Substance Use Risk-Taking Behaviors

The Developmental Assets Framework was created by the Search Institute in 1989. This framework offers an outline of 40 assets or "building blocks" that youth need to grow into healthy, competent, and caring adults. According to this theoretical perspective, the more assets youth have, the less likely they are to engage in risky behaviors such as substance use and the more likely they are to engage in thriving behaviors. Locally, Great Lakes Center for Youth Development found this to be true. According to the results from the 2002 Marquette and Alger Counties Profiles of Student Life: Attitudes and Behaviors (Marquette/Alger PSL: AB) survey, youth who have 0-10 of the 40 Developmental Assets reported engaging in an average of 9.8 Risk-Taking Behaviors including substance abuse. These low asset youth also reported having only 2.6 of the 8 Thriving Indicators. Conversely, youth who have 31-40 of the Developmental Assets reported having engaged in only 1.3 of the 24 Risk-Taking Behaviors and having 6.2 of the Thriving Indicators.

This section of the State of the Youth Report takes a close look at the Substance Use Risk-Taking Behaviors including the use of alcohol, tobacco, inhalants, marijuana, and other illicit drugs. It also includes drinking and driving behaviors and youth riding with others who have been drinking. The 0-10 or low asset youth data is presented in this section to spur thinking about the special challenges our low asset youth have and special ecological interventions that may need to be designed. Additionally in this section, substance use data from the 2002 Monitoring the Future National Results on Adolescent Drug Use (Monitoring the Future) survey will be presented. This report was written by Lloyd D. Johnston, Ph.D., Patrick M. O'Malley, Ph.D., and Jerald G. Bachman, Ph.D. from the University of Michigan for the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Every year since 1975, a national sample of 12^th graders has been surveyed. Beginning in 1991, the study was expanded to include a comparable national sample of 8^th graders and 10^th graders each year (Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 2003, p.2).

The 2002 Monitoring the Future sample sizes were 15,100 eighth graders, 14,300 tenth graders and 12,900 twelfth graders. The 2002 Marquette/Alger PSL: AB survey had a sample size of 2,128 students: 727 eighth graders, 680 tenth graders, and 718 twelfth graders. The 0-10 data was collected from a special data cut from Search Institute from the 2000 Marquette/Alger PSL: AB survey. This data cut contained a sample of 412 youth from Marquette and Alger Counties who reported having 0-10 of the 40 Developmental Assets. Of these 412 students, there were 270 males and 140 females. The student population falls out evenly across the grades, 8^th (131) 10^th (137) and 12^th (142) students.

Local Trends in Alcohol Use

"Alcoholic beverages — which include beer, wine, wine coolers, and hard liquor — have been among the most widely used substances by American young people for a very long time" (Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman 2003, p. 30). From the 2002 Marquette/Alger PSL: AB survey, the proportions of 8^th, 10^th and 12^th graders who indicated drinking alcohol in the last 30 days were 21%, 36% and 49% respectively. As illustrated by the chart above, Marquette and Alger County young people reported using alcohol at almost the exact same rate as the national average for each grade level. Of the 0-10 asset youth, females (74%) are more likely than males (65%) to report having "used alcohol once or more in the last 30 days." These low asset youth are much more likely than higher asset youth to use alcohol in 8^th grade.

National Perceived Risk of Alcohol Use

According to the 2002 Monitoring the Future survey, there has been an increase in the perceived risk associated with binge drinking. "We believe that the public service advertising campaigns in the 1980's against drunk driving, in general as well as those that urged use of designated drivers when drinking, may have contributed to the increase in perceived risk of binge drinking. As we have published elsewhere, drunk driving by 12^th graders declined during that period by an even larger proportion than did binge drinking" (Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 2003, p. 30).

