Try to remain calm.

Verbally attempt to find out what substance he or she has ingested and under what circumstance.

If your child is incoherent or quite ill, call a doctor or take him or her to the emergency room.

Say to your child, "We will talk about this tomorrow."

Send your child to bed and check frequently during the night.

Shout at, accuse, or physically abuse your child.

Have him or her assume responsibility for his or her actions, including clean-up.

Have a talk with your child immediately.

Try to find out circumstances under which he or she came to use drugs/alcohol including the people he or she was with.

Let your child know you do not condone his/her behavior and you will be watching him/her closely in the future.

Establish guidelines for behavior with your child as well as curfews for going out with friends.

With your child, consider alternative activities to avoid repeat exposure to drugs or alcohol.

Have your discussion with your child if you are too angry to talk about the situation without losing your temper. Wait until you can discuss it calmly.

Don't try to hide the incident from other family members.

Don't glorify the behavior by telling stories about your own youthful indiscretions.

"The earlier and more intensively a young person uses alcohol, the more likely that person is to use other drugs, including marijuana." ---Dr. Robert DuPont, Jr.