Counsel of teenagers regarding sex and drug use

The only safe sex is no sex, according to most healthcare providers. Abstinence may be the only true form of "safe" sex. All forms of sexual contact carry some risk. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents start talking to children about their bodies and sex, at an age-appropriate level, when they first ask where babies come from. Although many teens may say they know everything about sex, studies have found that many are not completely informed about sex and sexually transmitted infections STIs. As a parent, you are the best source of accurate information for your teen.

Not a MyNAP member yet? Register for a free account to start saving and receiving special member only perks. Adolescence is frequently described as a time of engaging in risk-taking behaviors. In , 45 percent of high school seniors reported having tried marijuana, 30 percent reported being drunk in the past two weeks, and 22 percent reported smoking cigarettes daily U. Department of Health and Human Services, Nearly two-thirds of U.

Thus, substance abuse treatment presents a prime opportunity to target HIV-risk behaviors. The present study evaluated a one-session HIV-risk intervention embedded in a controlled clinical trial for drug-abusing adolescents. Youths were randomly assigned to individual cognitive behavior therapy CBT or to an integrated behavioral and family therapy IBFT condition, involving individual and family sessions. The HIV-specific intervention was not associated with change. These data suggest that drug abuse treatments can have both preventative and intervention effects for adolescents, depending on their relative HIV-risk.

Was that a sext you just saw? Questions flood your mind. Is this what kids are doing nowadays? Does this mean my child is having sex too? Sexting — the exchange of sexual messages, photographs or videos via technological devices — is a relatively common occurrence among adolescents, with one in four youth receiving sexts, and one in seven sending them.