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Alcohol, drug use survey shocks some, others not surprised

Community groups spurred on to find solutions that will help Whistler youth Community groups are putting their heads together to find strategies to combat drug and alcohol use by school age youths in the community.

Community groups spurred on to find solutions that will help Whistler youth

Community groups are putting their heads together to find strategies to combat drug and alcohol use by school age youths in the community.

The effort has been spurred on by the results of a survey done last May and June by the Communities That Care project, an evidence-based program developed in the U.S. to help communities build positive, healthy futures for their youth.

The just-released survey of youths in Whistler has revealed that over two thirds of the youths from Grade 6 to Grade 12 have used alcohol in their lifetime.

Almost half reported drinking in the 30 days prior to the survey date and almost a quarter reported smoking dope in the same period.

The survey also found that 59 per cent of youths in Grade 11 had come to school drunk or high at least once in the previous year. Overall 24.8 per cent of surveyed students from Whistler had done the same thing.

"Of course there is a concern," said Christine Buttkus, manager of the survey project.

"We don’t want to wait until there is a tragedy."

Whistler Secondary principal Ken Davies is also concerned about the survey results and he hopes to work with the community to help find some solutions.

"Any time that you see a potential increase in the use of drugs and alcohol it is of concern to me especially in my jurisdiction as the principal of the high school because I think it has an impact on other factors," he said.

"It impacts kids’ ability to tend to their studies, it impacts on their ability to deal with issues in the world, and I think it behooves us to look carefully at that and not do things in a reactive fashion but in a proactive way to channel youths into making better decisions."

Youth at school are educated about the effects of drugs and alcohol and, Davies said, there is clear and open communication between the school and parents about this issue and others.

He was particularly concerned about the number of youths coming to school drunk or stoned.

"The important question surrounding this is why are these students feeling like they have to come to school and take that chance?" said Davies.

"There is, of course, a zero tolerance policy in the use of drugs and alcohol in the school which can and will result in suspension."

Davies believes the youth must also play a key role in finding solutions.

Many of the youths interviewed off school grounds and after the survey was done said using drugs and alcohol was just part of growing up and in some ways it might protect them when they are older if it helps them learn to use the drugs responsibly.

"It is just part of going out," said Whistler Secondary student Cole Read, 15.

"I wouldn’t say it’s done a lot. It’s not serious. (If) somebody turns 19 and they have never drunk before then they start drinking… then they might become an alcoholic. It may not be ethically right to drink when you’re younger but maybe you should drink some."

And all agreed that communication was key. Jessica Dow said open communication with her mom has helped her make healthy choices.

"Everyone knows the dangers of it," said the 17-year-old.

"I speak to my mom about it and as a result of that I don’t do it. When your parents relate to you about it on a real level and they are not treating you like a moron that’s when it works."

Buttkus said the community is now working together to decide how best to tackle the issue of drug and alcohol use by youths.

"We see this as a mobilization project," she said, adding that the results were not a surprise as many parents and youth workers in the resort believed kids were drinking and smoking marijuana and had pushed for a survey to find out more.

There is no doubt some parents will be shocked by the results.

"As a parent of kids in the high school these figures are frightening," said Deanna Zeidler, co-chair of the risk and protective factors steering committee for the project.

Both Zeidler and Buttkus were also surprised to learn that many youths perceived that their parents wouldn’t be that upset if they used drugs or alcohol.

"If youths perceive it is OK then that will affect their behaviour," said Buttkus.

"Adults can’t put their heads in the sand. They are modelling for the youths."

The survey, which questioned 355 of the 432 students in those grades, also showed that there is almost no anti-social behaviour by the youths in Whistler, such as car theft, and that most had a strong attachment to their parents and their families.

The survey also found a significant increase in drug and alcohol use from the lower grades to Grade 9.

In Grade 6, 10.2 per cent of youths said they had used alcohol in the previous month to the survey. In Grade 9 that number jumped to 43.2 per cent. In Grade 11 it went up to 84.2 per cent and then fell to 82.1 per cent in Grade 12.

Marijuana use jumped to 15.9 per cent for use in the previous month in Grade 9 from 3.4 per cent use in Grade 8. Its use peaked in Grade 11 at 51.3 per cent.

Community Youth Outreach Worker Greg McDonnell, of Whistler Community Services, said the results are not surprising and mirror what is happening all over the province.

"I think it reflects a lot of the norms that are happening with the young adult population," he said.

"I think that Grade 9 is the pinnacle of the experimental age group. When you come into Grade 9 you are looking to be socially accepted by your peers, so on Friday night that might mean drinking a bit and trying marijuana.

"As you get into Grade 10, 11 and 12 I think students have more wherewithal to stand up and say, ‘no I don’t really want to smoke pot. I’m not into that.’"

He works with youth to help them make the right choices about drug and alcohol use and he is encouraged by many of the positive findings of the survey.

"What really jumped out at me were the strengths," he said.

"The high community connection, the high family connection, the low use of club drugs and violence, and no reflection of antisocial behaviour like vehicle thefts. I think those are highlights of a very good community. I think there is lots of opportunity for pro-social development, whether it is at home or in sports or at the municipal centre or at work.

"If you can build connectiveness like that then I think the addictions will decrease. It is not going to decrease experimentation but there is going to be a lot less addictions because there is connectiveness and less alienation from community and from family."

The use of dope has steadily increased for youths according to provincial surveys, and there are many reason for it.

Chief amongst them, said Simon Fraser Criminologist Raymond Corrado, is the youths’ desire to be cool and to model after what they see on TV, in the movies and on video games.

"Young people are definitely affected by the media and media representation that it is cool to drink and do drugs," he said.

"If you look at the movies that young people go to it is all about risk taking behaviours and being cool. Now that has never changed, but the difference in generations is that the influence of the family, mother father and extended family, and the influence of church and religion is being diminished by the power of the media, like music, movies, video games.

Whistler also has its own unique culture.

"Symbolically Whistler represents to the world skiing, boarding, hiking, fun and partying," said Corrado.

"It is the heart and soul of the Whistler experience and that culture is going to affect the youths, and not just the ones who live there, but also the ones who travel from the Lower Mainland.

"Whistler, on average, is one of the highest income communities with highly educated families in Canada and typically with education, with higher incomes, comes the more liberal attitude toward children’s education and growth.

"The philosophy is that it is better that children at least understand alcohol and drugs and not fear them and overreact to their use.

"If you keep the lines of communication open with your children then when they inevitably do experiment at least they minimize the tragedy that comes from it."

According to a province wide survey of youth carried out in 1998 by the McCreary Centre Society, about 80 per cent of youths aged 17 said they had tried alcohol and about 40 per cent of youths Grade 7-12 said they had used marijuana at least once.

What’s important to realize, said Corrado, is that youth in B.C., while they may be using drugs and alcohol, are not quantitatively excessively violent.

"It is a pretty good generation of young people," he said.

"They are very ambitious, particularly in Whistler. The danger comes always when the use of alcohol and drugs leads to high risk behaviours like jumping off a cliff, driving fast, or boarding when you re stoned."