Community weighs in on alcohol, substance use of area youth

WORLAND – A recent community survey showed that 65% of the community believes that alcohol is a major problem among youth.

In 2018, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded Washakie County Youth Alternatives a Drug-Free Communities Grant (GFCG). They contracted with the Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center (WYSAC) to develop and administer a survey to better understand community views on substance abuse in 2019 and again in 2021.

Results from the 2021 survey were discussed at the Washakie Prevention Coalition meeting on Thursday, April 21.

According to the results, the Survey Research Center (SRC) at WYSAC sent a four-page paper survey to 2,000 randomly selected households in Washakie County. They received 310 complete surveys, a response rate of 16%. However, some respondents did not answer every question. The last time they sent out surveys, in November 2019, they received 371 surveys back.

A total of 55% of the respondents were ages 65 and older. Only 11% of the respondents were currently parenting a school-aged child.

The results show that 65% of the respondents find that alcohol is a major/moderate problem in the community among youth, 12% thought it was minor/not a problem and 34% responded that they didn’t know/weren’t sure.

Forty-nine percent of the respondents had had at least one alcoholic beverage such as beer, wine, malt beverage or liquor within the last 30 days, 14% had had four or more drinks on occasion, 6% had had five or more drinks on occasion, 1% used e-cigarettes or vape and 3% used marijuana or cannabis.

Fifty-four percent of respondents found that marijuana use is a major/moderate problem in the community among youth, 13% thought it was minor/not a problem and 33% were unsure. There were 54% of respondents who agreed that vaping was a major/moderate problem for youth in the community, 10% said it was minor/not a problem and 36% were unsure.

In the respondents’ opinions, 66% of them agree that alcohol poses a major/moderate problem for adults within the community. Forty-five percent of respondents submitted that they think marijuana is a major/moderate problem for adults in the community. Thirty-seven percent of respondents think vaping is a major/moderate problem for the adults in the community.

In the Parents and Substance Abuse portion of the survey, 95% of respondents agreed that they talk with their kids regarding the risks associated with drinking alcohol, 89% agreed they talk regarding the risks of using marijuana and 89% agreed they talk to their kids regarding the risks associated with using e-cigarettes and/or vaping products.

Thirteen percent of parents admitted to allowing their own children under the age of 18 to consume alcohol on more than one occasion.

According to the 2021 Supplemental Analysis, WYSAC analyzed the data from 25- to 54-year old respondents and those who reported having children.

One hundred percent of surveyed parents strongly/somewhat agree that parents should have clear rules about their kids’ drinking, 98% of surveyed parents strongly/somewhat agree that they talk with their kids regarding the risks associated with drinking alcohol and 85% of surveyed parents strongly/somewhat agree that parents should not let their kids drink alcohol at home.

According to the analysis, 79.8% of responders aged 25-54 think the contribution of drugs and alcohol to mental health problems is a major/moderate concern and 92.8% of the respondents from the same group strongly/somewhat agree that drinking and driving laws should be enforced in their community. Of those aged 25-54, 83.3% strongly/somewhat agree that it is not OK for youth to vape or use e-cigarettes. No respondents reported buying alcohol for someone under 18, or hosting an event where people under 18 were drinking.