Blog
Prevent Violence to Stop Violence
What if the most effective way to improve school safety is not just to respond to violence, but to prevent the conditions that produce it?
Read moreBlog
The Power of Early Prevention
Early Prevention to Build Resistance to Substance Use Preventing substance use before it starts is one of the most effective ways to promote lifelong health and resilience in young people. Early prevention education plays a crucial role in establishing healthy social and behavioral norms that serve as a strong protective barrier against substance use. Establishing Healthy Norms and Expectations By reaching children and adolescents before they are exposed to drugs, alcohol, and other substances, prevention programs shape attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that significantly reduce the likelihood of future substance abuse. Early prevention efforts are most effective when they are developmentally appropriate, culturally relevant, and sustained across different environments such as home, school, and community. At its core, prevention education focuses on equipping young people with knowledge about the health risks of substance use while also strengthening their self-efficacy and interpersonal skills. It teaches children how to set reachable goals, manage stress, make responsible decisions, resist peer pressure, and build healthy relationships. These skills are essential for fostering resilience—the ability to navigate challenges without turning to harmful coping mechanisms like drug or alcohol use. A central strategy in early prevention education is to set clear and consistent expectations regarding the effects of substance use on the body, mind, social life, and academics. When children are taught from an early age that drug and alcohol use is not acceptable or safe—especially during adolescence—they internalize these values as part of their social norms. This helps create an environment in which abstaining from substance use is the standard, not the exception. These norms are further reinforced when parents, teachers, and community leaders model and uphold the same expectations. Strengthening Protective Factors to Mitigate Risk Moreover, early education builds protection to mitigate risk factors associated with substance use. These risk factors include poor academic performance, low self-esteem, family history of addiction, exposure to substance use in the household or media, and lack of parental supervision. Prevention programs that address these factors head-on—by promoting academic engagement, strengthening family bonds, and encouraging positive peer associations—can significantly reduce a child’s vulnerability to substance use later in life. Protective factors include strong social connections, a sense of purpose, clear rules and consequences, and involvement in positive activities such as sports or clubs. Promoting these elements through prevention education helps children build a lifestyle that naturally steers them away from risky behaviors. For instance, a student who feels valued at school and supported by peers is less likely to seek comfort or identity through substance use. Long-Term Impact and Community Commitment Early prevention lays the groundwork for healthy development across a child’s lifespan. The habits, attitudes, and coping mechanisms formed during childhood tend to persist into adulthood. Therefore, starting prevention efforts early can have long-lasting effects, reducing not only the risk of substance use during adolescence but also the likelihood of developing substance use disorders later in life. Early prevention education is a powerful tool for shaping the future well-being of children and adolescents. By establishing healthy norms and expectations, and by building the skills and supports that foster resilience, these programs serve as a front line defense against the numerous risk factors that contribute to substance use. Investing in early education is not just a strategy for prevention—it’s a commitment to healthier individuals, families, and communities.
Read more
National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week
March 18-24 is National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week (NDAFW). This week is dedicated to educating parents and teens about the harmful effects of alcohol, nicotine, and other drugs (ATOD) use. This annual campaign fosters commitments to preventing substance use through multiple educational events and activities around the country. NDAFW events bring health educators, prevention specialists, drug-free community partners, parents, and teens together to advance the topics of substance use and addiction from a scientific perspective. That’s great! But there’s more to prevention than just the facts. The perception of the harm of substance use is a significant protective factor against the risk of engaging in substance use, and building a knowledge of the facts of those negative health effects is effective in building that perception. Most adolescents are satisfied enough by a knowledge of the risks to reject substance use as incompatible with their health priorities. Sadly, some are not convinced by the health risks of substance use and find numerous ways to dismiss the seriousness of the risks or the likelihood they will experience negative consequences and therefore choose to use. To overcome these unhealthy coping strategies, effective prevention education programs build a foundation of self-efficacy and interpersonal skills to prepare the child to navigate the often complex social dynamics that model and accept risky behavior and minimize the risk of negative consequences. Equipped this way, adolescents can weigh the cost to their futures in the health, social, and legal risks of substance use and instead seek out alternative activities to achieve similar goals. Skills like setting reachable goals, making responsible decisions, communicating effectively, identifying and managing emotions, and bonding with their pro-social peers prepare the adolescent to refuse peer pressure and influence, solve problems, resolve conflict, manage stress, and other ways to meet the challenges in life without turning to substance use to escape, relax, rebel, or experiment. As soon as they discover the path they are on and develop the skills to protect their goals, teens are more inclined to choose actions consistent with their goals and not risk participating in any risky behaviors that could interfere with their ability to reach them.
