24/09/2026
School Holidays: Helping Young People Stay Away from Illicit Drugs and Harmful Influences
By Don’t Mess With Drugs (DMWD) Foundation
School holidays should be a time for young people to relax, spend time with friends and family, play sport, travel and enjoy a break from school.
But holidays can also mean something else: **more freedom, less routine, more parties and longer periods of unsupervised time**.
That does not mean school holidays automatically lead to drug use. There is no strong evidence that simply being on school holidays causes a young person to experiment with illicit drugs. What research does show, however, is that some of the circumstances that can become more common during holidays — particularly unstructured time with peers, exposure to friends who use drugs and reduced parental awareness of where teenagers are — are associated with an increased risk of substance use.
For families, the answer is not to lock teenagers inside the house or assume every new friend is a bad influence. It is to stay **involved, informed and connected**.
# # The Reality of Illicit Drug Use Among Australian Teenagers
It is important not to exaggerate youth drug use.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's **National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2022–2023**, 13.3% of Australians aged 14–17 reported using an illicit drug during the previous 12 months. Lifetime illicit drug use among this age group was 18.8%.
In other words, **most Australian teenagers are not using illicit drugs
That is an important message for young people to hear.
Teenagers can sometimes believe that "everyone is doing it", particularly when social media, parties or certain friendship groups create that impression. The national statistics tell a different story.
At the same time, the risks should not be dismissed. Cannabis remains the most commonly used illicit drug among Australian teenagers, and AIHW data found that among 14–17-year-olds who had recently used cannabis, this age group had comparatively high proportions classified as engaging in moderate- or high-risk use.
Prevention therefore still matters.
# # Why School Holidays Can Create More Opportunities for Risk
During the school term, teenagers usually have a fairly predictable structure: school, homework, sport, activities, family commitments and regular sleeping patterns.
During holidays, some of that structure disappears.
A young person might spend an entire day or evening with friends without adults nearby. They may attend parties, sleepovers, festivals, or gatherings with people they do not know well. Older teenagers may also mix with older friendship groups.
Research has repeatedly associated **unstructured socialising with peers** with higher levels of adolescent substance use. One study found that young people spending unsupervised time with peers reported higher substance use and greater susceptibility to peer pressure than young people spending their time with adults or in organised activities.
This does not mean teenagers should never be trusted or allowed independence.
Independence is part of growing up.
The goal is to combine independence with sensible boundaries.
# # Know Where They Are — Without Turning It Into Surveillance
One of the strongest findings across youth substance-use research is the importance of parental knowledge and monitoring.
A 2024 study involving more than 4,500 teenagers aged 11–15 found evidence that parental monitoring can actually prevent opportunities for substance use from becoming substance use. Teenagers reported situations where they had considered or had an opportunity to use substances but did not because their parents might find out or intervened in the situation.
Australian research tells a similar story.
A study involving almost 10,000 Victorian secondary students found that having peers who used drugs was strongly associated with adolescent polysubstance use. Parental monitoring, school commitment and clear parental disapproval of drug use were associated with a lower likelihood of polysubstance use.
During the holidays, parents and carers should know basic information such as:
* Where is my teenager going?
* Who are they going with?
* Who will be there?
* Are adults present?
* When will they be home?
* How are they getting home?
* What will they do if the situation becomes unsafe?
This is not about interrogating teenagers. It is responsible parenting.
Talk Before the Party — Not After Something Goes Wrong
Conversations about drugs are most effective when they happen **before** a young person is standing in a situation where somebody is offering them something.
The Alcohol and Drug Foundation recommends ongoing, relaxed conversations rather than relying on one major "drug talk". Parents are encouraged to listen, ask what their teenager thinks, provide accurate information, establish clear expectations and help young people plan how they would respond to pressure.
Try asking questions rather than delivering a lecture:
*"What would you do if someone offered you something at a party?"
*"What if your friends started using something and you didn't want to?"
*"Could you call me if you needed to get out of there?"*
These conversations allow teenagers to think through situations before they happen.
Give Them an Exit Plan
One of the simplest things a parent can say is:
**"If you ever feel unsafe, call me. I will come and get you."
Fear of punishment can sometimes make a teenager remain in a dangerous situation rather than asking an adult for help.
Families can even create a simple code word or text message that means, "Come and get me."
The Alcohol and Drug Foundation specifically recommends giving teenagers a safe way to contact parents if a party or gathering becomes uncomfortable and planning transport before the young person goes out.
