Search Results

The increasing rate of opioid use disorder (OUD) diagnoses, coupled with the shortage of treatment options for adolescents, strongly support the provision of medication for addiction treatment (MAT) by adolescent providers. Pediatricians, family physicians, an...

For young people, alcohol is the drug of choice. In fact, alcohol is used by more young people than tobacco or illicit drugs. Although most children under age 14 have not yet begun to drink, early adolescence is a time of special risk for beginning to experime...

Early adolescence is a time of immense and often confusing changes for your son or daughter, which makes it a challenging time for both your youngster and you. Understanding what it's like to be a teen can help you stay closer with your child and have more inf...

You may wonder why a guide for preventing teen alcohol use is putting so much emphasis on parents' need to understand and support their children. But the fact is, the best way to influence your child to avoid drinking is to have a strong, trusting relationship...

Psychiatric disorders commonly co-occur with substance use disorders in young people. This is not surprising since psychiatric disorders in childhood, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder/Conduct Disorder, and Depress...

Adolescents with opioid use disorder (OUD) are developmentally different from older adults, and programs seeking to develop outpatient medication for addiction treatment (MAT) should include evidence-based, age-appropriate counseling and behavioral therapy as ...

Developing open, trusting communication between you and your child is essential to helping them avoid alcohol use. If your child feels comfortable talking openly with you, you'll have a greater chance of guiding them toward healthy decision-making. Some ways t...

For many parents, bringing up the subject of alcohol is no easy matter. Your young teen may try to dodge the discussion, and you yourself may feel unsure about how to proceed. To make the most of your conversation, take some time to think about the issues you ...

1 in 3 children starts drinking by the end of 8th grade                                           ...and of them, half report having been drunk.   With this Guide, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) introduces a simple, quick, emp...

NIAA created this Guide to help you conduct fast, effective alcohol screens and interventions with your patients, even during brief, acute care visits. The tools, tips, and resources are designed to help you surmount common obstacles to youth alcohol screening...

Decide on a screening method The screening questions can be used at any time, alone or along with other tools, as part of a clinical interview. Some practices may prefer to incorporate the questions into written self-report questionnaires or computer screenin...

Refer to the following pages for detailed steps. Step 1: Ask the two age-specific screening questions - One about friends' drinking - One about patient's drinking frequency |\/ NO <- Does the patient drink? -> YES St...

While parent–child conversations about not drinking are essential, talking isn’t enough—you also need to take concrete action to help your child resist alcohol. Research strongly shows that active, supportive involvement by parents and guardians can help teens...

Your child can learn to resist alcohol or anything else they feel pressured into. Let them know that the best way to say "no" is to be assertive--that is, say no and mean it. Resist the Pressure to Drink Say no and let them know you mean it. Stand up Straig...

This booklet is primarily concerned with preventing teen alcohol use. We also need to pay attention to the possibility of youthful alcohol abuse. Certain children are more likely than others to drink heavily and encounter alcohol-related difficulties, includin...

Although the following signs may indicate a problem with alcohol or other drugs, some also reflect normal teenage growing pains. Experts believe that a drinking problem is more likely if you notice several of these signs at the same time, if they occur suddenl...

Establish a loving, trusting relationship with your child. Make it easy for your teen to talk honestly with you. Talk with your child about alcohol facts, reasons not to drink, and ways to avoid drinking in difficult situations. Keep tabs on your young te...

About underage drinking patterns   About what age do kids start drinking? The average age at first drink is about 14, according to national surveys of 12 to 20-year-olds (Chen at al., 2011). The more we can help kids delay when they begin drinking, the bett...

SAMHSA offers free, downloadable publications and tip sheets, as well as mobile apps for youth, teens, and young adults on topics such as substance misuse, common mental health conditions, and coping with disasters and other traumatic events. Resources for Mi...

Substance abuse and problematic patterns of substance use among youth can lead to problems at school, cause or aggravate physical and mental health-related issues, promote poor peer relationships, cause motor-vehicle accidents, and place stress on the family. ...