REALITY CHECK 2006 –

The Truth about Underage Drinking

What is the truth – the whole truth – about the degree of underage drinking and drug use by teens and preteens in Palo Alto?

For the past three years, a collaborative of local agencies, schools and concerned Palo Alto citizens has been trying to find out just that – so that there is an accurate assessment of the problem and strategies are developed based on reliable, local data.

We would like you to hear directly from Palo Alto students themselves – all 4,676 -- who gave their time and, we strongly believe, sincere responses to a voluntary, confidential and anonymous survey conducted at PAUSD’s 5 secondary schools in the spring of 2006.

The Worst of Times? The Best of Times? Which is it?

“The Survey says…” a little of both. Results from two years of surveying teens and preteens in Palo Alto reveal three main findings that at first glance may seem contradictory. In fact, all three are fundamental and inseparable components of the whole truth, and are essential to consolidate in our thinking, conversations and strategizing about underage drinking, drug use and their related risks.

1. Palo Alto has a problem of alcohol and substance use and abuse in its student population.

Middle and high school students were asked how frequently they use tobacco, alcohol, marijuana and other illicit drugs (cocaine, amphetamines, hallucinogens, inhalants, designer drugs, cold medicines, etc.)

§ For every illicit substance listed on the survey, there is at least some degree of use reported by students at both the middle and high school levels.

§ Alcohol, marijuana and tobacco, respectively, are the substances with the highest reported use during high school.

§ The readily accessible substances, inhalants and cold medicines, follow alcohol and marijuana in highest reported use at the middle school level.

§ 227 students reported they use alcohol at least once a week.

§ Approximately 100 students reported they have suffered negative consequences such as cutting class, grades negatively affected, damaged relationships and missed or poor athletic performance more than once in the past 12 months due to alcohol use.

§ More than 1000 students reported they rode in a car with a driver under the influence of alcohol at least once in the past year. (No distinction was made as to the driver being a parent or a peer).

§ 295 high school students reported they drove a car under the influence of alcohol at least once in the past year.

§ 388 students reported that their parents allow them and their friends to drink alcohol in their home.

Is this cause for concern? Absolutely. But is “Everybody Doing It?” No.

2. The majority of students are making healthy decisions with regard to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.

When the focus does shift to what “everybody” is – or “MOST students” are – doing, the data is clear that MOST Palo Alto teens and preteens are not involved with alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs.

Middle School Norms:

The overwhelming majority of students in Palo Alto’s sixth, seventh and eighth grades report they have never used alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or any other drugs.

§ Greater than two out of three say they have never even tried alcohol.

§ Although marijuana, inhalants, cold medicine and tobacco are the most used substances after alcohol, more than 94% of middle school students surveyed report they have never used.

§ All other drugs on the survey – cocaine, amphetamines, hallucinogens, designer drugs, etc. – had a reported “never-used” rate of 99% or greater.

§ 9 out of 10 express healthy attitudes about avoiding alcohol, tobacco and other drug use – and wanting their friends to avoid substance use as well.

High School Norms:

§ Nearly 8 out of 10 students say they have never tried tobacco.

§ 77% say they disapprove of their friends smoking.

§ When it comes to alcohol, lifetime abstinence among high school students is not “the norm”. (A majority of students report they have at least tried or use alcohol to some degree).

§ However, 7 out of 10 high school students report they drink alcohol once or twice a year or less – with 4 of the 7 reporting they “never use”.

§ 63% of high school students say they would rather not drink alcohol when hanging out with their friends and they have not “been drunk” in the past year.

§ Nearly 6 out of 10 agree that “getting drunk is never a good thing to do”.

§ 8 out of 10 students who attend school dances say they have never used alcohol before or during a dance and 6 out of 10 agree that “drinking at dances is never a good thing to do”.

§ 7 out of 10 students report they have never used marijuana and 68% disapprove of their friends smoking marijuana frequently.

For every other drug listed on the survey – including cocaine, amphetamines, hallucinogens, designer drugs, cold medicines, Ritalin, etc. –

- More than 9 out of 10 high school students report lifetime non-use.

- 71% disapprove of their friends trying drugs other than marijuana.

- 85% disapprove of their friends using other drugs frequently.

Parents’ Role:

§ 4,252 middle and high school students (91%) say their parents do not allow them and their friends to use alcohol in their home.

§ 3,642 students (81%) say parents should communicate with them about NOT using alcohol and other drugs.

§ On average only 50% of students say their parents have discussed family rules about alcohol, tobacco and other drug use in the past 12 months.

3. A large majority of students are overestimating the prevalence of substance use – and underestimating the prevalence of healthy behaviors & attitudes – among their peers.