Read more
Digital Communications: What’s Missing?
Virtual interactions are just, well, virtual. Most of the elements of communication are missing from these approximations of live human-to-human interaction.
Read more
Thinking It Through
Advertisements are like highlight reels. They spotlight key features in their attempts to entice you to buy things. Often they are things you might otherwise not consider or were not previously interested in. Advertising messaging is tailored to get you to think or act in a certain way, but it doesn’t always factor all of the variables into the equation. This doesn’t mean advertising is inherently bad. It’s just incomplete and selective. Thirty Helens Agree We’ve all heard, “4 out of 5 dentists recommend Brand X sugarless gum to their patients who chew gum,” a claim used in marketing campaigns to this day. Sounds simple enough. However, it’s actually quite misleading. For starters, it raises a few questions. Do the four dentists recommend their patients chew gum, or do they instead mean that if you are going to chew gum, chewing Brand X gum is a better alternative to chewing other brands of gum? What if you asked a follow-up question to the claim like, “is it better to not chew gum at all?” or “How does chewing gum affect my dental health?” The distinction is significant because the advertisement implies that chewing Brand X gum is an unalloyed good as evidenced by the responses of the surveyed dentists. However, the caveat that the recommendation is aimed at those who already chew gum means the recommendation doesn’t apply to non-gum chewers. What are the recommendations for those who don’t already chew gum? Are they recommending everyone chew sugarless gum because it is good for your teeth? Hardly. Advertisers purposely fail to mention many elements in blanket statements like this to let the implication drive the message. The same is true for other product advertisements and claims. Because we are interested in safer and healthier alternatives to the things we do, we desire products and services that let us keep our favorite pleasures with reduced risk. We just have to work harder to get the whole story before we make a choice. Smoke Screen The advent of the electronic cigarette promised to do just that, let people keep smoking, or at least consuming nicotine, without the health risks associated with smoking. But just because something is presented as a safer alternative to something else, it isn’t automatically safe on its own. It only possibly makes it… less unsafe. As vaping started to gain in popularity in the early 2000s, especially among adolescents, half-truths immediately started to mushroom as attempts to justify its use as a “safer alternative” to smoking. Even if vaping were a safer alternative to smoking, (emphasis on the word were) it doesn’t mean we should automatically give vaping a free pass. Vaping produces plenty of unhealthy by-products of its own. Vaporware Many are under the impression that vaping is less risky than smoking because these products are not smoked and do not produce smoke. It’s true many of the toxic compounds consumed through cigarette smoking are a product of the combustion of tobacco leaves or marijuana leaves. The curing agents in smoked tobacco also produce carcinogens like nitrosamines when heated. These compounds are not produced by e-cigarettes. While it’s true that e-cigarettes exude fewer toxins than combusted tobacco or cannabis products that are smoked, e-cigarette aerosol is not just water vapor. Along with the nicotine or THC concentrates, vaping products include preservatives like formaldehyde and other chemical agents to stabilize and enhance the chemical atomization. Vaping exposes users to the same chemical compounds found in automobile exhaust, only in a more concentrated, directly inhaled form. Nicotine and THC are not benign substances. They are addictive chemical compounds that disrupt the healthy development and function of the adolescent brain and body. Nicotine and THC consumption carries numerous health consequences regardless of whether the products that contain them are smoked, dipped, chewed, eaten, or vaped. Additionally, the addictive nature of nicotine ensures that even experimental use can lead to addiction. Similarly, THC affects the brain’s reward system, which can lead to psychological addiction. Regardless of the delivery device, though, there is a common denominator between smoking tobacco and/or cannabis products and vaping them. Smoked tobacco products contain nicotine, and tobacco products that are vaped contain nicotine. Similarly, cannabis products that are smoked contain THC, and marijuana products that are vaped contain THC. Do Pay Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain It’s only when we pull back the curtain on vaping, and shine a light on the persuasive language markers use to try to entice you to indulge in unhealthy vaping, that we can get to the truth. Media influences across multiple outlets infuse alluring, seductive language about