TEXAS SCHOOL SURVEY OF DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE

EDGEWOOD ISD

SECONDARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

OVERVIEW

In the Spring of 1995, the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, in conjunction with
the Public Policy Research Institute at Texas A&M University, administered a survey to
students in grades 7 and 8 in the Edgewood Independent School District (EISD). A total of 119
students completed the questionnaire, which asked about students' experiences with alcohol and
drugs. Of that number, 11 surveys were excluded from analysis because students did not
indicate their grade or age, or because they were identified as exaggerators (i.e., claimed to have
used a non-existent drug or reported overly excessive drug use). The final number of surveys
included in the overall district analysis was 108.1

Students' responses to the questionnaire indicate that:

•Forty-five percent of Edgewood ISD students reported using tobacco at least once
during their lifetimes, and 20 percent said they had used tobacco during the past
month.

•Two percent of Edgewood ISD students said they smoke cigarettes on a daily basis,
while 2 percent reported using a smokeless tobacco product on a daily basis.

•Fifty-two percent of Edgewood ISD students said they had used alcohol at least once
during their lifetimes, and 19 percent reported using alcohol during the past
month.

•Six percent of Edgewood ISD students reported attending at least one class during the
past year while "drunk."

•Lifetime use of inhalants was reported by 10 percent of Edgewood ISD students, while
past-month inhalant use was reported by 5 percent.

•Seven percent of Edgewood ISD students reported using marijuana at least once during
their lifetimes, and 4 percent said they had used marijuana during the past
month.

1 The percentages referred to in the executive summary were taken from the tables found in "Part I:District
Survey Results." Due to the differences in rounding procedures, there may be slight discrepancies between the
percentages referred to in the tables and those reflected in the executive summary.

1
•Edgewood ISD students are most likely to turn to friends for help with a drug or
alcohol problem (77 percent) and least likely to consult a counselor or program
in school (25 percent).

Tobacco

Between 1992 and 1994, the general use of tobacco (including cigarettes and smokeless
products) among students statewide stayed much the same. 2 Overall, the general use of tobacco
products, especially cigarettes, among Edgewood ISD 7th and 8th grade students is somewhat
similar to that reported by their counterparts statewide; however, use of smokeless tobacco
products among Edgewood students is higher than that reported by 7th and 8th graders
statewide.

Forty-five percent of Edgewood students reported general tobacco use at least once during their
lifetimes (46 percent statewide).3 Twenty percent of Edgewood ISD students said they had
used a tobacco product during the past month, the same rate reported by 7th and 8th graders
statewide.

Forty-four percent of Edgewood students reported smoking cigarettes at least once during their
lifetimes (44 percent statewide), and 12 percent said they had smoked cigarettes during the past
month (18 percent statewide). Smoking cigarettes on a daily basis was reported by 2 percent of
district students (4 percent statewide), while 8 percent said most or all of their close friends
smoke cigarettes.4

Lifetime use of smokeless tobacco products was reported by 26 percent of EISD students (13
percent statewide), while 14 percent said they had used a smokeless tobacco product during the
past month (4 percent statewide), rates higher than those reported by 7th and 8th grade students
statewide. Using a smokeless tobacco product on a daily basis was reported by 2 percent of
district students (1 percent statewide), and 9 percent said most or all of their close friends use
smokeless tobacco.

Alcohol

2 Statewide data is collected every other year. The statewide data used for comparison purposes in the district
report and executive summary is taken from the results of the survey administered in 1994.

3 Due to the small number of students surveyed in this district, no between-grade comparisons can be made.

4 Because a non-standard grade combination was surveyed in this district, some statewide data are
unavailable for comparisons throughout this summary.

2
Alcohol is the most widely used substance among students statewide and in the Edgewood ISD.
Alcohol use among secondary students in 1994 was similar to that reported in 1992. Overall,
Edgewood ISD students are drinking alcohol at rates somewhat lower than those reported by
their peers statewide.

Fifty-two percent of Edgewood students reported consuming alcohol at least once during their
lifetimes, compared to 63 percent of 7th and 8th grade students statewide. Nineteen percent of
Edgewood ISD students said they had consumed alcohol during the past month, a rate lower
than that reported by 7th and 8th graders statewide (29 percent).

The alcoholic beverages most often consumed by Edgewood students are beer (36 percent/47
percent statewide) and wine coolers (36 percent/47 percent statewide), rates lower than those
reported by their counterparts statewide. Nineteen percent of EISD students said they drink
beer on a weekly or monthly basis (27 percent statewide), and 15 percent said they drink wine
coolers weekly or monthly (26 percent statewide), rates also lower than those reported by 7th
and 8th graders statewide.

