Survey turns focus on substance abuse

Community activists and school officials are sifting the results of a recent study to determine the real degree of drug and alcohol use among Sisters youth.

Some numbers in the Department of Education-sponsored survey were startling, but may offer a distorted picture of how much drinking and drugging really goes on in Sisters.

One statistic that raised eyebrows was the fact that 81 percent of 11th graders in Sisters have tried alcohol, compared with an average of 73 percent across Oregon.

However, the figure for Sisters students who had tried alcohol the previous year was 78 percent, indicating that alcohol use among students is not rising dramatically -- in fact, it has remained fairly constant.

High school counselor Debbie Newport assessed the survey as a snapshot in time.

"This survey provides a snapshot on how students on a particular day in April were feeling about drug and alcohol use," she said.

Newport noted that the 81 percent figure had to do with whether students had ever tried alcohol throughout their entire lives.

A more helpful statistic, she noted, was that 41 percent of Sisters 11th graders reportedly had used alcohol within the past 30 days (compared with 40 percent statewide.)

"This is where the problem with alcohol abuse among students is," she said. "The real issue is the problem of frequent substance abuse."

Additionally, the prior survey year of 2000 reported that 61 percent of the juniors at Sisters High had used alcohol within the past thirty days (45 percent statewide).

In other words, frequent alcohol use among the high school population has actually dropped significantly (from 61 percent in 2000 to 41 percent in 2001.)

While this drop in frequent use may be an encouraging sign, the problem of teenage substance abuse in Sisters remains.

The Community Action Team of Sisters (CATS) is taking a role in addressing the issue.

"I knew there was a problem," said CATS director Lorri Craig. "I've had two kids go through the high school here. I was naïve about the problem for a long time.

"When my kids would tell me they were going camping, I'd think, 'That's great. They are experiencing the great outdoors. What a wholesome activity.' I'd pack chocolate and marshmallows and graham crackers so they could make s'mores.

"What I later learned is that in Sisters 'camping' is a euphemism for 'partying'. Kids go drinking in the woods. That's camping."

While alcohol remains the drug of choice among Sisters youth, 30 percent reported that they have used "other drugs" -- including Ecstasy, cocaine, LSD and amphetamines at some point in their lives.

This represented a slight drop from 33 percent in 2000.

Statewide, 17 percent of high school 11th graders reported using other drugs, and this figure has remained consistent the past two years.

The percentage of Sisters High School juniors who reported having used other drugs during the past 30 days was 12 percent, down from 20 percent the previous year.

Across Oregon, 11 percent of 11th graders reported using other drugs within the past 30 days in each of the last two surveys.

One alarming statistic was that among sixth graders in Sisters, 9 percent admitted using inhalants in the last 30 days, up from 4 percent the previous year.

Statewide, 5 percent of sixth graders reported using inhalants on a frequent basis in 2001, down from 7 percent in 2000.

The relatively small number of students in the Sisters School District allows for greater fluctuation in the survey results.

"We have such a small population that a few skewed answers can present a false view," said Superintendent Steve Swisher. "But the point should not be lost about the seriousness and prevalence of drug use among the student population."