LISBON - A group trying to tackle underage drinking in Columbiana County wants to survey the community and parents of young people about their knowledge and thoughts regarding the issue.

"We're just trying to take the pulse of the community to see what we should work on...to give the coalition some guidance on what would work," said Kathie Chaffee, associate director of the Columbiana County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board in Lisbon.

To complete the survey, go to the CCMHRSB Web site at www.mhrsb.org.

Chaffee is a member of the Columbiana County Drug and Alcohol Prevention Coalition, a group formed in March 2008 in reaction to the growing illegal drug problem in the county and evidence of more people seeking treatment for addictions to serious drugs.

According to a summary prepared by Chaffee, the group is "intent on impacting attitudes that support harmful and illegal drug and alcohol use in the county."

The group's mission is "to communicate and collaborate to create an environment that is healthy and free of harmful substance use and abuse. The coalition's goals are to motivate the community to promote and support healthy lifestyles for all residents and to eliminate underage use and harmful use of drugs and alcohol."

She said the coalition decided to tackle underage alcohol use first, pointing to research that suggests alcohol is a gateway drug and youngsters who experiment with alcohol are more likely to experiment with other drugs. A chart by the Drug Free Action Alliance showed that the younger a child starts drinking, the higher the chance that child will develop a lifetime alcohol dependence.

Chaffee explained that the coalition has identified some of the root causes of underage drinking in Columbiana County as acceptance, social deprivation and availability. Questions on the survey the coalition is conducting focus on some of those causes.

For acceptance, she said some people believe kids

will be kids and drink and that drinking at a young age doesn't cause serious health risks, both ideas which she said are faulty because there are health risks and not all kids drink.

Social deprivation suggests some youth don't have enough positive social activities available to them as an alternative to drinking alcohol. As for availability, she said they've found that most kids are getting the alcohol from older friends or out of the refrigerator in their own home without their parents knowledge.

The anonymous survey will take about 5 to 10 minutes to complete. Chaffee said they would like to have the survey completed by the end of the year so they can begin compiling the results. For those who can't access the survey online, she said hard copies are being distributed in some public places or they can contact the board office at 330-424-0195 and ask to have one mailed to them.

Some copies of the survey have already been returned, with about 100 responses received so far.

The coalition includes a 24-member steering committee made up of parents, educators, government officials, civic organizations, health professionals, drug and alcohol prevention and treatment providers, faith leaders, law enforcement, business/workforce development and interested citizens. There are about 74 additional members.

Chaffee also noted that legislation is pending to strengthen Ohio's social host law to hold adults responsible in cases where they should have known underage drinking was happening in their home or on their property. The current law requires prosecutors to prove the adults knowingly allowed the drinking.

The legislation was introduced by state Rep. Linda Bolon, D-Columbiana, on Nov. 4.