WASHINGTON — It’s the time of year when teens can feel extra pressure to drink or take drugs. That’s a tough issue to discuss, one parenting expert says.

“Summer is a dangerous time for kids in terms of drug use and alcohol use,” says Leslie Morgan Steiner, a parenting expert and blogger for ModernMom.com.

She says underage drug use increases in the summer. The number of deadly drunk driving accidents goes up, too. While recent studies show teen alcohol use is curbing, a disturbing trend is taking its place.

“What’s going up now,” Steiner says, “ecstasy, also a form known as ‘Molly’, and believe it or not, heroin use among really young people, which is horrifying.”

Parents should learn about these drugs at seminars offered at area hospitals, libraries or community centers. They should find their own information before sitting down with their kids to talk, she says.

“It’s the hardest thing — we want to stick our heads in the sand, but you’ve got to grab the awkwardness and bumble through it and give them a compelling personal reason to say, ‘no,'” she says.