It may seem premature to talk about using drugs with preschoolers, however the attitudes and habits they form at this age will have an important bearing on the decisions they will make regarding alcohol use and underage drinking when they are older.

At this age, children are eager to know and memorize rules, and they want your opinion on what's "bad" and what's “good." Although they are old enough to understand for example, smoking is bad for them, generally they are not ready to take in complex facts about alcohol, tobacco, and using drugs. Nevertheless, this is an ideal age to introduce and discuss your family values regarding healthy behaviors whenever the opportunity arises. This can be done by not only role modeling healthy behaviors, but encouraging our children to engage in these activities.

Keys to prevention at this age: Discussing family values, modeling healthy behaviors, and engaging your child to participate in these activities.