CADCA Survey Finds Alcohol Top Problem Facing Communities

According to CADCA´s 2007 Annual Survey of Coalitions, 68 percent of community anti-drug coalitions across the country ranked alcohol as the number one problem facing their community. The Annual Survey of Coalitions (formerly known as the National Coalition Registry) is the only nationwide survey that targets community-based drug and alcohol abuse prevention organizations.

In the 2007 Survey, marijuana came in at a close second, with 60 percent of community groups ranking it as among the top five major problems in their areas. Other substances cited among the top five concerns include tobacco, methamphetamine and prescription drugs. Coalitions also consider binge drinking as one of the issues that they struggle with in their communities, confirming what several other nationwide studies have shown.

“It’s no surprise that our members are seeing big problems with youth alcohol use in their communities. The findings from our Annual Survey of Coalitions reflect those of other major national surveys that show alcohol use as the number one abused substance, followed by cigarette smoking and marijuana use,” noted General Arthur T. Dean, CADCA Chairman and CEO.

CADCA’s Web-based survey is conducted annually to identify the major issues facing community coalitions and to understand how coalitions work in their communities. Participants are asked a wide range of questions, such as the substance abuse issues facing their communities, the activities they use to address those issues and the organizations and agencies that help them in their efforts. The survey also asks for descriptive information, such as geographic target area, budget size and coalition membership, offering a picture of what typical community coalitions look like. In 2007, 700 coalitions participated in the survey.

When asked what major partners help them tackle their community’s problem, 88 percent said law enforcement was one of their strongest allies, 86 percent said parents and 81 percent cited the faith community.

According to the 2007 findings, community coalitions use a wide range of strategies to address their community’s problems. Some of the most widely-used strategies include education and information dissemination; media outreach, advertisements and public service announcements; special events and community forums; community mobilization and neighborhood improvement activities; and training to community groups.

In addition to the 2007 findings, CADCA is also launching a new feature in its Annual Survey of Coalitions that will allow people who have completed the survey to obtain state and national survey reports. For example, survey participants are now able to:

• Download a copy of their previous survey responses from 2007, 2006 and 2005.

• Obtain a report on a particular topic in the survey – such as, the sectors typically represented on coalitions, the activities coalitions are engaged in and the type of federal prevention funding coalitions receive.

• Network with other coalitions in their state by searching the Survey Report database for other coalitions in their state who are dealing with the same issues or working in the same areas.

CADCA members receive the same information but also get national level reports, expanding their networking potential.

To access the Annual Survey Reports, visit: http://cadca.org/annualsurvey and login with the information used to participate in the 2007 Survey. Forgot your login? Send an email to registry@cadca.org or membership@cadca.org or call 800-54-CADCA, ext. 240 or 257.
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source: Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, http://www.cadca.org/