Local Trends in Alcohol Use

According to the 2002 Marquette/Alger PSL: AB survey results, local 8^th grade youth indicated they binge drink at almost two times that of the national average for 8^th grade youth. Although differences in the rates of youth between local youth and the national average are not as great in 10^th and 12^th grades, local youth still reported binge drinking at higher than national rates. While local data shows an increase in binge drinking from 1997 to 2000, the 2002 rates are below 1997 rates in the aggregate and for males and females. The 1997 survey results indicated 20% of 8^th grade youth engage in binge drinking behaviors. However in 2002, only 12% of 8^th grade youth reported this behavior. Of the 0-10 asset youth, 54% reported having "got drunk once or more in the last two weeks." Females are more likely than males to report engaging in this behavior.

National Disapproval of Binge Drinking

According to the 2002 Monitoring the Future survey, "Disapproval of weekend binge drinking moved fairly parallel with perceived risk suggesting that increasingly such drinking (and very likely the drunk-driving behavior often associated with it) became unacceptable in the peer group" (Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 2003, p. 30).

National Availability of Alcohol

According to the 2002 Monitoring the Future survey, "Perceived availability of alcohol, which until 1999 was asked only of 8^th and 10^th graders, has been very high and mostly steady in the 1990s although there has been significant decline in 8^th grade (particularly) and 10^th grade since 1996. For 12^th grade, availability has remained at a very high level" (Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 2003, p. 30).

Local Trends in Tobacco Use

According to the Marquette/Alger PSL: AB results from 1997, 2000, and 2002, there have been significant declines in reported cigarette use for 8^th, 10^th, and 12^th grade students. In 1997 and 2000, males were more likely than females to be cigarette users; however in 2002, females are more likely than males to be cigarette users. Marquette and Alger youth reported smoking at higher rates than the national sample of youth. Additionally, the above graph clearly illustrates cigarette use by low asset youth is much higher than the national or local average for all youth. Low asset females (68%) are more likely than low asset males (57%) to report smoking cigarettes.

National Disapproval of Tobacco Use

According to the 2002 Monitoring the Future survey, "In the two lower grades, a decline in disapproval occurred between 1991 and 1996 corresponding to the period of sharply increasing use. Since those low points, there has been a steady increase in disapproval of tobacco use in all grades. A number of other attitudes related to smoking have been becoming more negative, as well" (Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 2003, p. 32).

National Availability of Cigarettes

According to the 2002 Monitoring the Future survey, "Availability of cigarettes is reported as very high by 8^th and 10^th graders. (The Monitoring the Future survey does not ask the question of 12^th graders for whom it is assumed accessibility to be nearly universal.) Since 1996, availability has been declining; more sharply among the 8^th graders. In 2002, availability decreased significantly for both 8^th and 10^th graders" (Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 2003, p. 32).

Local Trends in Inhalant Use

From 1997 to 2000, there was a significant decline in the reported use of inhalants by Marquette and Alger County youth, 14% and 8% respectively. Results from the 2002 survey indicate a slight upward trend in use. As the above chart illustrates, 8^th grade youth are much more likely to be inhalant users than both 10^th, and 12^th grade youth. This appears to be consistent with the downward trend of inhalant use by 8^th, 10^th and 12^th grade students on a national level. Eighteen percent of low asset youth reported inhalant use; of these low asset youth, females are more likely (22%) than low asset males (16%) to engage in this behavior.

National Perceived Risk of Inhalant Use

According to the 2002 Monitoring the Future survey, "Only 8^th and 10^th graders have been asked questions about the degree of risk they associate with inhalant use. Relatively low proportions of them think that there is a "great risk" in using an inhalant once or twice. There was an upward shift in this belief between 1995 and 1996 and again in 2001 when a significant increase in perceived risk was seen in both 8^th and 10^th grades" (Johnston, O'Malley & Bachman, 2003, p. 10).

National Disapproval of Inhalants

According to the 2002 Monitoring the Future survey, "Quite high proportions of students say they would disapprove of even trying an inhalant. There has been a very gradual upward drift in this attitude since 1995" (Johnston, O'Malley & Bachman, 2003, p. 10).

