Adolescence is a normal period of exploration and experimentation, and these behaviors are a necessary part of the growth and maturation process, but they also lead teens into certain dangerous and harmful behaviors. For their own safety, health and wellbeing, they need to be protected from the devastation of drug and alcohol use and abuse.
Statistics show that every year parents can keep their kids from using drugs and alcohol the better the chance of a life free from addiction and a decreased risk for a great many serious peripheral problems.
If parents do find their kids experimenting, they need to enforce discipline against future usage, and if a problem of abuse or addiction has developed, parents need to get immediate professional help. Substance abuse or dependency never gets better untreated, and parents must intervene for the long term benefit of their kids.
*All statistics from the U.S. Office of Health and Human Services (SAMHSA)
page last update Aug 05, 2010
