Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Prevention

Alcohol and Other Drug Use
The teen years are a time of growth, exploration, and risk taking. Taking risks provides young people the opportunity to test their skills and discover who they are. But, some risks, such as smoking and using drugs, can have harmful and long-lasting effects on a teen’s health and well-being.

Substance use may begin as something students view as fun or a way to push boundaries at school but can quickly turn into a means of coping, stress reduction or numbing of difficult emotions.
Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health:
  • In 2020, 50.0% of people aged 12 or older (or 138.5 million people) used alcohol in the past month (i.e., current alcohol users)
  • About 2.3 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 in 2019 drank alcohol in the past month, and 1.2 million of these adolescents binge drank in that period (2019 NSDUH)
  • Approximately 14.5 million people age 12 or older had an alcohol use disorder (2019 NSDUH)
  • Among people aged 12 or older in 2020, 3.4% (or 9.5 million people) misused opioids in the past year (2020 NSDUH)

  • 2019 NSDUH data indicates that 48.2 million Americans aged 12 or older, 17.5 percent of the population, used marijuana in the past year

  • In 2019, NSDUH data show an estimated 5.5 million people aged 12 or older were past users of cocaine, including about 778,000 users of crack.

Source: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/atod

Tobacco Use

Youth and Tobacco Use Statistics

If cigarette smoking continues at the current rate among youth in this country, 5.6 million of today’s Americans younger than 18 will die early from a smoking-related illness. That’s about 1 of every 13 Americans aged 17 years or younger who are alive today.

  • Tobacco product use is started and established primarily during adolescence.
  • Nearly 9 out of 10 adults who smoke cigarettes daily first try smoking by age 18, and 99% first try smoking by age 26.
    • Each day in the U.S., about 1,600 youth smoke their first cigarette and nearly 200 youth start smoking every day.
  • Flavorings in tobacco products can make them more appealing to youth.
    • In 2021, 80.2% of high school students and 74.6% of middle school students who used tobacco products in the past 30 days reported using a flavored tobacco product during that time.
    • In 2021, 85.8% of high school students and 79.2% of middle school students who used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days reported using a flavored e-cigarette during that time.

Content source: Office on Smoking and Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion


Click here for full fact sheet on tobacco.


E-Cigarette Use Among Youth

Datos Breves Sobre los Riesgos de los Cigarrillos Electrónicos Para los Niños, Adolescentes y Adultos Jóvenes
E-Cigarettes and Youth: What Parents Need to Know

Los Cigarrillos Electrónicos y los Jóvenes: Lo que los Padres Deben Saber

Dangers of Vaping Fact Sheet

Los Peligros del Vapeo






Signs Your Student May Be Using Substances

Signs your student may be using substances:

  • Their grades have dropped.
  • They have a change in friends.
  • They are more secretive.
  • They are talking to parents and family members less.
  • They don’t allow you in their room.
Ways to Support Your Student

Here are some things you can do right now to help your student:

  • Set aside time to talk and listen to your student.
  • Talk to your student’s counselor.
  • Do your research – read articles, talk to other parents, get to know what terms are used and what substances are available now for kids.
  • Get to know your child’s friends and their friend’s families.
  • Pay attention and trust your intuition. If things seem off, they probably are.
  • Set boundaries.
  • Know where your child is before and after school.
  • Don’t be afraid to look into your child’s online presence (tiktok, snapchat, etc.), their phone or through their room if you are worried.