Survey: Parents Let Their Own Experiences Affect Drug and Alcohol Boundaries Set for Teens at Prom and Graduati...(orces the factthat kids live up to paren...),Health

The survey of 1,000 teens in grades 9-12 and 1,003 parents was conducted by Kelton Research, along with the Partnership and the MetLife Foundation, and has a margin of error of +/-3.1 percent.

Prescription Drugs Added to the Mix

The survey also found that 44 percent of teens say prescription drug use may be a part of prom and graduation parties. Additional Partnership research confirms that an alarming number of today's teenagers are more likely to have abused prescription and over-the-counter medications than a variety of illegal drugs like Ecstasy, cocaine, crack and meth. Nearly one in five teens (19 percent or 4.5 million) reports abusing prescription medications to get high and one in 10 (10 percent or 2.4 million) reports abusing cough medicine to get high.

Teens Feel Pressured: Talk to Them Before Their Friends Do

Sixty percent of teens say they feel pressured to use drugs or alcohol "always" or "frequently" at prom or graduation events, and 22 percent of teens surveyed report that they are likely to drink or use drugs at these types of celebrations.

Partnership research repeatedly shows that kids who learn a lot about the risks of drugs at home are up to 50 percent less likely than their peers to use, yet less than one-third of teens, just 31 percent, say they are getting that message from their parents.

"By talking with their teens often about the dangers of drug abuse, parents can protect their kids and help them live healthy drug-free lives," said Sibyl Jacobson, president of MetLife Foundation. "These survey findings serve as an important reminder that what parents choose to discuss with their teens can have an impact on the actions their children take."

"When parents talk, most teens actually do listen. Parents must take the opportunity presented by prom and graduation season to let their teens know drug and alcohol
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