Photo Illustration by J.D. Pooley

The trend among high school seniors’ reported use of narcotics and alcohol has seen a decline in the last
two years.
Those findings and others were released this morning as part of the in the 2014 Youth Survey sponsored by
Safe Schools, Healthy Students Initiative; the Wood County Educational Services (WCESC) board; and the
Wood County Alcohol, Drug Addiction, Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) board.
The results were released at a special 10th-anniversary celebration meeting of the Wood County Prevention
Coalition at the service center.
Bill Ivoska again compiled the report. This is the 10th year he has done so for Wood County, every two
years.
More than 8,400 Wood County students in grades 5-12 completed the survey in February.
The conclusion? Substance abuse is down, bullying is down, suicide rates are down, and mental health is
improving.
"The results were that with every substance that we trace declined, with only a few exceptions.
Everything was down or no change or insignificant change," he reported.
Also, the rate of decline was very fast, "a larger percentage decline we’ve seen in past
years."
For example, alcohol use among seniors fell from 60.1 percent in 2012 to 51.7 percent in 2014.
Numbers for binge drinking – having five or more drinks – also dropped dramatically, from 28.2 percent in
2012 to 18.9 percent this year.
All numbers quoted are from the survey of senior students.
Ivoska also reported a decline in marijuana usage, for both annual users and those who smoked in the
previous 30 days.
Annual usage fell from 31.3 percent to 24.1 percent; 30-day usage fell from 19.9 percent to 14.8 percent.

Ivoska said that statistic was surprising because across the country, marijuana use is increasing or
staying the same.
Peer approval of smoking cigarettes dropped 10 percent, and peer approval of alcohol use dropped 11
percent.
For a question about approval of friends using marijuana, approval rates went down and disapproval rates
increased, Ivoska stated.
The survey also questioned students on fear of harm from drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana and
cigarettes.
For cigarette users, that fear rose 8 percent; fear of alcohol use went up 1 percent; and marijuana usage
showed mixed messages.
"There seems to be more uncertainty about fear of harm," Ivoska said.
Disapproval rate of marijuana usage among seniors increased to 27.4 percent from 20.7 percent.
Reported use of barbiturates, methamphetamines and steroids also declined among seniors.
Increases were only reported for the use of LSD and ecstasy, and that was only reported in grades 10-12.

There is no evidence of heroin use increasing among students in grades 7-12.
For 2012, 0.9 percent had used the drug; that number dropped to 0.7 percent this year.
Ivoska eliminates 4 percent of responses "because I know they are exaggerated results," he
said, such as a student reporting using drugs that are fake and other inconsistencies with answers.
Questions are identical to a University of Michigan-designed national survey.
A 20-question scale measuring mental health also had surprising, and welcoming, results in grades 7-12.

Ivoska called the results better than they have been in the past eight years.
"The number of kids reporting no problem is increasing, and the number of slight problems is
decreasing," Ivoska stated.
Bullying – whether cyber, verbal, indirect or physical – is also reported to be down in all grades
The number of students reportedly thinking about suicide and attempting it is down from two years ago.

In his report, Ivoska contributes the decline to the 15 evidence-based programs now used in the county.

"A senior is influenced by multiple programs over multiple years. Wood County kids are getting an
abundance of positive prevention programs that they are not receiving in other counties."
The Children’s Resource Center has placed councilors in schools to intervene when students might be at
risk. The WCESC has on-site prevention specialists. Other programs include the Olweus
bullying-prevention program, Guiding Good Choices, Hooked on Fishing – Not On Drugs, Teen Institute and
Junior Teen Institute.
"You’re starting to see some environmental changes and some direct programming results."
He conducts this research every two years for the ADAMHS board as well as the WCESC.
He’s done it for 10 years in Wood County and 24 years in Lucas County.
"Those are a very, very positive sign," said Tom Clemons, executive director of the ADAMHS
board, about the results.
Students with no addiction problems will do better in school, in college and as an employee.
But "we can always do more."
The results of the test are "something that the whole county needs to be proud of," Clemons
stated.
Ivoska indicated he is interested in tracking future use of electronic cigarettes among high school
students.
Among seniors questioned this year, 16.1 percent have tried them, among juniors, the rate is 11.5
percent, the study reported.
Most of the use was experimental, he said.