Dearborn Co. CASA Director: Your Survey Responses Will Help Combat Substance Abuse

A letter from the executive director of Dearborn County Community Advocates for Substance Abuse Awareness.

Bevin Van Wassenhove is the executive director of Dearborn County Community Advocates for Substance Abuse Awareness (CASA). Photo provided.

Dear Dearborn County community,

Drug abuse and addiction has touched the lives of every person in this community. It’s pervasive, tragic, and doesn’t discriminate. Community Advocates for Substance Abuse Awareness (CASA) is a local coalition serving Dearborn County that is dedicated to combating substance use and abuse by providing awareness, education, and hope for our community.

CASA in partnership with the Southeastern Local Community Coalition Collaborative Team are interested in learning more about the risk factors for and prevalence of substance use in our community. We are asking for our community’s help in completing a survey facilitated by the Indiana University. We want to hear what you think about these issues and would like to invite you to participate in a short survey. The survey should take less than 15 minutes to complete and your responses will be anonymous. The link for the survey can be found here: SEL3CT COMMUNITY PERCEPTIONS OF SUBSTANCE USE SURVEY 2019 . It can also be found on the CASA website www.DearbornCountyCASA.com and on Facebook “Dearborn County Community Advocating for Substance Abuse Awareness”.

Having a clear understanding of the issues facing our community will help in preventing the onset of alcohol and drug abuse. Prevention focuses on helping people develop knowledge, attitudes, and skills they need to make good choices or change harmful behaviors. Mental illness and substance use disorders are among the top conditions that are causing disabilities in the United States, and our community. Prevention efforts are critical to improve the overall lives of Dearborn County.

Effective drug and alcohol abuse prevention efforts is everyone’s responsibility. The primary goal of prevention is to delay the onset of the first use of alcohol or other drugs. Many research studies have shown that adolescents who begin drinking before the age of 14 are significantly more likely to experience alcohol dependence at some point in their lives. In addition, underage substance use can lead to negative experiences such as physical or sexual assault, unintentional injuries, memory problems, legal problems, and impaired social performance.

Your completion of the survey will help us better address the issues facing our community. Please take the time and share the survey with anyone and everyone. Substance use and abuse prevention efforts take a village. We are calling on our village to help in these efforts by completing the survey. Please remember that we need your honest and open answers and that your answers are ANONYMOUS.

Gratefully yours,

Bevin Van Wassenhove

Executive Director

Community Advocating for Substance Abuse Awareness

Bevin@DearbornCountyCASA.com