To maintain open lines of communication at a time when acceptance by friends and peers is becoming important, and to strengthen your child’s healthy coping strategies. Other goals include: explaining the difference between prescription and over-the-counter drugs, why some medicines are misused, and how drugs change the way you act, think, and feel. Now is the time to warn of the special dangers around prescription painkillers, and to express your disapproval of any drug and alcohol use, while setting and reinforcing consequences.