Adolescence is a period of significant developmental change when health patterns are being established. Decisions that youths make about tobacco, alcohol, and drug use can have both immediate and long-term health consequences for themselves, their families, and their communities.

The following Parent Talking Points are is provided to you by the HF-L Asset Committee to assist with family discussions around risky behaviors:

If your teen is having a party:

• Help your teenager plan the party. Make a guest list and invite only a specific number of people.
  

• Have your child pass out or send invitations and try to avoid the "open party" situation.

• Don’t send e-mail invitations. They can be forwarded to a large number of people quickly and you lose control of who has this information.

• Social Media Evites-set up as invite only and use privacy settings

• Put your phone number on the invitation and welcome calls from parents.

• Set rules ahead of time such as no alcohol, drugs or tobacco.

• Set a start and end time for the party.

• Let attendees know that if they leave, they can’t come back. 

• Have plenty of food and non-alcoholic beverages.

• Plan some activities such as music, games, movies, etc.

• Let your neighbors know in advance there will be a party and that you will be there to supervise. Familiarize yourself with the noise ordinance in your area.

• Limit the party access to a certain area of the house/property.

• Have a plan for dealing with vehicles. Include parking information on your party invitation.

• Call parents of any teen who arrives in possession of alcohol or under the influence. If you can’t get in touch with the parents, keep the teen there or call the police if necessary. You can be civilly liable if you know they have been drinking and you let them leave.

• Secure all forms of alcohol, firearms and other potentially hazardous items in your home in a safe place.

• Make regular and unobtrusive visits to the party area with sensitivity to teens’ needs for privacy and independence.

• Invite some other parents to help chaperone if there will be a large number of teenagers.

When you’re away from home or out of town

• Set and communicate rules and standards to be followed in your absence.

• Do not allow underage youth to have unsupervised parties or gatherings.
  

• Remind them of their responsibilities and the consequences of their actions.

• Have a relative or responsible adult stay at your home during your absence, have your teenager stay with a responsible adult or ask a neighbor to watch the house and stop in while you are gone.
  

• If you are concerned that your child might have a party anyway, you can call your local police and ask them to drive by at some point over the time you are gone. Make it a point to tell your child that you have asked the police to do this.

Other ideas

• Get to know your children’s friends and their parents.

• Find out their policy on alcohol, drug and tobacco use.

• Remember, it is illegal to serve minors, or to knowingly allow a minor to have alcohol on your property.

• Encourage alcohol-free and drug-free parties and activities for underage youth

TIP Line to report underage drinking: 1-800-851-1932

Find the latest science-based information about the health effects and consequences of drug abuse and addiction and resources for talking with kids about the impact of drug use on health at the National Institute on Drug Abuse website.
 "A Reality-Based Approach to Teens and Drugs".   This article includes a letter for parents to give teens.

• National Institute on Drug Abuse