Local Trends in Marijuana Use

According to the 1997 and 2000 Marquette/Alger PSL: AB survey, marijuana use remained stable as reported in the aggregate and by gender. However from 2000 to 2002, marijuana use dropped significantly, 43% vs. 27% respectively. Both males and females decreased their rates of use between 2000 and 2002. As illustrated by the chart above, Marquette and Alger County youth are more likely to use marijuana than the national average and 12^th grade youth in each data set are more likely to smoke marijuana than both 10^th and 8^th grade students. In all three grades, low asset youth are much more likely to use marijuana than higher asset youth, with a spike in use between 8^th and 10^th grade. Males and females students who have low assets used marijuana at about the same rates.

National Perceived Risk of Marijuana Use

According to the 2002 Monitoring the Future survey, the amount of perceived risk associated with using marijuana fell during the earlier period of increased use and again during the more recent resurgence of use in the 1990's. Indeed, at 10^th and 12^th grades, perceived risk began to decline a year before use began to rise in the upturn of the 1990s, making perceived risk a leading indicator of change in use (Johnston, O'Malley & Bachman, 2003, p.8).

National Availability of Marijuana

Since the study began (Monitoring the Future) in 1975, between 83% and 90% of every senior class have said that they could get marijuana fairly easily or very easily if they wanted some; therefore, it seems clear that this has remained a highly accessible drug. Since 1991, when data was also available for 8^th and 10^th graders, the Monitoring the Future survey has seen marijuana considerably less accessible to younger adolescents. Still in 2002, nearly half of the 8^th graders and more than three-quarters of the 10^th graders reported it as being accessible.

Local Trends in Cocaine Use

As the above chart illustrates, according to the 2002 Monitoring the Future survey, there was a slight increase in cocaine use from 8^th to 12^th grade. However, according to the 2002 Marquette/Alger PSL: AB survey, there was a significant increase in cocaine use from 8^th to 12^th grade. According to the low asset youth data, there is a profound spike in the number of youth who reported using cocaine from 8^th to 10^th grade and stays at 18% through 12^th grade. Looking at this data by gender, there is not a significant difference between males and females in their reported lifetime use and use within the last 12 months.

National Perceived Risk of Cocaine Use

According to the 2002 Monitoring the Future survey, "...Perceived risk for experimental use fell in the late 1970s (when use was rising), stayed level in the first half of the 1980s (when use was level), and then jumped very sharply in a single year, 14 percentage points between 1986 and 1987 just when the substantial decline in use began" (Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 2003, p. 14). "Perceived risk began to decline after 1991, and use began a long rise a year later. Perceived risk leveled in recent years, as has use" (Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 2003, p. 14).

National Availability of Cocaine

According to the 2002 Monitoring the Future survey, "The proportion of 12^th graders saying that it would be fairly easy or very easy for them to get cocaine if they wanted some was 33% in 1977, rose to 48% by 1980, held fairly level through 1985, increased further to 59% by 1989, fell back to about 49% by 1993, and rose to 51% in 2002" (Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 2003, p.14).

Local Trends in LSD/Acid Use

According to the 2002 Marquette/Alger PSL: AB survey results, 8^th, 10^th, and 12^th grade students reported use of LSD or acid remains fairly stable across the grades. However, looking at the data longitudinally, there was a spike in use among 12^th grade students from 1997 (9%) to 2000 (15%). This spike then fell below that of 1997 levels in 2002 (3%). Looking at the data for 0-10 asset youth, there is a familiar spike in use from 8^th to 10^th grade. However, rather than seeing the leveling off from 10^th to 12^th grade, the trajectory continues to climb in 12^th grade for 0-10 asset youth. Looking at the low asset youth data by gender, there is not a significant difference between males and females in reported LSD or acid use.

National Trends in LSD/Acid Use

According to the 2002 Monitoring the Future survey, "the annual prevalence of LSD use has remained below 10% for the last 27 years. Use had declined some in the first 10 years of the study, likely continuing a decline that had begun before 1975. Use had been fairly level in the latter half of the 1980s but, as was true for a number of other drugs, use rose in all three grades between 1991 and 1996. After significant declines in all three grades, annual prevalence is now at the lowest point since data collection began. All grades showed declines in 2002, with a particularly sharp decline in 12^th grade" (Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 2003, p. 12).

