Parent Anti-Drug Networks

Parents often recognize that the older their children get, the more influence they experience from friends, neighbors, and the many media that enter their lives. However, research has shown that even as children grow into their teens, parents still can play a tremendous role in influencing against ATOD (alcohol, tobacco, or other drug) use.

Two of the most powerful things parents can do to influence youth against substance use are:

Clearly communicate parental expectation that youth will not use alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs. As simplistic as this may seem, just hearing a rule or expectation from a parent can have a measurable impact on the chances of substance use by a young person.
Keep track of friends and events in a youth’s life, and don’t allow youth to attend an event that presents an opportunity for substance use, such as a party with no adults present.

In order to help parents with prevention, Heartland Coalition and many local middle and high schools have created parent anti-drug networks. If parents agree with the written anti-drug premises supported by the network and want to be listed in the directory of network members, they sign up and agree to have a conversation with their child(ren) about the parents’ stance on substance abuse. Each school year a district network directory is printed and distributed to all network members.

The main purposes of the networks are to:

Stimulate thought and discussion about family policy on substance use.
Present some suggested elements of family policy.
Demonstrate how many parents support explicit anti-drug family policies, such as avoiding unchaperoned parties.

Of course, youth listed in a parent network directory are not guaranteed to be drug-free. A listing means that the listed parent(s) intends to keep their children drug-free, and that those parents welcome contact from other parents about related issues.

If you would like information about local parent anti-drug networks in McLean County, contact Heartland Coalition at coalition@chestnut.org. Please include what school(s) your teen or pre-teen attends, so we can let you know whether a network exists for that school.