Written by Carlius Williams, Staff Writer

Every two years, Valdosta State University’s Office of Alcohol and Drug Education conducts the Core Alcohol and Drug Survey to get the pulse of the substance abuse climate on our campus.

The results are used to identify trends and provide information on how to best channel awareness/prevention efforts. In addition to VSU-specific data, the survey cites national usage numbers to which we typically compare rather closely.

The survey asks students about substance use over their lifetime, past twelve months and previous thirty days.

Beyond personal use data, the survey asks students about their perception of other student’s use, consequences of use and how their peers view involvement with substances. The referenced substances include alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, sedatives, hallucinogens, opiates, inhalants, designer drugs, and steroids.

The survey has been administered in the classrooms of willing faculty; however, participation on the part of students was voluntary and anonymous.

Copies of previous Core Alcohol and Drug Surveys conducted at VSU are available for review at the Office of Alcohol and Other Drug Education located in Powell Hall East.

The results of the survey completed this semester are projected to be returned in January from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale where they are scanned and tabulated.