Local Trends in Heroin Use

According to 2002 Marquette/Alger data, Marquette and Alger County youth in all three-grade levels use heroin at higher rates than the national average. Low asset youth have the familiar spike in heroin use between 8^th and 10^th grade with a continuing increase through 12^th grade. Low asset female youth are slightly more likely than low asset males to report heroin use. Looking at this information over time, heroin use from 1997 to 2002 remains very stable in the aggregate, by gender and by grade. According to the 2002 Monitoring the Future survey, "In 2000, it (heroin use) declined significantly at 8^th grade while rising significantly at 12^th; but in 2001, annual prevalence declined significantly to 0.9% in both 10^th and 12^th grades. No significant change was observed in 2002" (Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 2003, p. 22).

National Perceived Risk of Heroin Use

According to the 2002 Monitoring the Future survey, "Students have long seen heroin to be one of the most dangerous drugs, which no doubt helps to account both for the consistently high level of personal disapproval of use and the quite low prevalence of use" (Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 2003, p. 22).

National Availability of Heroin

According to the 2002 Monitoring the Future survey, "The proportion of 12^th grade students saying they could get heroin fairly easily if they wanted some, remained around 20% through the mid-1980s; it then increased considerably from 1986 to 1992, before stabilizing at about 35%" (Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 2003, p.22).

Local Trends in Amphetamine Use

The trend in amphetamine use among Marquette and Alger County youth follows that of national trends quite closely. In both data sets, there is an increase in use from 8^th to 10^th grade and a very small increase from 10^th to 12^th grade. Considering the data from local low asset youth, the familiar spike between 9th and 10^th grade exists with a leveling off at 30% between 10^th and 12^th grade students. Looking at this data by gender, there is no significant difference between males and females.

National Trends in Amphetamine Use

"As with many other illicit drugs, amphetamines made a comeback in the 1990s, with annual prevalence starting to rise by 1992 among 8^th graders and by 1993 among the 10^th and 12^th graders. Use peaked in the lower two grades by 1996 and in 12^th grade by 1997. Since those peak years, use declined significantly in 8^th grade, modestly in 10^th before leveling, and not at all in 12^th" (Johnston, O'Malley, Bachman, 2003, p. 18).

National Availability of Amphetamines

According to the 2002 Monitoring the Future survey, "When the students started in 1997, amphetamines had a high level of reported availability. The level fell by about 10 percentage points by 1977, drifted up a bit through 1980, jumped sharply in 1981. There began a long, gradual decline through 1991. There was a modest increase in availability at all three grade levels in the early 1990s, followed by some decline in the mid-1990s, and stability after 1997" (Johnston, O'Malley, Bachman, 2003, p. 18).

Local Trends of Driving After Drinking

According to the 2002 Marquette/Alger PSL: AB survey, despite tremendous efforts to decrease drinking and driving behavior, there are still young people who engage in this behavior. Low asset youth engage in this behavior at significantly higher rates than other youth. The question had been posed to Great Lakes Center for Youth Development about 8^th grade youth reporting drinking and driving. In discussing this with a group of 8^th grade students, they reported drinking and driving at this age typically occurs in two different ways. The first scenario offered was young people using alcohol at an unsupervised home and having access to car keys. The group simply decides to "take the party to the beach" and one of the youth will drive the group. The second scenario offered was young people who have parties at camp. Some young people have access to a car at camp that the youth will "drive around doing nothing." The youth reported they don't typically bring this vehicle "on the road" but will drive on dirt or woods roads.

Local Trends of Rode with a Driver Who Had Been Drinking

According to the 2002 Marquette/Alger PSL: AB survey results, about one third of young people indicate they "rode with a driver who had been drinking." Young people with 0-10 assets are much more likely to engage in this behavior than higher asset youth. In fact, by 12^th grade nearly 70% of low asset youth engage in this behavior. Low asset females (73%) are more likely than low asset males (59%) to engage in this behavior.

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This page was last updated on Tuesday, January 06th, 2009