Drinking, Smoking, Vaping: Trends in Teen Use and What Parents Can Do

What exactly is “normal” when it comes to adolescent “experimentation” with alcohol, vaping and other risky behaviors? Parents may not be aware that affluence is a risk factor for teens’ exposure to and use of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and liquid nicotine (vaping) and that many high achieving teens are secretly engaged in these behaviors. In this workshop, Elizabeth Driscoll Jorgensen, CADC, Director of Insight Counseling, will help parents understand the current trends in teen behaviors as well as the possible unique risk factors for these behaviors that parents can minimize or eliminate. Parents will also learn simple and effective ways to set and maintain reasonable limits and expectations for their child’s safety and social life. Finally, parents will have ample time to ask questions about their specific concerns. Join the Wilton community on Tuesday, November 9 10:00am at the Wilton Library for this positive event supporting the well-being of our adolescents.

This program will also address the unique risk factors and considerations for the prevention of substance use for teens with learning disabilities and other special needs. We will cover teens with ADHD and other disabilities which may pose significant challenges to parents setting and maintaining safe boundaries and helping teens navigate social life.

This program is appropriate for parents of students in grades 6th to 12th. All interested adults are welcome to attend.

This program will be repeated on Zoom at 7:00 pm on November 9.

Sponsored by Wilton Youth Council in partnership with Wilton Library and SPED*NET Wilton.