The Community Profile, compiled from the analysis of the last five PRIDE Student Drug Use Survey cycles, details the progress being made on youth substance abuse issues and the difference that community based efforts are making in the lives of tri-state youth. The decade worth of results illustrates that prevention works and communities have the power to come together and create change. The Coalition utilizes localized data from the survey to mobilize communities to come together to address the identified problems. Since 1996, the network of member coalitions has increased to 25, forming a “web of prevention” over the ten-county, three-state region.

The Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati and local coalitions use data from the survey to design strategies to continue the downward trend in use. For example, survey responses continue to show that the more parents talk with their kids about drugs and alcohol, the less likely they are to use them on a regular basis. Coalitions help distribute the Parents’ Guide to Talking with Kids about Drugs which offers tips and suggestions for starting the important conversations parents need to have to keep their kids safe. Over the last ten years, monthly use rates for alcohol are down 33%, 28% for tobacco and 33% for marijuana. The results of the survey continue to show that the majority of youth in greater Cincinnati make healthy decisions about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. In 2008, for instance, 80% of students surveyed responded that they choose not to drink on a regular basis. “The survey is a vital tool in our efforts to keep youth safe from the dangers of alcohol and other drug abuse,” says Holly J. Molony, the Coalition’s Execuitve Director. “The results help paint the picture of youth substance abuse, including what influences their decisions. The findings help direct our efforts to where we can be the most effective.”

Listen to Holly Molony's interview about the Community Profile on WNKU: