As young people move into their teens, parents face seemingly endless challenges to ensure their adolescents’ health and safety – an increasingly difficult and stressful task as teens push for more independence. Parents want to ensure that their teens make the right choices, hang out with the “right” people, and live productive, alcohol- and drug-free lives.

When parents are actively involved in their teens’ lives, teens are more apt to avoid circumstances involving alcohol and drugs. Research shows that teens who are not regularly monitored by their parents are four times more likely to use drugs, compared with regularly-monitored teens.

To help teen parents and families prevent and address teen alcohol and drug abuse, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Health Information Network created Caring for Our Youth Web site. You will find quick links to information, available for quick download or hard-copy mail order, such as these:

One resource is a publication called Keeping Your Teens Drug Free. This easy-to-read booklet provides ideas and examples of the skills busy parents and caregivers can use to keep their teens away from marijuana and other illicit drugs.

Another resource is a top-quality multimedia CD called The Teen Years: A Road Map for Parents. This CD provides wonderful insights about how teens develop throughout adolescence and offers expert advice for parents on how they can best guide their teens through this transitional time. The CD complements the booklet, Navigating the Teen Years: A Parent’s Handbook for Raising Healthy Teens.