The results of the Illinois Department of Human Services 2012 Youth Health Survey indicate that teen substance abuse has decreased 4 percent in the LZHS community.
The survey, released this year, reported numerous amounts of data regarding the use of illegal substances and the health habits among LZHS graduates and current students.
The percentage of LZHS students who have consumed beer, wine, or hard liquor outside of school averages to about 54 percent of students.
The data shows that in the past year, the number of students who have consumed alcohol are 38 percent of freshman, 49 percent of sophomores, 59 percent of juniors, and 71 percent of seniors, while 34 percent of all students admitted to drinking in the 30 days before the survey.
In the past 30 days the average percentage of students at LZHS that drank some type of alcohol is about 34 percent.
The data regarding alcohol consumption in the past 30 days for LZHS proves to be lower than the national average which is 39 percent, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC)’s website.
“I like to think that some of the numbers for Lake Zurich High School are smaller than the national average because of the demographic of the community,” Patrick Finlon, Lake Zurich Police Chief, said. “Lake Zurich is a great community to live in and raise a family.”
One of the police department’s main concerns is the easy access students have to alcohol and drugs, according to Finlon.
In the survey, 39 percent of students reported it is very easy to obtain alcohol.
“As far as alcohol goes, students either receive it from parents or are stealing the alcohol from other citizen’s homes,” Finlon said. “We are trying harder than ever to put a stop to availability of alcohol to underage citizens.”
The survey revealed the number of District 95 students drinking alcohol and using drugs is more prominent in younger ages. Between both Middle School North and Middle School South, 11 percent of sixth graders reported to have consumed alcohol in the past year. In the nation, the average age that young adults had their first alcoholic drink is 12 years old, according to Drug Free’s website.
As a result of the overall data of the 2012 Youth Survey, the Ela Coalition Against Youth Substance Abuse, a local group battling teen substance abuse, plans to work with community members to help educate adults and teens to prevent further drug and alcohol problems.
“We have started and will continue to create prevention programs for teens at a younger age,” Susan Fackler, director of Ela Township social work and youth programs, said. “For these programs we will target middle school students because the key to preventing substance abuse is to act before they decide to experiment, not after.”
Prior to results of past surveys, LZHS took steps to fill the gap between parents and students regarding substance abuse.
The Ela Coalition Against Youth Substance Abuse plans to hold multiple information forums to clearly explain results and the steps that will be taken to enforce any needed action due to the data, according to Fackler.
“Students answered the questions truthfully as they perceive their high school experiences, which would indicate a valid amount of data,” Fackler said. “Some results could be surprising to both parents and students. We want to work on educating adults as well as students on how to view the data accurately.”
Compared to Lake County, LZ reported higher percentages regarding illegal behaviors in almost every category.
“Although there are still bad behaviors going on at the high school, the numbers of these bad behaviors are gradually decreasing with every year,” Finlon said. “Out of 2,000 students at LZHS, not everyone will abide by the rules, but we are taking every step to make sure that we know what those students are doing and how we can stop it.”