Prevention efforts you can make: To the parents
Your other prevention strategies should include parents. Studies have shown that when parents have clear rules and expectations about drug and alcohol use, and are consistent about enforcing consequences in their home, their children are significantly less likely than their peers to have experimented with drugs or alcohol by their senior year in high school. Parents of children headed to middle school should hear about this fact, alongside accurate information about the risks associated with alcohol and specific drugs for the developing brain.
Dr. Michael S. Jellinek
Finally, parents need to hear that they can be effective disciplinarians, while also making clear to their children that safety comes first, and that their rules should have clear exceptions for safety. If the parents have a rule against any use of alcohol or drugs, there should be an exception if their child is out and feels unsafe. If they are drunk, or their driver has been drinking, they can call for a ride and will not be in (much) trouble. Rules don’t have to be draconian to be effective; they should always support honesty and safety first. This is a lot of territory to cover, and you do not have to be the only resource for parents. Reliable online resources, such as NIDA’s and SAMHSA’s websites, are full of useful information, and others, such as teen-safe.org, have detailed resources for parents in particular.
References
1. Hum Genet. 2012 Jun;131(6):779-89.
2. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2013 Jan;37(Suppl 1):E281-90.
Dr. Swick is an attending psychiatrist in the division of child psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and director of the Parenting at a Challenging Time (PACT) Program at the Vernon Cancer Center at Newton Wellesley Hospital, also in Boston. Dr. Jellinek is professor emeritus of psychiatry and pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston.