can mean different
things depending on how they're used. What really matters is how
substance abuse affects lives. Putting a face to that issue,
Thursday's information session will include testimonies from youths
concerning their experiences and views with regard to tobacco, alcohol
and drugs. That is likely to hit home in a way mere numbers can't.

Knowledge is power, it is said, and a community armed with knowledge
will be in a stronger position to tackle its problems.