vaping into much of the messaging, such as the “Vape with Confidence” and “Vape to Live, Live to Vape” advertising slogans. This type of messaging is a driving force behind many peer pressure influences’ suggestions to participate in vaping. So, we need to question everything. Perform our due diligence. Ask questions. Is the information we’re being handed about vaping ‘factual data’ from ‘respectable sources’ or just viral marketing messaging? For instance, which demographic do you suppose purveyors of vape products target with their cotton candy and bubble gum-flavored vape juice? Act Now When we apply our critical thinking and decision-making skills to challenge peer and media messaging, we’re better equipped to analyze influences and factor them accordingly into our entire decision-making process. By considering the impact the choice to vape will have on our ability to keep making healthy choices and good decisions, we’ll be more inclined to deduce how vaping can impact our relationships with others. We all have to sift through quite a lot of vaping messaging in order to unearth the few scientifically backed nuggets of truth. Then we can flip the script mentally and move forward on our journey of making positive, healthy choices rather than engaging in negative, risky behaviors like vaping.
Read more
Chew on This
Modern life demands urgency in everything we do, or so it seems.The digital age has fostered an ultra-advertising age. Common advertising slogans and social media influencing inundate us practically every second of every day with this “Go, go, go!” mentality to “Act fast,” and “Don’t delay,” because, “supplies are running out,” and “time is running out,” and “you’re missing out,” or some other urgent call to action.These days, every message hurled at us is designed to get us to act before we think about what we really want or need. Not only are we reminded to buy everything we can get our hands on, we’re usually told we need to do it right away. It’s a wonder what we did in the past without all this fantastic, fleeting stuff. Marketers likely fear that, given a chance to think about what we are doing, we might do something else. They are right to fear that.The marketing of food is no exception.Have you ever felt a sudden urge for pizza or fried chicken or some other savory quick delight sometime around 5pm? It couldn’t possibly be the back to back advertisements from food outlets peddling their wares with some seductive music and warm lighting and a little sizzle, right? From fast food restaurants to ultra-processed foods offered at the local convenience store, we are urged to get out and start eating. By then of course, we rush through our meals without thinking about much other than our hunger pangs.We are also often encouraged to gear up for dinner before we’ve even had a chance to digest lunch. This accelerated pace of eating doesn’t leave much time for us to consider the nutrients (or lack thereof) our food choices provide (or fail to provide) for the organs in the body. Slow Down. Chew Your Food. It’s true. Eating slowly supports eating less, but it also improves digestion and helps the organs in the body absorb the nutrients in the food. Plus, eating slowly increases food enjoyment.Paying attention to chewing each bite fosters a calm, relaxed attitude during the meal. Taking a sip of water between bites regulates the pacing of our meals as well.It’s recommended that we count how many times we chew our food and then double it. It turns out that many of us don’t chew our food nearly enough. During each meal, try putting the fork down between bites to slow down the pace of eating.Chewing food purposefully allows the digestive system to absorb their nutrients more effectively. Taking smaller bites encourages additional chewing. It feels counterintuitive, but the larger the portion on the fork, the less we tend to chew.Eating whole foods that also require chewing like nuts, and meats, and fruits and vegetables like carrots, broccoli, apples, and oranges leads to fuller meal satisfaction and improved digestion. Plus, chewing denser foods strengthens the jaw muscles. Time Keeps on Slipping The hard part comes when you really don’t have time. A real urgency comes with all our obligations. Work, school, family, afterschool sports. These are priorities that take time and travel. How do we meet those needs and take care of our bodies too?As opposed to focusing on just assuaging hunger or eating whatever is most conveniently available, taking a broader view in our relationship to food fills more than our bellies. When we slow down and enjoy eating for what it is supposed to do for us, to provide both nourishment and joy, we’re more likely to choose nutrient-dense foods loaded with nourishing benefits for all the organs of our bodies.Making food choices based on urgency or convenience is not a winning strategy in the long run because it’s not just about eating in the moment, it’s about eating for life.Eat with purpose and chew with patience. It does a body good.
Read more
Stress Is a Good Thing
Stress is the body’s physical and emotional response to the challenges we face, and in life, everyone must contend with challenges from time to time. Stress is a byproduct of pushing ourselves for more in life. A short-lived, moderate amount of stress offers a slew of useful benefits for improved alertness, enhanced performance, and a boost in memory. Stress encourages you to perform at your best and motivates you to rise up to all the challenges you face, so you can continue striving to achieve your goals. Too much stress can have negative effects, both mental and physical, but that doesn’t mean you should shy away from what your body is telling you. Don’t ignore it in the hopes it will go away on its own. Stress is a harbinger. It shows up to warn you whenever you need to deal with a problem or when you’ve taken on something serious that needs your attention and preparation. Stress is the body’s way of telling you, “Hey, let’s do some self-preservation right now.” When you use healthy, proactive stress management strategies, you can regulate the body’s response to stress, so it doesn’t overwhelm you. So, the next time you start to feel stressed, take time to recognize the emotion. Don’t react to it. Just acknowledge it’s there. Now stop what you’re doing. Take a deep breath. Count to ten. Think about what’s been going on around you to make you feel this way. Perhaps you worry about obligations in your job, the needs of your family, or paying the bills. Think about tangible events or obligations that weigh on you. When you have isolated what’s on your mind, you can then assemble plans to address them. Then you can develop tactics to help you pick up on its signals in the future, manage it, and make it work for you. Here are some stress management strategies for you to consider: Stay Active Keep your body moving. A regular exercise routine boosts fitness, both physical and mental, to smooth out responses to stress and embolden your outlook improving your overall well-being. Maybe you want to get in a little jogging, swimming, biking, or walking, or perhaps you prefer to take in a spinning, yoga, or cardio class at your local gym. No matter what physical activity you choose, staying active has been proven to reduce stress and lessen the symptoms associated with depression and anxiety. Take the dog out for a run or brisk walk too. You probably won’t even have to ask twice. No doubt Fido will be over the moon today and eagerly anticipate doing the same thing tomorrow. Canines and their owners alike benefit from exercise and active mobility. It’s a doggie-win-win. Stay Healthy Adhering to a healthy diet focused on nutrient-dense foods also mitigates your stress level, bolsters your mood, and improves your health. When you commit to eating for sustenance and nourishment, and choose a diet full of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and a variety of nutrient-dense, protein-rich foods you’ll start to feel stronger, and you’ll be better equipped to build up your immunity. Stay Positive Everyone’s heard the adage, “Think happy thoughts…,” but do you? The human brain is capable of producing a positive way of thinking on a continual basis. This doesn’t mean you should shy away from or ignore unpleasant situations. Instead, approach everything with an optimistic point of view. Positive thinking is a crucial element of effective stress management. Hopeful self-talk, such as starting sentences with statements like, “I can…” or “I will…” helps you stay positive, even when you’re facing a challenging situation. So can jotting down your positive thoughts and feelings in a daily journal. Write about what gives you joy, what activities you love doing, and the goals you’re pleased you recently accomplished. You may be surprised to find the source of your stress isn’t what you thought it was. You’ll likely decide it wasn’t even worth stressing over in the first place. Think the best. Expect the best. Go for the best. Find out what happens.
