Hi and Welcome cashun..... I say this with all due respect ... You are really no relation to these children at all.
They aren't even young children.... You getting involved in their discipline if it's opposite from their father will end up with the kids playing one against the other.... and if I was their mother I would not want someone else disciplining my children it can cause a great deal of strife within the family
Where's their mother???
They are your husbands' children.....
I think you need to defer to your husband with his children..... and he should be a father.... They need guidance ... They don't need him as a friend.... He should be involved with their maturation
Perhaps you could do something like have a weekly family meeting or twice a month where everyone could have a voice
I would discuss your feelings with your husband how but I think any discipline needs to first come from their father and you need to work together
Their father should be letting them know that they should be respectful of you but I think you need to back off ... and I mean this kindly... I don't think you taking a strong lead will help at all
I understand that these kids seem out of control in some ways... Perhaps headed for trouble but if you walk into their lives trying to take over I think it will get a lot worse not better.... I appreciate that you're in a really rough position and that you want to help
It sounds like some family therapy might be in order .... Perhaps this can help you all work together
There is a lot online about step parents and discipline and caring about and having a loving relationship is always first and foremost

http://www.familylife.com/articles/topics/blended-family/stepparents/stepparenting-skills/stepparenting-discipline-dos-and-donts

I think the kids can often feel helpless and hopeless ya know.... They often don't have too many choices and it can cause them to act out

The bio parent should be the one who disciplines, especially since the kids are older.

I'm sorry for you, you are in a rough spot.

Well this is a terrible predicament because you are damned if you do and damned if you don't.
Seek advice from the children's mother if possible and maybe try and sit down with both of the parents and say we need to all be on the same page regarding discipline our children. Make the rules appropriate for each child regarding age and maturity and then sit with the children and have an open dialogue regarding their opinion on what actions lead to certain p unishments. Be mindful that teens will push boundaries especially with step parents. But I feel all parents should be in agreeance with rules. If both parents tell you to mind you own business do that as no matter what you will do they will ignore your input anyway.

Teens are hard no-one is perfect.

Hi, am a 17 year old girl and and as a teenager that was in this situation with a new step-mom a few years ago I think my advice will help you the best. Even though what the kids are doing is not right they are old enough to start making decisions for themselves. Whether or not they are the right decisions is up to them and they will have to face the outcome not matter what. Not only that but being newly married to your husband you don't want to get on the bad side off the children, it will only make things worse. Instead maybe try doing things with them like going out shopping, take some of their time and put it towards better things that aren't drinking or texting the whole time. This way it will let the kids know you are there for them and they will begin to trust you more.