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Hear real stories from parents who have been there.

 "Stopping parties does not stop drug use. Find out why your child would feel the need to gain happiness from a pill first — blame the parties, last."
— Sam, a teenager

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Are You Setting A Good Example?

Whether you realize it or not, as a parent you set an example for your kids. Before you can help them address their drug or alcohol use, you must examine your own relationship with substances. You may even feel like a hypocrite because you drank alcohol in high school or tried marijuana. Realize that in order to help your son or daughter with their problem, you’ll first have to address yours.

One in four youth under age 18 lives in a family where a person abuses alcohol or suffers from alcoholism.

The toll addiction takes on these children can be extensive. Children of addiction (COAs) are at significantly greater risk for:

  • Mental illness or emotional problems, such as depression or anxiety
  • Physical health problems
  • Learning problems, including difficulty with cognitive and verbal skills, conceptual reasoning and abstract thinking
  • Verbal, physical, sexual abuse and neglect
  • Their own addiction


Children whose parents abuse alcohol or drugs are almost three times more likely to be verbally, physically or sexually abused; and four times more likely than other children to be neglected. Strong scientific evidence also suggests that addiction tends to run in families. COAs are four times more likely than non-COAs to develop alcoholism or other drug problems.

Take the Test: Drug Use Thank you for visiting theantidrug.com. You are now leaving the site. The Office of National Drug Control Policy is not responsible for the content or information gathering practices of other websites you are linking to.

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Don’t put your kids at risk. Take this self-test Thank you for visiting theantidrug.com. You are now leaving the site. The Office of National Drug Control Policy is not responsible for the content or information gathering practices of other websites you are linking to. to assess your attitude and behaviors concerning drug use. Keep in mind the test is anonymous, so please answer each question honestly. Once you have completed this test, please return to TheAntiDrug.com to seek out more information and resources on this topic if you need them.

This test was created by National Institute Drug Abuse (NCADI), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

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Take the Test: Alcohol Use Thank you for visiting theantidrug.com. You are now leaving the site. The Office of National Drug Control Policy is not responsible for the content or information gathering practices of other websites you are linking to.

photo of alcohol

Take this self-test Thank you for visiting theantidrug.com. You are now leaving the site. The Office of National Drug Control Policy is not responsible for the content or information gathering practices of other websites you are linking to. in order to assess your attitude and behaviors concerning alcohol so that you can understand how you can make changes that will help you live a more healthy lifestyle. Keep in mind the test is anonymous, so please answer each question honestly.

This test was created by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

For a complete list of resources and organizations that can help, visit our Get Help section.

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