Each week of October, the Family Guide Web site will feature articles and resources about risk and protective factors.

Parents Prevention Primer—Risk and Protective Factors
You try to keep your kids healthy, right? You make sure they get enough sleep, eat fruits and vegetables, and brush their teeth. Prevention is key to keeping your child well. When it comes to alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs, preventive measures—also called “protective factors”—can help keep your child from using substances.¹ In contrast, risk factors are like red flags that can warn you about possible dangers in your child’s future—and help you prevent those dangers.

Be My Neighbor!—Forming Neighborhood “Safety Nets”
You live near them. You may see them almost every day. But how well do you know them?They are your neighbors. Sometimes, people’s lives are so busy that they rarely speak to their neighbors, let alone get to know them. But finding time to build relationships with the people who live close to you and your family can help your child in many ways.

High School Success Helps Keep Teens Drug Free
High school can be an ongoing lesson in time management as students try new activities and meet new people. They often juggle busy schedules and may want to push schoolwork aside to do other things. But teens who get good grades are more likely to choose to stay away from drugs.¹ Monitor your child’s activities—and how he schedules them—to help him achieve school success.

Elementary School Success Helps Keep Kids Drug Free
Children in elementary school learn that part of being a success is doing well in the classroom. But there’s another benefit to school success: Kids who do well in school are more likely to be drug free.¹ It’s one more great reason for you to help your child thrive in the classroom.

Body Piercing and Risky Behavior: Is There a Connection?
Body piercing has become more and more popular among teens and young adults. Pierced ears have been common for many years. But now, no part of the body seems to be off limits for rings, studs, and bars. Navels, tongues, eyebrows, and nostrils have become popular places for piercings.

Preparing Youth for Peer Pressure
Peer pressure—it’s more than just a phase that young people go through. Whether it leads to pink hair or body piercing, peer pressure is a powerful reality and many adults do not realize its effects. It can be a negative force in the lives of children and adolescents, often resulting in their experimentation with tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs.