1) Spend time with your teen. Survey research by CASA and others shows that families that eat meals together, participate in joint activities, and spend time at home together protect their teens from substance abuse. Finding time for family activities has become tougher now that more parents are single and more married parents both work. But it is well worth the effort. Parents who spend time with their children and are supportive of them reduce the odds that their teens will become involved with addictive substances.

2) Talk with your teen about tobacco, alcohol and drugs. One conversation isn’t enough. Parents should begin talking to children about substance abuse before they reach their teens, and parents should continue the conversations throughout the teen years as opportunities occur and pressures to experiment with addictive substances mount. Parents need to make their opposition to teen use of addictive substances clear, and teens need to be invited to talk to parents about their own feelings about alcohol, tobacco and drugs.

3) Set limits and enforce them. Setting rules, making sure your teen knows what those rules are and consistently enforcing them has been shown to be an effective way to protect teens from substance abuse. It’s important to make sure that teens know the consequences for violating rules and know that an adult who cares about them is watching their behavior. Creating an atmosphere where your teen knows that adults are watching what they do because the adults care about them is strongly linked to protecting children from substance abuse. Parents should do all they can to keep their teens in school; the rate of substance abuse among school dropouts is markedly higher. Get to know your teen’s friends as well as the friends’ parents, and monitor their comings and goings. Be aware of products in your home that teens can abuse.

4) An active religious life as a family reduces the risk of teen substance abuse. Research shows that teens who have an active religious life are less likely to use or abuse tobacco, alcohol or drugs. Teaching and discussing religious or spiritual principles and moral values can help a teen develop his or her sense of ethics and morality. Going to church, mosque or synagogue with your teen is a way to spend time together and forge a connection with a community that promotes a strong anti-substance use message.

5) Be a good role model. The most important role models for teens are their parents. Examine your own behavior and attitudes toward alcohol, tobacco and drugs and recognize that what you do is usually a more powerful message than what you say.

6) Identify dangerous behaviors and seek professional help. Watch for warning signs of substance abuse--changes in habits, friends, school performance, family interaction. Boys may become more aggressive or more apathetic; girls depressed or anxious. If you suspect that your teen has become involved in substance use, intervene immediately. Talk with your teen. If use persists, get professional help promptly from a doctor or a psychological counselor who understands the nature of addiction and what to do about it.

7) Assume an active role in your teen’s school. Parents can play a major role in helping to make their teens’ schools drug free. Parents should know what kinds of drug education programs are taught and what tobacco, alcohol and drug policies are in place. They should demand that their teens’ schools be drug free and find ways to help make sure they get and stay that way. Parents should also do all they can to insist that schools engage their teens in academics and extra-curricular activities.

Trends in Youth Substance Abuse.

Warning Signs for Youth Substance Abuse.