"Binge drinking" is the consumption of five or more beers, wine coolers, servings of wine, or
drinks with liquor at one time. Twenty-seven percent of Edgewood ISD students reported
"binge drinking" beer at least once during the past year (29 percent statewide), while 12 percent
said they usually drink five or more beers at a time on average when they drink (14 percent
statewide). Past-year "binge drinking" of wine coolers was reported by 21 percent of EISD
students (30 percent statewide), while 8 percent said they usually drink five or more wine
coolers at a time on average when they drink (15 percent statewide).

Students were asked about the availability of alcohol and its use at school, among friends, and
at parties. Fifty-nine percent of Edgewood ISD students said beer, wine, wine coolers, or liquor
were somewhat easy or very easy to obtain (64 percent statewide), and 6 percent reported
attending at least one class during the past school year while "drunk" (9 percent statewide).
Thirteen percent of district students reported most or all of their close friends drink alcohol, a
rate lower than that reported by 7th and 8th graders statewide (24 percent). Sixteen percent of
EISD students responded "from friends" when asked where they obtained alcohol most of the
time or always. "Difficulties of any kind" with friends because of one's own drinking was
reported by 3 percent of EISD students (7 percent statewide).

Seventeen percent of Edgewood students said alcohol was used at most or all of the parties they
attended in the past school year (19 percent statewide). Fifteen percent of district students
responded "at parties" when asked where they obtain alcohol most of the time or always, while
4 percent of EISD students said they get alcohol "from the store" most of the time or always.

Parental attitudes can be a major factor in whether or not a student uses alcohol or drugs. When
asked how their parents feel about kids their age drinking beer, 85 percent of Edgewood
students said their parents strongly or mildly disapprove (77 percent statewide). Eleven percent
of district students said they "don't know" how their parents feel about kids their age drinking

3
beer (13 percent statewide), and 4 percent said their parents neither approve nor disapprove (7
percent statewide).

Inhalants5

In general, inhalants are common, licit substances (paints, thinners, correction fluid, glue, etc.)
which, when sniffed, huffed, or inhaled, produce an intoxicating effect. Between 1992 and
1994, use of inhalants among students statewide decreased. Overall, Edgewood ISD students
are using inhalants at rates somewhat lower than those reported by their counterparts statewide.

Ten percent of Edgewood students reported using inhalants at least once during their lifetimes,
compared to 22 percent of 7th and 8th graders statewide. Five percent of Edgewood ISD
students said they had used inhalants during the past month (7 percent statewide).

Three percent of EISD students reported most or all of their close friends use inhalants (4
percent statewide), and 1 percent said they had attended at least one class during the past school
year while "high" on inhalants (6 percent statewide). Six percent of EISD students said they
had used two or more different kinds of inhalant substances during their lifetimes (14 percent
statewide).

Six percent of district students reported inhaling substances in the "other inhalants" category (10
percent statewide), 5 percent said they had inhaled glue (7 percent statewide), 5 percent
reported inhaling gasoline (7 percent statewide), 4 percent reported inhaling correction
fluid/Liquid Paper (12 percent statewide), 4 percent said they had inhaled liquid/spray paint (8
percent statewide), 4 percent said they had inhaled paint thinner (7 percent statewide), and 3
percent reported inhaling substances in the "other sprays" category (5 percent statewide) at least
once during their lifetimes.

Illicit Drugs

Illicit drugs are defined as controlled substances and include marijuana, cocaine (powdered
form and crack), uppers (stimulants), downers (narcotics), hallucinogens, and ecstasy. Between
1992 and 1994, the use of illicit drugs among students statewide increased. The use of
marijuana, the most frequently used illicit substance, also increased among students statewide
over that two year period.

In the Edgewood ISD, 9 percent of students reported use of illicit drugs at least once during
their lifetimes (19 percent statewide), while 4 percent of EISD students said they had used one
or more illicit substances three or more times (12 percent statewide), rates somewhat lower than
those reported by 7th and 8th grade students statewide. Statewide, students who said they had
5 Lifetime and current inhalant use figures have been adjusted to reflect reported use of both specific inhalants
and inhalant use generally. Some students responded positive to specific use without responding positive to
generic use. Some students responded positive to generic use but not specific inhalants.

4
used illicit drugs reported using them an average of 0.9 times in the past 30 days and 2.2 times
during their lives. Edgewood students reported average usage rates of 1.0 times in the past
month and 1.0 times during their lifetimes.

Seven percent of EISD students reported using marijuana at least once in their lifetimes, a rate
lower than that reported by their 7th and 8th grade peers statewide (17 percent). Past-month
marijuana use was reported by 4 percent of Edgewood ISD students (8 percent statewide).

