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A summary of four local community audits (2000) in the Lisburn area.

Audits were carried out in four areas: Seymour Hill and Conway, Halftown, Lambeg and Areema. In each area, adults were asked to complete comprehensive questionnaires dealing with drug issues and under-age drinking. The following information is a correlation of results from all four audits. Four hundred and nineteen adults were surveyed in total. Around two thirds were female and the vast majority were parents.

Main findings

Seventy seven percent of respondents considered underage drinking to be a problem in their area and the highest level of concern was around the 13-15 year old age group.

Overall, 84% felt that drugs and underage drinking affected them in some way. When asked why they thought young people took drugs, most thought the main reasons were boredom and a lack of local facilities. It was thought that availability and peer pressure were other key factors.

Almost half of those asked had not had any kind of conversation with their children about drugs. When asked why they had not talked to them about this issue, the most common reason was that parents felt they did not know enough about drugs (47%). Of the other reasons offered for not talking to their children, 18% thought it was not a problem in their area, with 17% believing their child would not take drugs and 14% saying that the subject had just not come up. Significantly, not a single respondent said they thought their child was too young for a conversation to take place.

The results of the community audits ASCERT have carried out are informative and helpful in understanding the attitudes and needs of adults in local communities on drug-related issues. The full audits can be obtained on request through the ASCERT office.

Reference

1. Eastern Drugs Coordination Team. Overview of drug misuse in the Eastern Health and Social Services Board Area. Belfast: Eastern Drugs Coordination Team, 2001.