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Helpful tools for your daughter

• Quiz: Guess what’s in a cigarette

Work on building a close relationship with your daughter. Talk to her every day and find out what's going on in her life. This will make it easier for her to come to you when she has a problem. Research shows that having a close relationship with your child makes her or him less likely to try alcohol, drugs, or cigarettes.

The resources in this section can help you talk to your daughter about alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes. To get started talking, your daughter can take the quiz, Guess what's in a cigarette. Afterwards, sit down and talk to her about what she learned.

Featured articles

1. Girls Are Catching Up With Boys in Use of Illicit Substances and Alcohol
2. Kids and Alcohol
3. Kids and Smoking
4. Parents: Nicotine is a Real Threat to Your Kids
5. Smoking and Asthma
6.   Suspect your Teen is Using Drugs or Drinking? A Brief Guide to Action for Parents (PDF - 259KB)
7. Talking to Your Child About Drugs
8. The Path to Smoking Addition Starts at very Young Ages

Web sites

1.   Teen.smokefree.gov – This site is designed and run by the National Cancer Institute. It helps teens understand the decisions they make — especially the decision to quit smoking — and how those decisions fit into their lives.
2.   SmokeFreeTXT – SmokefreeTXT is a free mobile service designed for teens across the United States. SmokefreeTXT was created to provide 24/7 encouragement, advice, and tips to help teens stop smoking for good. Signing up is quick and easy – and free!
3. A Family Guide To Keeping Youth Mentally Healthy & Drug Free - This web site from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration was developed to support parents and other caring adults who are working to promote mental health and prevent the use of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs among 7- to 18-year-olds.
4. ClubDrugs.org - This Internet site is dedicated to providing reliable information on club drugs that are used by young adults at all-night dance parties such as "raves" or "trances," dance clubs, and bars. NIDA-supported research has shown that use of club drugs can cause serious health problems and, in some cases, even death. Used in combination with alcohol, these drugs can be even more dangerous.
5. girlshealth.gov: Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking - We have created the girlshealth.gov section on drugs, alcohol, and smoking to help adolescent girls learn more about some of the unique health issues and social situations they will encounter during the teen years. This section provides information, resources, and links to help your daughter learn more about how to deal with situations that involve drugs, alcohol, and smoking.
6. StopAlcoholAbuse.gov - This Internet site is a comprehensive portal of Federal resources for information on underage drinking and ideas for combating this issue. People interested in underage drinking prevention—including parents, educators, community-based organizations, and youth—will find a wealth of valuable information here.
7. Parent Awareness of Youth Use of Cigarettes, Alcohol, and Marijuana - This report should be used by parents to gain knowledge and awareness about cigarette, alcohol and marijuana use among youth.

Publications

1. Antidepressants for Chilren: Explore the Pros and Cons (Copyright © Mayo Clinic) – Learn why antidepressants have warnings about suicidal thoughts in children, what to do before your child starts taking an antidepressant, and the warning signs of a potential problem.
   
   http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/antidepressants/MH00059/METHOD%3Dprint
2. ClubDrugs.gov – This Internet site is dedicated to providing reliable information on club drugs that are used by young adults at all-night dance parties such as "raves" or "trances," dance clubs, and bars. NIDA-supported research has shown that use of club drugs can cause serious health problems and, in some cases, even death. Used in combination with alcohol, these drugs can be even more dangerous.
   
   http://www.clubdrugs.gov/
3. Cough and Cold Medicine Abuse (Copyright © Nemours Foundation) – This publication provides information on cold and cough medicine abuse among adolescents. It explains why teens might abuse these over the counter drugs, how it can affect them, and what to look for if you suspect your child has a problem.
   
   http://kidshealth.org/PageManager.jsp%3Fdn%3Dgirlshealth%26lic%3D175%26cat_id%3D171%26article_set%3D34641%26ps%3D104#cat20129
4. Drug Facts: Street Terms – The Street Terms database contains over 2,300 street terms that refer to specific drug types or drug activity. The database is used by police officers, parents, treatment providers and others who require a better understanding of drug culture.
   
   http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/streetterms/
5. Got a Minute? Give It to Your Kid – This kit tackles teen tobacco use by providing information on how to talk about it with teens. It offers parents 10 methods for staying closer to their preteens or teens, such as scheduling weekly time and sharing meals, and suggests ways to help teens quit smoking.
   
   http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/tobacco_control_programs/campaigns_events/got_a_minute/
6.   Make A Difference: Talk to Your Child About Alcohol (PDF - 775) – This on-line booklet from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism provides guidance to parents and caregivers on discussing alcohol issues with young people ages 10 to 14. Additional resources are also provided.
   
