Drugs, including tobacco and alcohol, are easily available
to children and adolescents. As a parent, you have a
major impact on your child’s decision not to use drugs.
Most likely, children in grade school have not begun to
use alcohol, tobacco, or any other kind of drug. That is
why grade school is a good time to start talking about the
dangers of drug use. Prepare your child for a time when
drugs may be offered.
Drug abuse prevention starts with parents learning how to
talk with their children about difficult topics. Then, the
programs offered by school, sports, and other groups can
support what you have started.
Prevention Starts With Parents.
As a parent, you have a major impact on your child’s
decision not to use tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.
Prevention starts when you start talking with, and
listening to, your child.
Help your child make good choices and good friends.
Teach your child different ways to say “No!”
Parents Are Powerful
Parents are the strongest influence that children have.
There is no guarantee that your child won’t use drugs, but
drug use is much less likely to happen if you:
Provide guidance and clear rules about not using drugs.
Spend time with your child.
Do not use tobacco or other drugs yourself.
after drinking.
What messages do your actions and words send to your
child?
Children notice how parents use alcohol, tobacco, and
drugs at home, in their social life, and in other
relationships. This includes how parents deal with strong
feelings, emotions, stress, and even minor aches and
pains.
Having a designated driver sends a very important
message to children—safety and responsibility.
Actions speak louder than words. Children really do
notice what their parents say and do.
Prevention Starts When You Start Talking—and
Listening
Talk honestly with your child about healthy choices and
risky behaviors. Listen to what your child has to say.
Make talking and listening a habit, the earlier the better!
Learn the facts about the harmful effects of drugs.
Talk with your child about the negative effects alcohol
and drugs would have on their brains and bodies and their
ability to learn or play sports. Ask your pediatrician about
the other dangers of drug use.
As part of your regular safety conversations, talk about
avoiding tobacco, alcohol, and drug use.
Be clear and consistent about family rules.
It does not matter what other families decide; your family
rules show your family values.
Correct any wrong beliefs your child may have.
“Everybody drinks.”
“Marijuana won’t hurt you.”
Avoid TV programs, movies, and video games that
glamorize tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.
Since it’s hard to escape the messages found in music and
advertising, discuss with your child the influence these
messages have on us.
Find time to do things together.
Eating together as a family is a good time to talk and
learn about what’s going on.
Making Smart Choices
It’s a parent’s job to use love and experience to correct
mistakes and poor choices.
By using a mix of praise and criticism, you can correct
your child’s behavior without saying your child is bad.
This helps children build self-confidence and learn how
to make healthy and safe choices. In time, making smart
choices on their own will become easier.
Let children know you care about them. Talk with them
about being safe.
Help Your Child Make Good Choices and Friendships
A good sense of self-worth and knowing what is right and
wrong will help your child say “No!” to drugs and other
risky behaviors. Help your child by
Noticing efforts as well as successes.
Praising for things done well and for making good
choices.
Encourage positive friendships and interests.
Check to see that the friends and neighbors your child
spends time with are safe and have values similar to
yours.
Find ways to get your child involved in sports, hobbies,
school clubs, and other activities. These usually are
positive interactions that help develop character and lead
to good peer relationships.
Look for activities that you and your child or the entire
family can do together.
Help your child learn the importance of being a
responsible individual and what it means to be a real
friend.
Children need to learn that doing something they know is wrong is not a good way to “fit in” or feel accepted by
others.
Remind your child that real friends do not:
Ask friends to do risky things like use alcohol, tobacco,
or drugs.
Reject friends when they don’t want to do something that
they know is wrong.
Help Your Child Learn Different Ways To Say “No!”
Teach your child how to respond to someone offering
drugs. It is much easier to say “No!” when prepared
ahead of time.
It helps if you role play and practice. This way, it
becomes natural to do at least one of the following:
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