Talking to your kids about drugs

It's never easy to talk to your kids about drugs. But it's worth doing. Here are a few resources to get you started.

As parents, caregivers and other important adults in the lives of young people, we know talking with our teenagers about drugs is an important responsibility. However, many of us question the wisdom of the black-and white pronouncements of “just say no” anti-drug messages that oversimplify the complex lives our teenagers lead. We worry that exaggerations and inaccuracies will lead to cynicism.

No parent wants his or her teenager to use drugs. Although we urge young people to abstain from alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, our national surveys show that many do not heed our warnings. To prevent adolescents who do experiment from falling into abusive patterns, we need to create fallback strategies that focus on safety. Read More from Drug Policy Alliance...

How to Tell If Your Teen is Using and Taking Action to Intervene (Time to Act!) from the Partnership at drugfree.org