Family Talk: Drugs and Alcohol

Each week in "Moms Talk," our Moms Council of experts and smart moms and dads take your questions, give advice and share solutions. This week, we'll take a look at teen alcohol and drug use.

During the , teens admitted that marijuana, alcohol and prescription pain killers were not only the most highly abused drugs in the area, they are also the easiest to find. Some kids said that parents let them and their friends drink at home and supply alcohol for parties. Prescription pain killers can be found in family medicine cabinets. Statistics mentioned at the Summit also stated that teens across the state don’t see the harm in marijuana use, unlike cigarettes.

What is the true story?  Are accounts of drug and alcohol use magnified way beyond what's actually happening?

So here's the question for this week's Moms Talk: 

What kind of prevention works best? Is it talking to our kids and hoping they walk the narrow path of the clean and sober? What about talking with them 'realistically' about the choices they can make as an adult? Or, should we scare our kids straight by handing out harsher and harsher penalties for Code of Conduct violations at school, with the idea that if some see the dire consequences of a suspension from their sport or activity, they'll be scared out of experimenting?

There may be disagreement on how to curb alcohol and drug use among teens, but experts pretty much agree that those who abuse alcohol and/or drugs in their teen years are substantially more likely to have problems with drugs and alcohol later in life.