■ Educate yourself on alcohol and the different types of drugs and other dangerous activities

youths participate in.

■ Take any opportunity —— like driving to school or watching TV together —— to talk to your kids and let them know what is important to you.

■ Know what your kids are doing and who they are doing it with.

■ Praise and reward good behavior.

■ Monitor your child — Kids who are not watched by their parents are FOUR times more likely to use drugs.

■ Try to be with your children between 3 to 6 p.m., the most critical time of the day for “latchkey” kids.

■ Get to know other adults in your child’s life — teachers, coaches, friends’ parents.

■ Know who is driving your child. 30% of students report that they’ve ridden one or more times in the last month with a driver who had been drinking.

■ Respect your teen, give them privacy and space to be an individual.

■ Know what users leave behind: small pieces of foil; a spoon, possibly burnt in appearance; empty cans of dustoff, or other aerosol can products; cutoff straws or rolled-up dollar bills; empty plastic bags lying around; or unexplained injuries or punctures on the body.