Parents can prevent teen drug use despite doubts

More than one in five parents of teens think what they say has little influence on whether their children using alcohol, drugs or tobacco, according to a report out Friday.

The report, from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), said almost one in 10 parents (9.1%) said they did not talk with their children ages 12 to 17 about the dangers of using drugs of alcohol, tobacco or other last year.

The findings are based on SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an annual national survey of 67,500 Americans age 12 and older.

National survey showed that teens who believed their parents would strongly disapprove of them using materials less likely to try them than their peers, said Peter Delany, director of the Center for Health Statistics and Quality at SAMHSA Behavioral them.

"Every time is a good time to talk with your kids when you have a chance," said Delany.

"But if you do not start talking to your children, before school is out is a very good time.

"In the summer months, especially around the holiday weekend, the kids are more likely to engage with the substance," said Delany.

Children may have more access to substances when they are out of school and in holiday parties, he added.

"Parents need to initiate age-appropriate conversations about these issues with their children at all stages of their development in order to help ensure that their children make the right decisions," said SAMHSA administrator Pamela Hyde.

Conversations about alcohol can change as children get older, said Robert Lindsey, president and CEO of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD.)

"Initially, it may be very basic information," he said.

"As children get older, we need to talk about the impact on health, academics, relationships, driving and the dangers of alcohol and prescription drugs."

It is also important to talk about family history and genetic predisposition to alcoholism, he added.

Lindsey says parents should listen to their children and take care of their own communication non-verbal like this: "Children learn a lot from watching what you do than what you say."

For more information: SAMHSA has a guide Exploring Adolescent Years: Parent Handbook for Improving Adolescent Health, and the NCADD website has general guidelines for talking to children about alcohol and drugs.