Term 1 2022 - Parents *|MC_PREVIEW_TEXT|* View this email in your browser WELCOME BACK TO TERM 1! Dear *|FNAME|*, Welcome back to Term 1! Positive Choices is here to help you talk about alcohol and other drugs with your teenager and protect them against drug and alcohol use and related harms. This newsletter includes reliable and up-to-date information and resources. Check out the Positive Choices parents and families portal for more information, resources and parenting tips: VISIT POSITIVE CHOICES Following a challenging school holiday period for many, you and your family may be more concerned about the COVID-19 pandemic than ever. This factsheet provides tips on how to support the mental health of young people during the COVID-19 pandemic and how to encourage someone to seek help. You can also find more information about services available to young people on our help page here. THE LINK BETWEEN SUBSTANCE USE, MENTAL HEALTH, AND OTHER LIFESTYLE BEHAVIOURS During adolescence, many habits and routines are formed which often continue into adulthood. This factsheet discusses the "Big 6" lifestyle risk behaviours and how they are linked to mental health: Alcohol use Smoking Poor diet Physical inactivity Poor sleep (long or short duration and/or poor quality) Sedentary recreational screen time Helping your teenager improve one health behaviour can motivate them to improve others. Click here for tips on how you, as a parent, can encourage healthy habits among young people. CLICK HERE RESOURCES FOR PARENTS AND FAMILIES The influence of drugs on the developing brain. The brain continues to develop and mature well into early adulthood, and doesn't finish until 25 years of age! Continued brain development during the teenage years and early adulthood can make the brain more vulnerable to the negative impacts of alcohol and other drug use. Read this factsheet to find out more. Talking to your teenager about alcohol and other drugs. As a parent or guardian, you can affect your child's choice to use or not use alcohol and other drugs. This factsheet provide tips on talking to a young person about alcohol or other drugs. You can find it in English, Arabic, Hindi and Simplified Chinese. RESOURCES FOR ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER COMMUNITIES Have you visited the website for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities? Positive Choices shares knowledge to help parents and families talk about alcohol and other drugs with young people. There are resources and information created with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to help young people stay strong and safe. Click here to check it out now! IN THE KNOW A recent review looked at the factors linked to substance use problems amongst adolescents worldwide. School connectedness, structured activity and a desire to maintain one's health were some of the factors that protected against substance use problems. There are growing concerns about young people being exposed to vaping-related content on TikTok. Despite the platform's removal of vaping-related hashtags in the US, a recent study found that only a small proportion of content appears to be removed. For more information on how social media affects drug use in teens + tips on parental monitoring of social media, click here. Children have knowledge about alcohol well before their first drink. A recent study looked at the perspectives of Australian parents on their children's awareness of alcohol and how this was impacted by COVID-19. Read more here. ORDER YOUR FREE BOOKLETS! Looking for tips on how to talk to a young person about alcohol and other drugs? Want to learn more about ways that parents can protect against drug use and related harms? Order your FREE copy of the parents and families booklet today. ORDER NOW The aim of this e-newsletter is to provide our subscribers with information about drug prevention resources, and to share relevant news and events. Please help us spread the word by forwarding this newsletter to other parents and families in your networks, and encourage them to subscribe here. Copyright © 2024 Positive Choices, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. The Positive Choices newsletter is sent out once every term, and contains updates and information relating to the Positive Choices website. Recently published newsletters will take 48 hours to be listed on this page.