Two percent of EISD students reported attending at least one class in the past year while
"stoned" on marijuana (7 percent statewide). Thirteen percent of EISD students said marijuana
was somewhat or very easy to obtain (21 percent statewide), and 3 percent reported most or all
of their close friends use marijuana (12 percent statewide), rates somewhat lower than those
reported by 7th and 8th graders statewide. Two percent of district students said they had gotten
into "difficulties of any kind" with their friends because of their own drug use (5 percent
statewide). Two percent of the Edgewood ISD students said that marijuana and/or other drugs
were used at most or all of the parties they attended during the school year (9 percent
statewide).

None of the Edgewood ISD students who had not been absent since the Fall reported having
used marijuana during the past month, while 7 percent of district students who said they had
missed four or more days of school reported having used marijuana during the past month.
None of the EISD students who had not gotten into trouble with school officials reported using
marijuana within the past 30 days. By contrast, 13 percent of district students who had gotten
into trouble with school officials on four or more days reported using marijuana during the past
30 days.

When asked about parental attitudes toward marijuana use, Edgewood students reported a
disapproval rate of 94 percent, compared to 84 percent of 7th and 8th grade students statewide.
Four percent of district students said they "don't know" how their parents feel about kids their
age using marijuana (11 percent statewide), while none of the students said their parents neither
approve nor disapprove (3 percent statewide).

Other illicit substances are used by a small number of Edgewood ISD students. Five percent of
EISD students reported using uppers (4 percent statewide), 4 percent reported using downers (3
percent statewide), 3 percent said they had used hallucinogens (3 percent statewide), 3 percent
said they had used powdered cocaine (3 percent statewide), 2 percent reported using crack (2
percent statewide), 2 percent said they had used steroids (2 percent statewide), and 1 percent
reported using ecstasy (1 percent statewide) at least once during their lifetimes.

CHARACTERISTICS ASSOCIATED WITH DRUG USE

Statewide, female students were less likely to have used drugs than were male students. In the
Edgewood ISD, male students were somewhat more likely to have consumed alcohol, nearly
two times more likely to have used a tobacco product, and nearly three times more likely to

5
have used an inhalant than were district female students. In addition, EISD male students were
the only reported users of steroids or ecstasy in the district. There were no other significant
differences by gender among EISD students with regard to the use of marijuana or other illicit
substances.

In the statewide survey, students living in two-parent homes reported lower drug use than did
students living in other family situations. EISD students living in other family situations were
somewhat more likely to have consumed alcohol, nearly three times more likely to have used an
inhalant, and over three times more likely to have smoked marijuana than were those district
students living in homes with two parents. In addition, EISD students living in other family
situations were the only reported users of hallucinogens or ecstasy in the district. There were no
other significant differences by living arrangement among Edgewood ISD students with regard
to the use of tobacco products or other illegal drugs.

When asked where they would go for help with a drug or alcohol problem, the largest
percentage of Edgewood students said they would seek help from their friends (77 percent),
compared to 68 percent of students statewide. Seventy percent of EISD students said they
would seek help from their parents (58 percent statewide), and 68 percent said they would turn
to an adult friend or relative (56 percent statewide), rates higher than those reported by students
statewide. District students are least likely to seek help from a counselor or program in school
(25 percent/43 percent statewide). Since school began in the Fall, 2 percent of Edgewood
students reported seeking help for any problems connected with alcohol or drug use from
someone other than family or friends (8 percent statewide).

Ninety-two percent of Edgewood ISD students said they had gotten information about drugs
and alcohol from a school source since classes began in the Fall, compared to 81 percent of
students statewide. Fifty-five percent of EISD students said "an invited school guest" was a
source for information about drugs and alcohol (49 percent statewide). "An assembly program"
was reported by 45 percent of district students as a source for information about drugs and
alcohol (56 percent statewide), and 17 percent reported getting this information from a "health
class" (47 percent statewide), rates lower than those reported by students statewide.

The influence of drug education programs may be reflected in students' attitudes toward the use
of specific substances. Ninety-five percent of Edgewood students believe that crack use is
"very dangerous" (89 percent statewide), and 94 percent believe that powdered cocaine use is
"very dangerous" (89 percent statewide). Ninety-two percent of district students believe that
marijuana use is "very dangerous" (76 percent statewide), and 88 percent believe that inhalant
use is "very dangerous" (75 percent statewide), rates higher than those reported by students
statewide. By contrast, the perceived danger of alcohol and tobacco use is lower. Only 63
percent of EISD students feel that it is "very dangerous" to use alcohol (50 percent statewide),
while 63 percent believe that tobacco use is "very dangerous" (49 percent statewide), rates
higher than those reported by their peers statewide.