Are you worried about your teen’s exposure to weed, alcohol and other drugs and what you can do as a parent to protect them?

Join Newtown United Methodist Church and Parent Connection for a discussion on “Drinking, Smoking, Vaping: Trends in Teen Use and What Parents Can Do” on Tuesday, October 3, from 7 to 9 pm, at the church, 92 Church Hill Road.

According to Parent Connection Founder Dorrie Carolan, this empowering and informative in-person event features Liz Driscoll Jorgensen, CADC.

This program is free to all in the community.

Jorgensen, director of Insight Counseling LLC and a consultant to Newport Healthcare, will help parents learn about the current teen culture, how social media use interacts with substance abuse risks and how to set and maintain loving limits to keep their children safe. She will discuss current risky trends among teens.

Jorgensen has 35 years of experience with adolescent and adult psychotherapy and counseling; has been a faculty speaker at Harvard CME for 22 years; and is a nationally recognized expert in counseling, particularly in engaging resistant teens and motivating them to change. She was the coordinator of Adolescent Substance Abuse Services at Danbury Hospital and created and ran a dual diagnosis partial hospital, intensive outpatient and outpatient services in her 18 years there.

During the forum, Jorgensen will discuss what creates risk for substance use in teens, the importance of positive parenting and setting limits and consequences for teens’ behaviors, the risks for children with special needs such as ADD and ADHD, development of the teenage brain, the effects alcohol and cannabis have on the teenage brain, the dangers of vaping; and the special risks of the high potency cannabis products teens are currently using, nicotine addiction, and cannabis dependency.

“Teens need and want safety and other limits from their parents and caregivers,” said Jorgensen. “The problem is that they won’t thank you until they are 25 years old. Parents need to be solid in what their safety boundaries are and learn how to keep at it for the long haul.”

Parent Connection is a not for profit located in Newtown with a mission to educate and empower the community in the prevention of substance abuse and to embrace families in crisis.

“We believe that knowledge is power and by becoming better informed, we can begin to take the steps necessary to prevent or treat the problem,” Carolan said. “This is an issue that affects all aspects of our community, and your involvement will make a positive difference. Parent Connection is committed to addressing the problem of substance abuse directly, and is dedicated to helping increase awareness through education.”

The community is invited to learn more about drinking, vaping and smoking and how to protect its children on October 3.

For further information, contact Parent Connection at 203-270-1600.