A new survey shows young people in the Evansville area are abusing drugs and alcohol at a lower rate than state and national averages.
The 2014 Southwest Indiana Youth Survey shows a decline in drug use, alcohol abuse, and cigarette smoking among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders.
Parri Black of Youth First in Evansville tells WNIN that the results are encouraging.
Black says the anonymous survey also asked young people about mental health concerns. Those results showed more than 20-percent of the 6,000 students questioned in southwest Indiana reported feeling sad or hopeless in the past year. More than 15-percent of 8th and 10th graders considered suicide.
Black says those numbers are below state and national averages, but are still disturbing and need to be addressed.