The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) recently released a report on the current trends of alcohol consumption among high school students. The 2011 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey shows data from 9,288 students, ranging from grades seven to 12.

The study showed that, among those surveyed, the percentage of those who are smoking cigarettes dropped to an all-time low of nine per cent. That number is down from 12 per cent in 2009. The number of youth using cannabis has also decreased to 22 per cent, down from 26 per cent in 2009.

In the same vein, the reported use of most substances inquired about by the survey is down, however, the instances of those who reported symptoms of a substance abuse problem is one in eight, with one-third of all reported drinkers engaging in hazardous activities while drunk. The reported instances of being intoxicated on at least one occasion by either drugs or alcohol while attending school is one in six students.

The survey also showed that underage drinking remains an issue. Fifty-five per cent of the students surveyed, the vast majority of whom are under the legal drinking age, reported consuming alcohol in the past year. Additionally, binge drinking occurs in 22 per cent of those surveyed.

According to the CAMH survey, one in 10 students has caused harm to themselves or others while under the influence of alcohol. Driving while under the influence continues to be a problem with youth, as seven per cent admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol and 12 per cent admitted to driving within an hour of using cannabis. One in four students also admitted to getting a ride from someone they knew to be drunk.

Although the number of impaired drivers has dropped five percentage points since the previous survey, the amount of teenagers who still drink and drive has some students very concerned. "It really scares me that so many people would drive after drinking," said Rebecca Case, a 24-year-old first-year General Arts student at Fanshawe. "Growing up, my parents always really enforced never drinking and driving, or never getting in a car with a drunk driver. I lost a good friend to that when I was younger, so it's always been something I would never consider doing."

For Fanshawe students, some of the problems don't seem to be getting drastically worse here on campus, according to Bill Margrett, one of the Counsellors in Counselling and Accessibility Services at Fanshawe. "We (at Counselling and Accessibility) haven't seen an increase in the instances of students coming to us for help with drinking … We have seen an increase in the number of students coming to see us to get help with problems relating to drug use," said Margrett.

For more information about these issues, visit camh.net or stop by Counselling and Accessibility Services in F2010.