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Substance Abuse Prevention
Importantly, prevention strategies help the children of Travis County to resist the use of substances (see Appendix D). Children and adolescents are especially vulnerable to substance use and dependence.
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Research indicates that when children reach adulthood without using illegal substances, they are more likely to never develop a chemical dependency problem.
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Their physical and psychological states of development cause them to be highly susceptible to the ill affects of drug use, including alcohol and tobacco, both at the moment of use, and for years to come. Moreover, the behavior patterns that result from preteen and teen drug use often result in tragic consequences. The self-degradation, loss of control, and disruptive, antisocial attitudes that young people develop as a result of drug use can cause untold harm to themselves and their families.
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Risk Factors
Reuters Health (2000) reports that children and adolescents with drug or alcohol abusing parents are much more likely to develop similar habits. It is believed that for children and adolescents, biological factors and environmental factors are combined risks. Community, peer, school, individual and family risk factors (Table 8-3) related to substance abuse are important to identify in order to prevent use.
Risk factors for criminal behavior also relate to the risk that a child will engage in other negative behaviors, such as abusing alcohol or other substances, becoming a teen parent, dropping out of school, etc. Youth who are at greatest risk of engaging in negative behavior are often affected by multiple risk factors. As Figure 8-2 shows, the likelihood that a child will abuse substances and engage in criminal behaviors increases with the number of risk factors.
Thus, in prevention activities, multiple risk factors need to be addressed or negative behavior may not be sufficiently reduced. Reducing the risk factor of substance use and dependence would significantly decrease the prevalence of criminal behavior in Travis County, decrease the economic impact, improve the quality of life among citizens, reduce the human suffering and diminish the impact on long-term health.
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Protective Factors that Prevent Drug Use
In addition to understanding risk factors, it is imperative to recognize protective factors. Protective factors that prevent drug use can be divided into four categories: community, individual/peer, school, and family (Table 8-4). Specific strategies within each of these categories can be utilized to protect or prevent young people from using drugs (NIDA, 1997).
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Age of Onset
The Austin Independent School District (AISD, 1999) surveyed secondary school students as part of the Texas School Survey of Substance Abuse Among Students to determine the age at which they had first used substances. In Texas, the Texas School Survey has been utilized since 1988 to provide information about the substance use problem among young people enrolled in Texas' public schools. This survey is a biennial collaborative initiative between the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (TCADA) and the Public Policy Research Institute (PPRI) at Texas A&M University. TCADA's website reports that not all of the school districts in Travis County have participated in this survey. However, AISD participated and represents the majority of the county. The indicators used in this section will utilize AISD data. Students reported they first tried alcohol and/or tobacco by an average age of 12.3 years or younger. Students reported using marijuana by an average age of 13.5 years.
Students in Austin and Texas are experimenting with substances at an early age. Research indicates that children who reach adulthood without using illegal substances are most likely to never develop a chemical dependency problem. Considering the early age at which many students begin experimenting with substances, prevention efforts must start early, and definitely before age 12.
As cited in Table 8-5, the Texas School Survey of Substance Use Among Students (Kerber, L., and Wallisch, L.S., 1997) reports secondary students average age of first use of licit and illicit drugs occurred between 12.2 and 14.5 years (similar to local data, Table 8-6). The first licit substances used at the earliest age were inhalants, tobacco and alcohol (although these substances were licit for adults, they are illicit for youth). The first illicit drug (marijuana) was used at the average age of 13.5 years.
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Prevention activities can increase the quality of life and reduce the overall impact of substance abuse on the community. Currently, Travis County lacks community-wide coordination of prevention services; a community plan that identifies need and capacity; and specific outcomes that measure the effectiveness of prevention activities. It is recommended that a local plan be developed to address coordination of prevention activities in conjunction with tracking of uniform outcome measures.
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