Drug free communities (DFC) support program - the coastal coalition for substance abuse prevention (ccsap), located in eastern north carolina, draw its members from five adjoining coastal counties,…

Drug free communities (DFC) support program - the coastal coalition for substance abuse prevention (ccsap), located in eastern north carolina, draw its members from five adjoining coastal counties, which are subject to floods and hurricanes and mostly lack significant industry.military and government agencies are the predominant forces and major sources of employment in our coalition area. Four of the five counties are home to the world?s largest united states marine corps amphibious base, two large marine corps air stations, a naval aviation depot, two united states coast guard stations, and a united states naval hospital. A closer look at our coalition region reveals the following:?carteret county, population 66,473, is made up of 11 towns bordering the atlantic ocean and other waterways, is a bedroom community for military, but is also a recreational vacation destination whose population double in size each summer. The party culture that accompanies this area is an added influence on the youth in our catchment area. Carteret county recently dropped from a tier 3 to a tier 2 community.?craven county, population 102,139, is made of eight municipalities including historical new bern, which is north carolina?s second oldest town, and was the first permanent colonial capital. Craven county is home to cherry point and is largely a retirement community.?jones county, population 9,149, is the smallest coalition county and is a rural farming community. Its lack of industry has contributed to its status as a tier 1 (most economically distressed), with a 16.2% poverty level.?onslow county, population 197,938, is home to camp lejeune and new river air station giving onslow the youngest average aged population (22) in the nation. Onslow has six municipalities and has had one of the state?s highest statistics for alcohol-related crashes and fatalities. In spite of the economic engine of camp lejeune, onslow has a 15.1% poverty level. Many of the youth who serve in this county are military dependen TS and often face time away from their parent(s) due to deployments, both stateside as well as overseas. This can contribute to the favorable attitudes towards substance use.?pamlico county, population 12,726, is one of the lesser populated counties, has its roots in fishing and farming. Pamlico is a tier 2 community, and also lacks major industry.an overall demographic picture shows the ethnicity of our counties ranging from 62-89% caucasian, 6-32% african american, 3-8% hispanic, and 1% native american or asian background. Favorable attitudes towards alcohol have fueled underage drinking in our area, with jacksonville, NC designated the drunkest city in north carolina five years in a row, and the designation of onslow county as number twelve in the nation of prescription drug misuse, highlights the low perception of harm from such use. Parental permissiveness towards underage drinking further compounds the problems faced related to underage drinking.hurricane florence devastated our counties in 2018. Many areas of the counties are still rebuilding, schools are still under construction, and there are families still displaced, with many living with relatives, or in local hotels. Youth who are lacking adequate coping skills may turn to substance use to cope. Ccsap will continue to work with local youth to develop necessary coping skills, and with local schools and agencies to develop trauma informed policies.