Safe Homes
The Safe Homes Network is a platform for parents to connect with their youth and other parents to prevent youth substance us in our community. Evidence shows that strong bonds between families, friends and their community help youth make healthy life choices. The Safe Homes Networks provide tools and support for parents to have the difficult conversations surrounding substance use and to set clear expectations to prevent it. The program is completely free and voluntary.
Safe Homes Parents:
- Communicate the risks of Drug and Alcohol use with my children.
- Do not allow the consumption of alcoholic beverages, nicotine or other substances by underage youth in their home or on their property.
- Actively supervise all gatherings of youth in our home or on our property.
- Welcome phone calls from concerned parents or guardians about gatherings for youth in their home.
- Set clear expectations for their children by knowing where they are going, whom they are with, what they are doing and when they are to return home.
- Encourage future drug and alcohol free activities both in my home and in my community.
- Keep all substances, including alcohol, nicotine, prescription medication and cannabis products in their home secure.
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Safe Homes Parents:
Why is it important that youth not use substances in their home? There are a number of reasons, the biggest one being, it isn’t safer!
There is a common belief that it is safer for youth to use under the roof of their own home rather than at another location. This belief normalizes the use of substances by youth and can indicate that it is OK to use underage as long as it is ‘here.’
The dangers of youth substance use goes beyond where they use. Our best bet to prevent the long-term effects of underage use is to prevent the use of substances all together. Having conversations, setting clear standards and supporting youth when they are struggling has a significant effect on delaying the use of substances to legal age which reduces social, physical and emotion long term repercussions. No use is safer than any use!
Alcohol
Each year and individual began to drink prior to the age of 21, the greater the odds that they will develop alcohol dependency.*
- 47% of individuals who began drinking before age 14 experience dependence at some point in their lifetime, vs. 9% percent of those who began drinking at age 21 or older.*
- 46% of individuals who began drinking by age 16 developed alcohol dependency disorders.*
- Drinking alcohol underage can have a variety of physical social and emotional effects, some include: doing less well in school, increased risky behaviors, depression, memory impairment, loosing close healthy relationships and the dangers of driving while intoxicated.
Cannabis
Among youth receiving substance use disorder treatment, marijuana accounts for the largest percentage of admissions —about 55% among those 12 to 17 years old.**
- People who begin using marijuana before age 18 are 4 to 7 times more likely than adults to develop problem use**
- Teen who use cannabis are 2-2.5 times more likely to have adverse mental health outcomes and behavioral problems.*** (Columbia)
- Teens with an addiction to cannabis were 3.5 to 4.5 times more likely to have these issues.*** (*Columbia University)
- Teens who use cannabis recreationally are two to four times as likely to develop psychiatric disorders, such as depression and suicidality, than teens who don’t use cannabis at all.*** (Columbia University).
- Consuming cannabis products underage can have a variety of physical social and emotional effects, some include: doing less well in school, increased risky behaviors, depression, respiratory issues, mental health disorders, memory impairment, loosing close healthy relationships and the dangers of driving while intoxicated.
* “Early Drinking Linked to Higher Lifetime Alcoholism Risk.” National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
** “Marijuana: Facts Parents Need to Know.” National Institute on Drug Abuse.
*** “Recreational Cannabis use by Teens Linked to Risk of Depression, Suicidality.” Columbia University Department of Psychiatry.