Middle school and high school kids don’t fare well when someone in their immediate family is deployed. A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine reports that kids in this situation are at a higher risk of abusing drugs and alcohol, especially when the deployed serviceman or servicewoman is a parent or sibling. […]

Personality issues can be hugely problematic for teenagers, especially when they contribute to social awkwardness or an inability to get emotional and other needs met at home and at school. A new study looked into the efficacy of a high school program that offered teens the tools to manage problematic personality issues with the goal […]

Peer influence is a huge factor in the development of teen drug abuse, but a new study suggests that the opinions of your son’s best friend may have the biggest impact on whether or not he opts to have that first alcoholic drink. If your son has friends who drink, this is one of the […]

A survey of about 2,500 teenagers found that most teens are not asked by their doctors about their drinking behaviors. Of the participants, about 80 percent had gone to their physician within the last year, but only 54 percent had doctors who inquired as to whether or not they drank alcohol, and only about 40 […]

It’s not uncommon for teens who struggle with mental health symptoms to also be diagnosed with a drug and/or alcohol abuse issue. In fact, a study published in the British Medical Journal Open reports that about 10 percent of teens in mental health treatment smoke cigarettes, use marijuana, or drink alcohol. The older they grow, […]

A study published by the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and reported on CollegeDrinkingPrevention.gov indicates that when the minimum drinking age is reduced, significantly more problems with teen alcohol abuse occurs along with all related issues. These include: Car accidents Accidental deaths Alcoholism and addiction Increased rates of teen abuse of other substances It’s an […]

When pictures of Justin Bieber smoking marijuana at a party in Newport Beach, CA, went viral online, he made no official comment on the incident to the press. But when he recently hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time, one of his skits referenced the incident, and he offered an apology, albeit in the […]

The choice in mixer can increase the danger inherent to alcohol abuse in teens, says a CBS News report. Both diet soda and energy drinks have been determined to increase the effects of alcohol, but energy drinks have been identified as specifically hazardous for teens because mixing the drinks with liquor is a popular choice […]

Not sure how to help your child avoid the risks of drug and alcohol abuse in the teen years? Here are a few tips to get you started: Set a good example. You may not think that your son is watching or cares about your behavior, but the fact is that kids are paying very […]

A national poll published by the University of Michigan Mott Children’s Hospital reported that only 33 percent of parents say they are concerned about the non-medical use of addictive prescription drugs by teens. Only 20 percent said they were worried about the misuse of prescription medications by teens in their families. Additionally, though prescription painkiller […]

No longer is marijuana considered the gateway drug responsible for helping teens bridge the gap between experimentation with alcohol to hardcore use of needles and dangerous street drugs. Today’s gateway substance, says The Fix, could be prescription painkillers, because they are the number one reason for a recent resurgence in the numbers of teens addicted […]

In 2002, more than 83 percent of teenagers reported seeing drug and alcohol abuse prevention messages from media sources. But the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that by 2011 that number had dropped to about 75 percent. In the same way, the anti-drug message received by teens at school reached more […]