Prevalence

• According to the Greater Dallas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, 52 percent of youths reported drinking by the time they reached eighth grade. Forty-one percent reported cigarette smoking, and 20 percent have used marijuana. Starting this early can lead to lifelong problems. For example, 40 percent of drinkers who started at age 14 or younger developed alcohol dependence.
  
  

Students Against Destructive Decisions

• Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) started off with a mission to prevent drinking and driving. While SADD now focuses on other issues like drug use and teen suicide, their primary mission is still to combat underage drinking. This organization lets youths join support groups, where they prevent underage drinking through a "no use" policy.
  
  

D.A.R.E. Drug Prevention Programs

• D.A.R.E. stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education and is a popular prevention program used in schools from kindergarten through 12th grade. These programs are lead by police officers and focus on teaching children to live drug-free lives. The programs give special attention to lessons in avoiding peer pressure. You can find D.A.R.E. programs in over 75% of the school districts in the United States.
  
  

Smoking Prevention

• According to the Family First Aid website, teen smoking continues to drop as prevention campaigns educate this group about the dangers of nicotine. Even though the levels are relatively low, 23% of high school students reported that they smoked a cigarette in the past 30 days. With 80 percent of smokers beginning before the age of 18, it's important to prevent this problem at a young age. Family First Aid points out that only 2 percent of smokers have parents who don't smoke, so set a good example.
  
  

Talk About It

• If you are concerned about alcohol, drug or tobacco prevention, talk to someone about it. You can open a healthy dialogue with your child about the dangers of such use, or talk to a doctor or counselor about the best way to encourage a healthy lifestyle in other individuals.