Other preventive strategies

Consider other strategies to prevent teen drug abuse:

• Know your teen's activities. Pay attention to your teen's whereabouts. Find out what adult-supervised activities your teen is interested in and encourage your teen to get involved. Offer your own home as a place for your teen's friends to spend time together.
• Know your teen's friends. Learn about what they're interested in and how they spend their time. Encourage those friendships that share your own family's values and expectations. If your teen's friends use drugs, your teen might feel pressure to experiment too.
• Establish rules and consequences. Explain your family rules, such as leaving a party where drug use occurs and not riding in a car with a driver who's been using alcohol or drugs. Plan check-ins and be available to pick up your teen from an event. Explain the consequences of breaking rules. If your teen does break the rules, consistently enforce consequences.
• Keep track of medicines at home. Keep track of all prescription medicines in your home, as well as medicines you can buy without a prescription.
• Provide support. Offer praise and encouragement when your teen succeeds. Set aside time to spend with your teen. Eat meals together once a day even if there isn't a lot of conversation. A strong bond between you and your teen might help prevent your teen from using drugs.
• Set a good example. If you drink, do so in moderation. Have family time and social events that don't include alcohol. Use prescription drugs as directed. Don't use illicit drugs.