Eastern Suffolk BOCES’ Student Assistance Services is a school-based program designed to address the social and emotional needs of students by placing counselors in schools to provide early intervention and prevention services for students in grades K-12. However, our mission goes beyond simply what happens within a school district setting. Through the provision of information, such as that which is on this website, it is our hope to give parents the tools they need to help their children remain drug and alcohol free, and to give their children the tools they need to resist the temptations and peer pressure they might encounter that might lead to experimenting with, or worse, becoming addicted to, drug and/or alcohol use.
In this section, we will provide a summary of the scope of the alcohol and drug problem with adolescents and teenagers, a review of the primary drugs – both prescription and illegal – used by adolescents and teenagers, the basic science of addiction, the warning signs of alcohol or drug abuse parents should be familiar with, some tips on raising alcohol and drug-free children, an overview of prevention strategies, and some useful resources and links for parents