1 www.underagedrinking.samhsa.gov

Why You Should Talk With Your Child 

About Alcohol and Other Drugs

Parents Have a Significant 

Influence in Their Children’s 

Decisions to Experiment With 

Alcohol and Other Drugs

One of the most influential factors during a 

child’s adolescence is maintaining a strong, 

open relationship with a parent.1 When 

parents create supportive and nurturing 

environments, children make better decisions. 

Though it may not always seem like it, 

children really hear their parents’ concerns, 

which is why it’s important that parents discuss 

the risks of using alcohol and other drugs.

It’s Better to Talk Before 

Children Are Exposed to 

Alcohol and Other Drugs 

If you talk to your kids 

directly and honestly, 

they are more likely to 

respect your rules and 

advice about alcohol 

and drug use. When parents talk with their 

children early and often about alcohol and 

other drugs, they can protect their children 

from many of the high-risk behaviors 

associated with using these drugs.

Some Children May Try 

Alcohol or Other Drugs at 

a Very Young Age

It is never too early to talk to your children 

about alcohol and other drugs. Children 

as young as nine years old already start 

viewing alcohol in a more positive way, and 

approximately 3,300 kids as young as 12

try marijuana each day.2 Additionally, about 
2

five in 10 kids as young as 12 obtain 

prescription pain relievers for nonmedical 

purposes.3 The earlier you start talking, 

the better.

The Older Kids Get, the 

More Likely They’ll Try 

Alcohol or Drugs

About 10 percent of 12-year-olds say they 

have tried alcohol, but by age 15, that 

number jumps to 50 percent. Additionally, 

by the time they are seniors, almost 70 

percent of high school students will have 

tried alcohol, half will have taken an illegal 

drug, and more than 20 percent will have 

used a prescription drug for a nonmedical 

purpose.4 The sooner you talk to your 

children about alcohol and other drugs, 

the greater chance you have of influencing 

their decisions about drinking and 

substance use.5

Not Talking About Alcohol and 

Other Drugs Still Sends Kids a 

Message

Kids don’t always have all the facts when 

it comes to alcohol and other drugs. 

If parents don’t talk about the risks of 

underage drinking and substance use, 

their kids might not see any harm in trying 

alcohol and other substances. Having a 

conversation allows parents to set clear 

rules about what they expect from their 

kids when it comes to alcohol and other 

drugs. 

References

1

 National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. 

(2004). Young children develop in an environment 

of relationships. Working Paper No. 1. From 

http://developingchild.harvard.edu/wp-content/

uploads/2004/04/Young-Children-Develop-in-anEnvironment-of-Relationships.pdf (accessed June 19, 

2018).

2

 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 

Administration. (2018). Key substance use and mental 

health indicators in the United States: Results from the 

2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (HHS 

Publication No. SMA 18-5068, NSDUH Series H-53). 

Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and 

Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 

Administration.

3

 Lipari, R. N., & Hughes, A. (2017). The CBHSQ Report: 

How people obtain the prescription pain relievers they 

misuse. Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health 

Statistics and Quality, Substance Abuse and Mental 

Health Services Administration.

4

 Johnston, L. D., O’Malley, P. M., Miech, R. A., Bachman, 

J. G., & Schulenberg, J. E. (2014). Monitoring the Future 

national results on drug use: 1975–2013: Overview, Key 

Findings on Adolescent Drug Use. Ann Arbor: Institute for 

Social Research, The University of Michigan.

5

 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

(2007). The Surgeon General’s call to action to prevent 

and reduce underage drinking: A guide to action for 

educators. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health 

and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General.

SMA-18-5076

www.underagedrinking.samhsa.gov