Summary - Recap
By reading Keeping Youth Drug Free and taking the suggested action steps, you are helping to ensure your children reach their fullest potential and grow up happy, healthy, and drug free. Here is a quick recap of the things you can do to help your child resist alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs.
Establish and maintain good communication with your child.
Talk with your children about alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs and listen to their pressures and problems. Teach your child the health, safety, and legal consequences of using alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs. If you're not sure what they are, look for information starting on page 17 of this guide, or call the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 1-800-729-6686 (TDD 1-800-487-4889) to request information on specific drugs or other literature (online at www.samhsa.gov). You also may contact the resources listed on the following pages.
Get involved in your child's life.
Get to know her individuality. Work with her strengths. Accept a child's unique talents and personality. Provide love, support, and encouragement to the child in your life.
Make clear rules and enforce them with consistency and appropriate consequences.
Be clear and consistent in your expectations, rules, and messages.
Be a positive role model.
Do not engage in any illegal, unhealthy, or dangerous drug use practices. Provide an example consistent with what you say.
Teach your child to choose friends wisely.
Practice ways for him to refuse drugs with methods that fit his personality.
Monitor your child's activities.
Ask questions about what he's doing, with whom, for how long, and where.
Get to know the friends he spends time with and the other parents, as well. Be sure children have easy access to a wide range of appealing, drug- free, alternative activities and safe, monitored areas where they can gather, especially during after-school hours.
CASA, National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse VIII: Teens and Parents, 2003.
SAMHSA, Adolescent Self-Reported Behaviors and Their Association With Marijuana Use, September 1998.
Partnership for a Drug-Free America, Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, 2003.
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Issue Brief: The Role of Media in Childhood Obesity, 2004.
Mulhall, P.F., D. Stone, and B. Stone. (1996). Home Alone: Is It a Risk Factor for Middle School Youth and Drug
Use? Journal of Drug Education, 26(1), pp. 39-48.
Federal Resources
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSAs) National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
P.O. Box 2345Rockville, MD 20847-2345
800-729-6686 800-487-4889 (TDD) 301-468-7394 (Fax)
https://ncadi.samhsa.gov
SAMHSAs Building Blocks for a Healthy Future
https://bblocks.samhsa.gov
SAMHSAs Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP)
https://prevention.samhsa.gov
SAMHSAs A Family Guide To Keeping Youth Mentally Healthy and Drug Free
https://family.samhsa.gov
SAMHSAs ¡Soy Unica! ¡Soy Latina!
https://www.soyunica.gov
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Prevention Intervention Network
P.O. Box 6003 Rockville, MD 20849-6003
800-458-5231 301-562-1098 888-282-7681 (Fax) 301-562-1050 (Fax)
https://www.cdcnpin.org
Tobacco Information and Prevention Source at CDC
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco
Administration for Children and Families National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information
330 C Street, SW. Washington, DC 20447
800-394-3366 703-385-7565 703-385-3206 (Fax)
https://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov
Office of Minority Health Resource Center
P.O. Box 37337Washington, DC 20013-7337
800-444-6472 301-230-7199 (TDD) 301-251-2160 (FAX)
https://www.omhrc.gov
Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
P.O. Box 6000Rockville, MD
20849-6000 800-666-3332 301-519-5212 (Fax)
https://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov
ONDCPs Parents: The Anti-Drug
https://www.theantidrug.com
ONDCPs Freevibe
https://www.freevibe.com
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and Center for Substance Abuse Prevention's Strengthening America's Families
https://www.strengtheningfamilies.org
Children, Youth, and Families Education and Research Network
612-626-1111
https://www.cyfernet.org
Private-Sector Resources
African American Parents for Drug Prevention
311 Martin Luther King Drive Cincinnati, OH 45219
513-475-5359 513-281-1645 (FAX)
Al-Anon/Alateen Family Group Headquarters, Inc.
1600 Corporate Landing Parkway Virginia Beach, VA 23454-5617
757-563-1600 (general information) 888-425-2666 (meeting information) 757-563-1666 (Fax)
https://www.al-anon.alateen.org
Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
475 Riverside Drive 11th Floor New York, NY 10115-0002 212-870-3400
https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org
Boy Scouts of America National Council
P.O. Box 152079 Irving, TX 75015-2079 972-580-2000
https://www.scouting.org
Boys & Girls Clubs of America
1230 West Peachtree Street, NW. Atlanta, GA 30309 404-487-5700
https://www.bgca.org
Camp Fire USA
4601 Madison Avenue Kansas City, MO 64112-1278 816-756-1950 816-756-0258
https://www.campfire.org
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America
625 Slaters Lane, Suite 300 Alexandria, VA 22314-1536 800-54-CADCA (542-2322) 703-706-0560 703-706-0565 (Fax)
https://www.cadca.org
Girl Scouts of America
420 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10018-2798 800-478-7248 212-852-8000
https://www.girlscouts.org
Girls Incorporated
120 Wall Street New York, NY 10005-3902 800-374-4475 212-509-2000