Parent Tips

1. Set Rules and Expectations and Enforce Consequences Let your child know alcohol and drug use is unacceptable in your family. Enforce stated consequences when family rules are broken but be fair.
2. Know where your teens are and what will they be doing during unsupervised time. Don’t be afraid to check up on them. If your teen thinks you might drop by at any time, they are less likely to risk getting caught doing something they shouldn’t be doing.
3. Talk to your child. Casually ask how things are going at school, with friends, and his plans for the future.
4. Keep your teens busy, especially between 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and into evening hours. Teens who are involved in constructive, adult supervised activities are less likely to use drugs than other teens.
5. Take time to learn the facts about marijuana and underage drinking and talk to your teen about the harmful effects on young people.
6. Get to know your child’s friends and their parents. Make sure you know their rules and standards.
7. Accept the role of a parent as your major responsibility. Children do not need you to be their friend, let others be their friend. You be the parent
8. Don’t accept underage drinking or experimentation with drugs as a rite of passage. If you don’t think it is a big deal, what will your kids think?
9. Teach by Example! You are your child’s role model. Don’t show your child that it takes a drink to relax or a cigarette to decrease stress. Children learn what you teach them so pick your lessons carefully!