   http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/MakeADiff_HTML/MakeAdiff.pdf
7. Marijuana: Facts Parents Need to Know – This online publication provides tips for parents to help them address marijuana use with their children. It also provides information on signs of use and long-term effects.
   
   http://www.drugabuse.gov/MarijBroch/MarijparentsN.html
8. NIDA InfoFacts: Hallucinogens - LSD, Peyote, Psilocybin, and PCP – This InfoFacts discusses four common types of hallucinogens: LSD, Peyote, Psilocybin, and PCP. It reviews appearance, common nicknames, and methods of use. It also reviews the health hazards and statistics regarding the extent of its use among young people.
   
   http://www.drugabuse.gov/infofacts/hallucinogens.html
9. Parent Information – This website compiles all of the information within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HHS, about parenting. It has a wealth of information, covering topics such as child safety, immunization schedules, and developmental milestones.
   
   http://www.cdc.gov/parents/
10. Parenting Corner Q& A: Substance Abuse Prevention (Copyright © American Academy of Pediatrics) – This fact sheet discusses how parents can help their children stay away from drugs.
    
    http://www.aap.org/publiced/BR_SubstanceAbusePrev.htm
11. Prescription Drug Abuse (Copyright © TheAntiDrug.com) – This internet site educates parents on prescription drug abuse and its increasing problem among today's teens. It contains information on why teens abuse prescription drugs, where they get them, what types they are using, and what parents can do about it.
    
    http://www.theantidrug.com/drug_info/prescription_drugs.asp
12. Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking – This call to action, from the U.S. Surgeon General's Office, appeals to Americans to do more to stop America's 11 million current underage drinkers from using alcohol, and to keep other young people from starting. It lays out recommendations for government and school officials, parents, other adults and the young people, calling them to action to address the problem of underage drinking.
    
    http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/underagedrinking/
13.   Suspect your Teen is Using Drugs or Drinking? A Brief Guide to Action for Parents (PDF - 258KB) – Parents will want a copy of this valuable resource to take action if they suspect or know that their teen is using drugs. This 12-page brochure covers the challenges parents face, signs and symptoms to look for if they suspect their teen is using illicit drugs or drinking, suggestions for starting a discussion and what parents can do and say to keep their children drug-free.
    
    http://www.theantidrug.com/pdfs/resources/general/parents_brochure.pdf
14.   Teens and Prescription Drugs – This report gives recent findings about prescription drug abuse among teens. It covers issues such as gender differences among teen drug abusers, types of drugs abused, and accessibility of these drugs to teens.
    
    http://www.theantidrug.com/pdfs/TEENS_AND_PRESCRIPTION_DRUGS.pdf
15. Tips for Parents on Keeping Children Drug Free – This publication contains information and resources for parents about what they can do to prevent their children from growing up to use drugs and alcohol.
    
    http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/involve/drugfree/index.html
16.   Tobacco Control Policies: Do They Make a Difference for Low Socioeconomic Status Women and Girls? Executive Summary – This executive summary highlights recommendations detailed in the report, Tobacco Control Policies: Do They Make a Difference for Low Socioeconomic Status Women and Girls? The recommendations were developed by researchers, practitioners, and advocates who aim to increase our knowledge of how to reduce tobacco use among low-income women and girls.
    
    http://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/tcrb/ses_women-girls_project/LowSES22807.pdf
17.   Wasting the Best and the Brightest: Substance Abuse at America's Colleges and Universities (Copyright © The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University) – This report discusses the growing problem of college student substance use and abuse and the consequences, including academic problems, legal problems, addiction, risky sexual behavior, unintentional injury, and more. It explains why more college students are using and abusing illegal substances and what should be done to address this issue.
    
    http://www.casacolumbia.org/absolutenm/articlefiles/380-Wasting%20the%20Best%20and%20the%20Brightest.pdf

Organizations

1. Boys Town
   
   http://www.boystown.org/home.asp
2. Center for Young Women's Health
   
   http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/
3. Division of Adolescent and School Health, CDC
   
   http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/about/index.htm
4. Do It Now Foundation
   
   http://www.doitnow.org/
5. Join Together Online
   
   http://www.jointogether.org/
6. National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse
   
   http://www.casacolumbia.org/templates/Home.aspx%3Farticleid%3D287%26zoneid%3D32
7. Office of National Drug Control Policy, EOP
   
   http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/
8. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
   
   http://www.samhsa.gov/
9. Task Force on College Drinking, NIAAA, NIH
   
   http://www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/

= This article, publication, website, or organization is from the U.S. government.

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Content last updated November 11, 2007

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