Parents start to breathe a sigh of relief when their children are finally old enough to stay home alone – no babysitter or daycare needed. While teaching our kids to be safe at home might include things like safe cooking techniques, basic first aid and who to contact or what to do in case of an emergency – there is another area of concern parents should be alert to specifically with teens and even pre-teens.

Jennifer Coyne, an adolescent counselor with L.E. Phillips-Libertas Treatment Center, discusses alcohol and drug abuse amongst teens and pre-teens and how we as parents can help prevent that from happening. She talks about at what ages children really start thinking about and experimenting with drugs and alcohol and some reasons WHY they might start experimenting. Jennifer also tells us parents how we might know if our child is involved in such behavior--whether or not there are any signs we should be aware of. And finally, she tells us how we can help prevent it from happening.

Watch the video to learn more!