Posted on March 22, 2010

The 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey for southeastern New Hampshire was recently released and the news was both good and bad, according to a Sea Coast Online report. On the positive side, abuse of alcohol and illegal drugs continued in a downward trend among teens in the region since 2007.

In addition, binge drinking was down in 2009 with 23.6 percent of students reporting they had engaged in the activity, down from 28.7 percent in 2007. At the same time, 36.7 percent of high school students reported that they had at least one drink in the past 30 days.

The bad news focused on prescription drug abuse among high school students. This survey revealed that more than 20 percent of students used prescription drugs including OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, Adderall, Ritalin or Xanax without a prescription. Over-the-counter drugs have also been used by 11 percent of students to get high. This type of abuse was not surveyed in 2007.

ONE Voice for Southeastern New Hampshire, United Way of the Greater Seacoast, N.H. Department of Education and N.H. Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services work together to conduct the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Roughly 3,800 students from seven regional high schools participated in the survey.

Melissa Silvey, coordinator of ONE Voice for Southeastern New Hampshire, referred to the survey as providing a glimpse into how teenagers are living. "We’re investing money, resources and manpower into preventative education for parents and teens right now," Silvey said. "The fact that use of many illegal drugs and alcohol are decreasing is encouraging."

The only illegal drug that has been proven to rival the use of prescription drugs by students is marijuana as 25.5 percent of students had used it in the past 30 days. This figure is down from 32.1 percent in 2007. The survey has also found a slight decrease in the use of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines, ecstasy and steroids.