Teen Drug Abuse (cont.)
How can parents prevent drug use?
Clear communication by parents about the negative physical, emotional, and
functional effects of drugs, as well as about their expectations regarding drug
use have been found to significantly decrease substance abuse in teens. Adequate
parental supervision has also been found to be a deterrent to drug use in youth.
Specifically, parents knowing how, where, and with whom adolescents socialize, as
well as limiting their children's access to substances that can be abused have
been associated with less teenage drug use. Limiting the amount of alcohol,
cleaning solutions (inhalants), prescription, and over-the-counter medications
that are kept in the home to amounts that can be closely monitored and accounted
for has also been found to decrease substance abuse by teens.
Family focused abuse-prevention programs have produced reductions in
adolescent drug abuse. Among ethnic minorities in the United States (for example
African Americans, Hispanic, Native and Asian Americans), those who strongly
identify with their communities and cultures have been found to be less likely
to experience risk factors for using drugs compared to their peers who are less
connected to their communities and cultures. Therefore, incorporation of a
cultural component to drug abuse prevention programs may enhance the
effectiveness of those programs. Moreover, teens 15 to 16 years old who use
religion to cope with stress tend to use drugs significantly less often than
their peers who do not use religion to cope.
Alcohol, and other drug, use has been found to occur most often between the
hours of 3 and 6 p.m., immediately after school and prior to parents
coming home from work. Teen participation in extracurricular activities has
therefore been revealed as an important measure in preventing substance abuse in
this age group.
Next: What are the symptoms and warning signs of drug abuse? »
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