A Family Guide To Keeping Youth Mentally Healthy & Drug Free is a public education Web site developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to communicate to parents and other caring adults about how they can help promote their child's mental health and reduce his or her risk for becoming involved with alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs.

The site's six main sections relate directly to what researchers and substance abuse prevention professionals term family-related "protective factors." These are situations and conditions that decrease a child's chances for engaging in drug-related and other risky behaviors. The site also includes information about "risk factors" that increase children's risk for using alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs. With content focusing on children aged 7 to 18, the site includes topics such as how to better communicate with young people, activities for promoting "family time," and what to say when discussing difficult issues.

SAMHSA considers this just one tool that can be used to influence children's lives. Indeed, family life is but one area of a child's life that affects his* behavior. Children, peers, schools, communities, and society all play a role as well. Accordingly, SAMHSA maintains and supports other initiatives that can help reduce children's risk. To learn more about SAMHSA and the research and programs it supports, please visit http://www.samhsa.gov.

To obtain SAMHSA's materials and publications, please visit SAMHSA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at http://ncadi.samhsa.gov.and SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center at http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov.

For more information about A Family Guide To Keeping Youth Mentally Healthy & Drug Free or to share your comments, please send an e-mail to A Family Guide.

Sign up for the Family Guide's E-Mail Update. It will provide you with highlights of what's new on the Web site. The update will be sent directly to your e-mail address on a regular basis.

* We refer to a child as "him" in some places and "her" in others. We do this for easier reading. All information applies to both boys and girls unless otherwise specified.