A teenager who knows there is a reliable way home has another option besides simply following the group.
Be Careful With the Idea of the "Wrong Crowd"
Parents often tell teenagers to stay away from the "wrong people".
The intention may be good, but labelling another teenager as a "bad kid" can backfire.
It is more useful to talk about **behaviour and situations**.
A friend who pressures someone to take drugs, get into a car with an intoxicated driver, hide their whereabouts from their parents or participate in dangerous behaviour is putting them at risk.
Teach young people to recognise the behaviour rather than judging someone's background, appearance or reputation.
Real friendship does not require someone to prove themselves by doing something dangerous.
Keep the Holidays Full — But Not Controlled
Young people also need something meaningful to do.
Sport, gym sessions, casual work, volunteering, family outings, hobbies, gaming with friends, camping, holiday programs or simply organised social activities can provide structure without making the holidays feel like another school timetable.
Research has linked constructive leisure activities and parental involvement with positive adolescent development and lower levels of substance use.
Parents do not need to schedule every hour.
The objective is to avoid weeks where every day becomes:
**Wake up late → nothing planned → meet whoever is available → stay out late → repeat.**
A little structure can make a significant difference.
Parents Still Matter — Even When Teenagers Pretend They Don't
Teenagers naturally become more independent and their friends become increasingly important.
That does not mean parents become irrelevant.
Research has consistently found associations between supportive parent–child relationships, parental monitoring and lower adolescent substance use. Poorer parent–youth relationships and lower parental monitoring have also been associated with earlier initiation of alcohol and cannabis use.
That means prevention is not only about saying:
**"Don't take drugs."**
It is also about maintaining the kind of relationship where your child will tell you what is actually happening in their life.
Listen.
Stay involved.
Know their friends.
Set boundaries.
Ask questions.
And make sure they know that coming to you for help is always an option.
For Young People: You Don't Have to Follow the Group
School holidays should create memories — not consequences that follow you long after the holidays have finished.
You do not have to use a drug because someone else is using it.
You do not have to accept something because a friend hands it to you.
You do not have to stay somewhere because leaving might look "uncool".
And you do not need to prove yourself to anybody by taking a substance you do not want.
The majority of Australian teenagers are not using illicit drugs. Choosing not to use drugs does not make you the unusual one.
The strongest decision can sometimes be a very simple one:
**No. I'm not interested.**
Then walk away.
If Something Goes Wrong, Get Help
Prevention should always be the priority, but protecting someone's life comes first.
If a young person becomes unconscious, has difficulty breathing, experiences a seizure, has severe chest pain, becomes dangerously confused or agitated, or appears seriously unwell after taking an unknown substance, **call Triple Zero (000)**.
Do not avoid seeking emergency assistance because you are worried about embarrassment or getting somebody into trouble.
For confidential information and support relating to alcohol or other drugs, Australians can contact the **National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015**. The service connects callers with relevant alcohol and drug services in their state or territory.
Young people can also contact **Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800**, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Prevention Starts Before the Decision
At **Don't Mess With Drugs (DMWD) Foundation**, our focus is on prevention, education and helping young people make informed decisions before drugs have an opportunity to damage their health, relationships, education or future.
DMWD's work has a particular focus on young people, including students and young sportspeople, and promotes education as an important part of preventing drug misuse and abuse.
School holidays should be something young people look forward to.
Parents cannot remove every risk their children will encounter, and teenagers cannot control every situation around them.
But families can reduce risk.
**Stay connected. Know the plan. Talk openly. Set boundaries. Choose your friends carefully. Have an exit strategy. And remember that saying no is always an option.**
Enjoy the school holidays.
Stay safe.
**Be Good. Do Good. Don't Mess With Drugs.**
**Don't Mess With Drugs (DMWD) Foundation**
**[www.dmwd.com.au](http://www.dmwd.com.au)**
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# # # Sources and further reading
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare — *National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2022–2023: Young people's use of alcohol, to***co, e-cigarettes and other drugs.*
Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing — *Australian Secondary School Students' Use of Alcohol and Other Substances 2022–2023.* More than 10,000 Australian students aged 12–17 participated in the national survey.
Alcohol and Drug Foundation — resources for parents and carers on talking with teenagers about alcohol and other drugs and safer partying.
Pelham W.E. et al. (2024) — *How Does Parental Monitoring Reduce Adolescent Substance Use?* Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.
Peer drug use and adolescent polysubstance use research involving 9,966 Victorian secondary-school students.
Australian Government — National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline, **1800 250 015**.
