Local survey reveals students and parents may not see drug abuse the same

According to two Fairfield, Connecticut Cares Task Force surveys - one geared toward parents and the other toward students - these groups may not have the same views on drug use, The Daily Fairfield reports.

Officials found that children were less concerned about regular drug and alcohol use and became less likely to see it as a great risk as they aged. In a 2008 survey, more than 73 percent of students in grades 7 and 8 saw marijuana as a great risk, compared with almost 90 percent of their parents. By the time pupils hit grade 10, the number of kids who saw a risk dropped to 27.7 percent while the number decreased among parents decreased to 81.9 percent.

The survey also showed that the vast majority of parents agreed that regular alcohol use posed a "great harm" to students' development. The results remained similar throughout their child's high school experience going from 96.6 percent of parents with kids in grades 7 and 8 to 96.5 percent for grades 11 and 12.

Parents who suspect their children to be using drugs and alcohol may wish to enroll them into boarding schools. Professionals can provide assistance in showing troubled teens the adverse impact substance abuse can have on a developing body and mind.

According to a 2010 study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 20 percent of students between grades 8 and 12 used marijuana in the month prior to the survey.