In the survey, students were asked for their perception of their school peers’ involvement with alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

The data shows students at both levels – but particularly the high school level – dramatically overestimate (misperceive) the degree to which MOST students are using alcohol and drugs. This relationship between reported use and student overestimation held true for every drug, behavior, and attitude surveyed.

Below are a few examples from the high school level.

§ Nearly 80% of high school students report never having used tobacco, yet

only 2 in 10 accurately perceive that most students do not use tobacco.

§ 7 out of 10 high school students use alcohol 1-2 times a year or not at all, yet just 5 out of 10 accurately perceive this moderate level of use is the norm.

§ 69% of students say they’ve never even tried marijuana, yet

fewer than 2 in 10 students state that non-use is the norm for marijuana.

§ 82% of students have never used any drug other than marijuana, yet

fewer than 3 in 10 accurately perceive the majority of their peers have no involvement with illicit drugs.

§ Slightly less than 2 in 10 students say they drink alcohol at dances, but the

average estimate for the number of students they think drink at dances is 33%.

§ 8 in 10 students say tobacco use is never a good thing to do, yet

only 4 in 10 think this attitude is held by the majority of their peers.

§ 75% of students have not ridden with a “driver under the influence”, yet only

3 in 10 perceive that the majority of students practice this healthy behavior.

§ 88.5% of students have NOT driven under the influence of alcohol, but less than 4 in 10 recognize that the majority of their peers do not drink and drive.

“But were students honest?”

Given the degree of misperception revealed in the surveys, as well as legitimate concerns about self-report surveys, questioning the reliability of this data was, and is, absolutely expected. What we did not expect was the number of individuals (parents, community members, news media, and students) who concluded the data was unreliable based on a perception that “everyone lied”. Careful measures were taken to ensure the

credibility of these results, and to ensure they accurately reflect the student voices.

§ The Web-based survey was developed and hosted, and data was collected and analyzed by expert consultants at the Montana Social Norms Project.

§ The survey was voluntary, confidential, and completely anonymous.

§ “Honesty filters” were embedded in the survey & applied in data analysis.

- Of students at all PAUSD secondary schools, 5,027 students were surveyed.

- Of the surveys, 351 failed the honesty filters.

- The final data reflects 80 percent of PAUSD secondary students – and the voices of 4,676 individual students.

- Student responses were nearly identical across the three middle schools and between the two high schools.

- 2,654 high school and 2,022 middle school students would have had to coordinate their responses to create patterns this similar.

§ We appreciate that students trusted us and were brave enough and honest enough to share their experiences on monthly, weekly and daily substance use.

§ The consistency of results over 3 years of surveying lends further credibility that overall, the data is reliable.

§ ** The most reliable national and state surveys confirm that this generation of teenagers has:

- Decreased its use of alcohol and tobacco and other drugs every year for the past 4 years.

- Reduced its drinking and driving more than any other age group.

- Reduced its pregnancy rate to the lowest since 1976.

- Reduced its teen birth and abortion rates dramatically since 1990.

What is the harm of overestimating teen involvement in alcohol and other drugs? Perceived norms are some of the strongest predictors of future health behavior – as individuals tend to behave to what they think is typical or accepted. This has been shown to be especially true in “peer-intensive” environments – during adolescence and on college campuses – when the internal urge to conform is very powerful. Misperceived norms are the hidden risk factor not usually addressed in efforts to reduce underage drinking and drug use. In fact, many traditional efforts using scare tactics alone have been shown to increase misperceptions and contribute to the problem. Norm clarification is considered to be the essential component in effective, evidence-based drug education curricula.

As students mature they will likely encounter complex social situations and challenging personal decisions about alcohol and drug use. At the very least, they need and deserve an accurate context about their peers’ true behaviors and attitudes when making these very important decisions.

Believing that “everybody’s doing it” or that alcohol use is a “rite of passage” can delay or prevent those who need intervention and treatment, from seeking & receiving it. Parents, teachers, community members, the media and students can all be “carriers” of these misperceptions. Realizing that substance use, driving under the influence and other risky behavior is extreme and outside the norm can be the difference in recognizing a problem exists and getting students the help they need.

The seriousness of the very real problem of underage drinking, drug use and the related risks is not the same as its prevalence.

Are we giving this generation of teens the listening, the feedback, the type of conversations and the truth their behavior deserves?

** For national and state data: www.safestate.org/documents/css03mainfindings.pdf http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org/indicators/80SubstanceFreeYouth.cfm www.monitoringthefuture.org ; For social norms: www.mostofus.org; www.socialnorms.org

Information provided by the Palo Alto Collaborative to Reduce Underage Alcohol & Drug Use