20 questions for parents to ponder

It’s scary to think, but a third of children as young as 13 in New York State say they’ve already consumed alcohol — and those as young as 12 report having tried marijuana at least once, according to polling by the NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (NYS OASAS).

It’s a window of time when most teens experience what Lindsey Vuolo, associate director of health and law policy at the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (NCASA), calls an “initiation” into substance use.

“Adolescence is really the key period,” Vuolo says. “Nine out of 10 people with addictions started using a substance before the age of 18.”

When you combine that statistic with the fact that 18- to 25-year-olds have the highest drug use rate — especially opioids — right now, it becomes clear that awareness and education need to begin during early childhood development.

While NYS OASAS recommends starting substance abuse prevention measures in preschool, experts also believe parents play a primary role in influencing their child when it comes to making choices about drugs and alcohol.

So how do parents delay this initiation phase — or prevent their kids from experimenting with drugs or alcohol entirely?

“One thing that parents need to do is have conversations with their kids about drug use starting when they’re young,” says Ben Nordstrom, MD, chief clinical officer at Phoenix House, a nationwide holistic drug and alcohol treatment center.

The more parents can make it as everyday a discussion as

he warning signs that your child may be drinking or taking drugs aren’t always so obvious. The teen years, after all, can be tough on youngsters, and many of the signs can be chalked up to typical adolescent behavior. But if a teen exhibits several of...