Parent Survey conducted by South Bay Families Connected - 2016 Executive Summary
If you are concerned with helping your teen avoid drugs and alcohol, you are not alone! Of 187 parents surveyed, 78% were either very or extremely concerned as well.
Read more about what parents had to say below:
45% report they have a zero tolerance policy, while 53% report that they discourage drinking and drug use and set boundaries, but acknowledge that experimentation may happen
Parents report experiencing the following challenges now, or anticipate experiencing them in the future (all that apply):
Approaching a friend whose child is having issues (41%)
Being able to discern if their kid is having issues (40%)
Being too strict and jeopardizing their relationship with their teen/pre-teen (31%)
Parents were rarely concerned with the following: (all that apply)
Feeling judged by others for their parenting philosophy (8%)
Not having access to effective parenting resources (10%)
Parents anticipated the biggest challenges for their teen/pre-teen as (all that apply)
Being pressured by her/his peer group (69%)
Being harmed by alcohol or drug induced behaviors of others (62%)
Feeling isolated if they do not “party” or use drugs or alcohol (55%)
Parents most wanted the following resources (all that apply):
Drug and alcohol-free activities for teens (70%)
Social ordinance laws that prohibit adults from providing alcohol to teens (67%)
Parent and teen prevention workshops/series (58%)
School assemblies (53%)
School counselors (52%)
Parents were most likely to turn to the following for information or advice if they were concerned that their teen might be developing a drug or alcohol problem (respondents checked all that apply):
An independent practitioner specializing in teens (66%)
The family doctor or therapist (65%)
A friend (53%)
An outpatient treatment center (47%)
For treatment, parents reported they would turn to the following:
A local outpatient treatment center (50%)
An independent chemical dependency counselor in the community (43%)
Over 50% of parents reported being either very or extremely concerned with South Bay teens’ use of each of the following:
Alcohol (74%)
Marijuana (66%)
Rx pill misuse (63%)
Synthetic marijuana (61%)
Opiates (51%).
Over 70% of parents were either very or extremely concerned with the following alcohol-related behaviors. We report only the “extremely concerned” below (all are over 70% when combined with the “very concerned” numbers):
Riding with a driver under the influence (68% extremely)
Drinking and driving themselves (68%)
Other parents supplying alcohol (58%)
Unsupervised parties (52%)
Over 60% of parents were either very or extremely concerned with the following marijuana-related behaviors. We report only the “extremely concerned” below (all are over 60% when combined with the “very concerned” numbers):
Riding with a driver under the influence of marijuana (63%)
Using marijuana and driving (61%)
The high potency and new strains of marijuana (58%)
Parents supplying marijuana (46%)
Use becoming habitual (44%)
The ease of access (41%)
·54% of parents reported that they did not know whether or not there were enough teen alcohol and drug use education and counseling services/programs at their school.