Time to Talk

TimeToTalk provides easy-to-use guides and tips to help you have ongoing conversations with your kids to keep them healthy and drug-free.

Sign-up today to receive new
talk tips and tools via email.

Which is the most effective opportunity to start a conversation with kids about living a healthy drug-free life?

At the Movies - Fictional Character Gone Bad
You just took your teen to a PG-13 movie in which one of the main characters drinks and smokes excessively. A great opportunity to ask your child if the main character’s drug use was cool or did he recognize that she had a problem.

Celebrity Rehab
So what do you say when your teen’s favorite movie star or musician goes to drug/alcohol rehab for the third time? Use this as a perfect opportunity to reinforce the point that role models should also be those who behave responsibly, don’t do drugs or have taken the initiative to get help for a drug or alcohol problem.

Cheaters Never Really Win
For as long as you can remember, you’ve taught your teens that “cheaters never win.” But what happens when their favorite athlete is in the news for taking drugs? Ask your son or daughter how they feel about athletes using illegal substances to cheat, in order to get ahead.

The DUI Classmate
Two kids in your son’s school each received a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) citation over the weekend — and they had other friends in their car when it happened. Start a conversation about why drunk driving is so dangerous, and explain that you never want your son to get into a car with a friend who’s been using drugs or alcohol -- no matter what.

Family Matters
Substance abuse issues can often hit close to home, and it’s important that we’re open and honest with our kids when it happens. If someone in your family is struggling with drugs or drinking, this can be an opportunity to show your child, in a sympathetic way, how upsetting and damaging drug or alcohol abuse can be, and to stress the possibility of treatment and recovery.