Expert Reveals Teen Drug Trends Every Parent Should Know About
If you are raising a teenager, this conversation will change how you think about alcohol and drugs.
Alcohol feels unavoidable, cannabis seems increasingly normalised, and parents are hearing about drugs they never encountered growing up.
But what is actually happening?
In this episode of All About You, Dr Shauna Watts is joined by Paul Dillon, founder of Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia (DARTA), to unpack the real data behind teen alcohol and drug use. The conversation is calm, evidence based, and free from fear driven messaging.
With decades of experience working directly with schools, parents, and young people, Paul explains what the research really shows, why many assumptions are outdated, and how parents can reduce harm while maintaining trust and connection with their teens.
This episode is for parents who want clarity rather than panic, and guidance that works in real family life.
And if you want to learn more about:
• Why teen drinking is declining in Australia and internationally
• What the evidence shows about alcohol and the developing teenage brain
• Why delaying alcohol use matters, without unrealistic parenting rules
• How parenting approaches have shifted and why that matters
• Why ketamine is an emerging concern for young people
• How drug access has changed, even when overall use has not increased
• How to talk to teens about drugs without fear, shame, or overreaction
• The difference between loss of potential and fear based brain damage messaging
• Why one parenting approach rarely works for every child
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Chapters
00:00 – Why parents are more anxious about teen drugs than ever
02:18 – Are teens actually drinking less? What the data shows
05:41 – How teen drinking today compares to previous generations
09:12 – Alcohol and the developing teenage brain explained simply
14:06 – Why delaying alcohol use matters more than total abstinence
18:32 – What parents misunderstand about brain damage messaging
22:47 – How parenting styles influence teen risk behaviour
27:15 – Why access to drugs has changed for young people
31:40 – Ketamine use in teenagers and why it concerns experts
36:54 – Cannabis, MDMA, and alcohol compared for teen risk
41:26 – How to talk to teens about drugs without losing trust
46:08 – What effective harm reduction actually looks like at home
51:02 – When parents should be genuinely concerned
55:18 – The biggest mistake parents make around teen substance use
59:40 – Final advice for parents raising teens today
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