High School—The Next Big STEP! Help your teen get a good start Hosted by the CIRCLE Coalition.

1. High School—The Next Big STEP! • Help your teen get a good start • Hosted by the CIRCLE Coalition. • An extended Question & Answer session will follow the presentation. • CIRCLE Coalition’s mission is to bring together Wooster Community members with diverse backgounds to address the common goal of reducing substance abuse among youth, and over time, adults.

2. Help your teen be ready for… How High School is Different “Youth would be an ideal state if it came a little later in life.” Herbert Henry Asquith

3. High school is a special time for… Striking a Balance “The question is not whether we can afford to invest in every child; it is whether we can afford not to.” Marian Wright Edelman

4. Friendly influence… The Difference Between a Group of Friends and Cliques “A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.” Bernard Meltzer

5. Friends don't talk about you • behind your back and… •   They don't spread rumors about you •   They don't try to embarrass you, to make them look superior • But they do: •    Encourage you to do the right thing •    Help you get through tough times •    Listen •    Respect your friendship

6. High school is a special time for… Continued Parental Supervision “Never lend your car to whom you have given birth.” Erma Bombeck

7. Quick Game of Jeopardy

8. Simple ways you can help keep your teen safe from… Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs • Parents matter • Talk to your teen • Spend time with your teen • Be an example • Tell your teen what you expect • Set rules, and enforce them • Be aware of messages that encourage drug use

9. Myth: Teens don’t listen to their parents. Parents can have the most influence with their teen over the long-haul. A recent study by USA Today Weekend Magazine found that 70% of teens named their parents as the most important influence in their lives, 21% said their friends, and 8% named the media.

10. Myth: It’s no big deal who my teen’s friends are. Your teen’s friends have powerful influence on their spur-of-the-moment decisions. Teens with friends who make healthy decisions about drugs, smoking and alcohol are 3 times less likely to use substances.

11. Myth: Drugs are hard to get. Alcohol, RX drugs and inhalants are as close as home… or the homes of family members and friends. Keeping any alcohol or RX drugs locked up (and asking family and friends to do the same) helps protect your teen from making unhealthy decisions. Inhalants – common household products that can prove deadly the first time.

12. Myth: It’s inevitable—teens will drink alcohol and try drugs. • It’s only inevitable if we (parents and community members) act like it is. We can: • work together to help make sure our teens know that using alcohol or other drugs is not acceptable. • provide safe, healthy fun for our teens • refuse to serve alcohol to minors in our homes and do not permit someone else to bring alcohol or other drugs to teens in our home. • refuse to allow our teens to attend parties where alcohol or other drugs might be.

13. Thank you!