Did you know...

37% of Michigan youth had at least one drinking of alcohol on one or more of the past 30 days*
More youth reported binge drinking than adults*
Over two-thirds of Michigan high school students have ever drank alcohol and one third have drank recently*
23% of students had 5 or more drinks of alcohol in a row, that is, within a couple of hours, on one or more of the past 30 days*
32% of Michigan high school students reported they usually got the alcohol they drank from someone who gave it to them*
1 in 10 students have taken barbiturates without a doctor's prescription one or more times during their life*
Nearly half of all high school students have tried smoking**
10% of Michigan high school students have smoked 10 or more cigarettes per day on the days they smoked during the past 30 days**
1 in 4 of Michigan high school students have used tobacco during the past 30 days**
A survey of teenagers by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America found that 1 in 5 teens has tried Vicodin, a powerful and addictive narcotic pain reliever***

Ways to prevent youth substance abuse

Supervise children
Children are most likely to use alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs during the hours of 3pm-6pm.
Make sure your child knows you expect them not to use drugs - parents have the biggest influence on whether or not a child uses.
Be a positive role model in a child's life
Know the signs of substance use

Changes in friends
Negative changes in schoolwork, missing school, or declining grades
Increased secrecy about possessions or activities
Use of incense, room deodorant, or perfume to hide smoke or chemical odors
Subtle changes in conversations with friends, e.g. more secretive, using "coded" language
Change in clothing choices: new fascination with clothes that highlight drug use
Increase in borrowing money
Evidence of drug paraphernalia such as pipes, rolling papers, etc.
Evidence of use of inhalant products (such as hairspray, nail polish, correction fluid, common household products); Rags and paper bags are sometimes used as accessories
Bottles of eye drops, which may be used to mask bloodshot eyes or dilated pupils
New use of mouthwash or breath mints to cover up the smell of alcohol
Missing prescription drugs. especially narcotics and mood stabilizers

Call your insurance company and get referred to local provider
Call Health Services Access (HSA) 1-800-440-7548 if you do not have insurance or are Medicaid eligible. HSA will provide assessment telephone screening, information on community resources, referrals to substance abuse services/counseling residential and intensive treatment services

*Michigan Department of Education. (2009). Alcohol and other drug use fact sheet. Retrieved from http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/2009-A_333601_7.pdf

**Michigan Department of Education. (2009). Tobacco fact sheet. Retrieved from http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/2009-T_333606_7.pdf

***The Partnership for a Drug-Free America. (N.D.) Getting high on prescription and over-the-counter drugs is dangerous. [Brochure].