Substance Use

Cigarettes and Alcohol

• Talk to your child about cigarettes and alcohol. Give factual information on the ingredients, effects, and dangers of these substances. Knowledge is power.
• Share your own beliefs and choices regarding substance use. Act as a role model, but be prepared for teens to make their own decisions and develop their own values.
• Give your teen the skills to make good decisions, stick to her own values, and turn down cigarettes and alcohol.
• It is likely your child will experiment with both cigarettes and alcohol. Before s/he does, talk about balance and choice. Empower your teen to make good decisions. If your teen does try smoking or drinking, talk calmly about those actions. It’s especially important to keep communication open.
• Work with your teen to make reasonable rules about cigarette and alcohol use. In the interest of staying connected with your teen, you may have to make compromises you don’t like. (Smoking is allowed, but only outside the house. You can go to a party where there will be alcohol, but you must take a cab home.)
• It may be a good idea for you and your teen to sign a contract, promising that s/he will always call for a ride home if he has been drinking and you will always pick him or her up, without judgment. Enforce consequences if your rules or contracts are broken.

Drugs

• Make sure you and your teen are well-informed about the ingredients, effects, dangers, and legal consequences involved in using drugs like marijuana, LSD, methamphetamines, Ecstasy, etc. Find out what they look like and what teens and dealers call them. Talk about why people use them. Again, knowledge is power.
• Give your teen the skills to make good decisions, stick to her own values, and turn down drugs.
• Many teenagers experiment with illegal or prescription drugs. Using illegal drugs poses serious health, safety, and legal risks your teen may have trouble comprehending. Make these clear. Talk to your child about healthy choices and discuss substance use vs. substance abuse.
• Make your values and rules about drug use clear but be prepared for your teen to make choices you may disagree with. Make sure s/he knows the consequences if rules are broken and enforce these consequences.

If your teen is using drugs:

• Avoid reacting emotionally. Try not to judge or threaten your child. Wait until you are calm and s/he is sober before confronting your teen about drug use. The more reasonable and approachable you are, the more likely your teen is to tell you the truth about what drugs s/he is using, when, and how much. Talk about why your teen is using drugs. Encourage your teen to make an honest assessment. Talk about consequences, both immediate and future, for the choices s/he is making.
• Understand that your teen has made a dangerous decision and there is nothing you can do to reverse that decision. Your teen's drug use is not your fault. Though it may be difficult for you to step back, s/he will have to deal with the consequences of that choice.
• Focus your energy on maintaining a healthy relationship with your teen. Offer your support, as well as community support contacts to help him or her assess and modify drug use.
• If your teen develops a serious drug addiction, you will need to consult drug-counselling professionals for assistance. Talk to your family doctor or public health nurse for referrals.