Substance Use & Addictions

The best prevention for substance use and addictions in children & teens is talking about it early, modeling appropriate adult use and/or abstinence, reducing stress, explaining parental addictions, and reassuring kids they can talk to you...no matter what. Most important of all? Find fun and meaningful ways to stay connected and involved. Strengthening attachment helps you better support your child, even if professional intervention is needed. Please reference our Children, Youth & Porn, Prenatal Substance Exposure, Suicide & Self Harm Supports, and Teen Topics pages for more resources.

This video contains sensitive material.

"...they don’t use drugs because of peer pressure or a desire to get high, but rather to cope with the stress and anxiety in their lives." ~David Sheff, best-selling author of Clean: Overcoming Addiction & Ending America's Greatest Tragedy

Food for Thought

OHA’s Save Lives Oregon initiative is offering school districts free opioid overdose reversal kits!

General Websites

Recommended Books & Articles

Substance use-related Materials in ORPARC's library, including a Fentanyl bundle for supporting & educating teens.

Parental addictions

Fentanyl-specific

Culturally-specific

Online Resources for Teens & Their Advocates

In addition to the above:

Hotlines & Helplines

Featured Favorites

Clean by David Sheff


Floating Away by Andrew J. Bauman


Addie's Mom Isn't Home Anymore by Genia Calvin

Mother Bunny & the Bad Plants: a story of kinship care for small children by Elise Bowditch - oldie by goodie!


The Addiction Monster by Janet Amptman


Mama's Waves by Chandra Ghosh Ippen


It Will Never Happen to Me by Claudia Black


Timbi Talks about Addiction by Trish Healy Luna

The Addiction Inoculation by Jessica Lahey


Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka


Beyond Addiction by Jeffrey Foote


15 Poems to Healing & Recovery by Diane Kaufman