Read more
Nutrition in a Nutshell
People are much more health conscious nowadays and not just about the kinds of foods they put into their bodies. People are more aware of what their foods are made of, too. Is this really food? Can I even pronounce what’s in it? How will this nourish my body? Those are just a few of the nutrition questions we ask ourselves. You may ask yourself, “Am I eating this because I want it or because my body needs it?” Why not both? When we choose to eat for sustenance and nourishment and develop an eating plan that includes fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and a variety of nutrient-dense and protein-rich foods, we’ll start to feel stronger and be better equipped to build up our immunity and get more out of our day. Having a commitment to eating healthy, nutrient dense foods should be a consistent routine we implement every day during the year. So, here are a few nutrition suggestions to help guide you on your own journey to develop your healthy eating plan. And it’s easier than you might think. Variety Is the Spice of Life There are many nutrient dense foods available to us, as well as countless recipes to try, so you’ll be able to switch things up with ease. Quite possibly, you might not even eat the same meal twice, unless, of course, you want to. You could let each day of the week help you determine which style of cuisine you prepare. For instance, everyone’s heard of “Taco Tuesday,” but how about “Shellfish Saturday,” or “Spinach Sunday?” Lobster, clams, crabs, and mussels are excellent sources of essential vitamins and minerals such as zinc, which works to combat various autoimmune diseases and helps immune cells function properly. Spinach provides beta carotene and antioxidants to boost the immune system and help prevent infections, too. Fruits and vegetables are as rich in essential nutrients for the body as they are flavorful. For instance, take citrus fruits. Oranges, limes, lemons, tangerines, and grapefruit are all loaded with Vitamin C, which helps the body fight off respiratory diseases, and so does broccoli, which is also full of Vitamins A and E as well as fiber and other antioxidants. Red bell peppers are great sources of C and E for healthy skin and help improve eyesight. Go Nuts! The high levels of Vitamin E and magnesium found in almonds and other nuts moderate blood pressure levels. They also aid other vitamin absorption. Spice Things Up. Add turmeric, ginger, or garlic to your recipes. These spices help the body fight off infection and inflammation and combat chronic pain. Also, consider drinking ginger tea to boost your immune system as well. Take a Breather Once you’ve developed your healthy eating plan and established a routine for implementing it, it’s time for you to take a well-earned break. So, sit back and relax. These days, everything comes barreling at us at breakneck speed 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. But regardless of whether it’s on TV or TikTok or any other number of outlets that we peruse, it pays to take a break from everything whenever possible. Did you know the brain is the largest consumer of energy in the body? It needs a break each day to recharge and rebuild after a day of consuming information. Rest is the one thing our bodies and their organs need to recharge and regain their strength after a full day’s worth of strenuous activities. Taking a break is a good thing. Rest is essential to health. It plays a vital role in growing and sustaining a strong immune system. When we don’t get enough rest, our energy levels are depleted faster and might even become completely drained. Having a lack of energy might even make us sick. So, build your healthy eating plan and commit to preparing meals packed with nutrient dense foods on a regular basis, and pencil in some time to take breaks and get plenty of rest. Your body will thank you.
Read more
Pomp and Circumstances
Cap and Gown? Check. Mortarboard? Check. Diploma? Almost. Proud parents? Absolutely. So, what else should graduates and their loved ones have at the ready for when those tassels finally swipe left? Just like with prom, open, honest communication between parents and their graduates is vital in the lead up to graduation celebrations. The conversation should be about marking the occasion. It should be about celebration and optimism and less about warnings and dread. Talk to your graduates about what they accomplished in high school and opportunities they envision that are to come. Are they excited? Anxious? Sad? Nervous? Terrified? Ecstatic? More than likely, they’re feeling all of that and more. The anticipation and uncertainty inherent in the graduation season is the epitome of mixed emotions. And that’s okay. This is a time to say goodbye to the past and hello to the future. Everyone involved will feel happy and sad and everything in-between. Talk to them about it. Share your fears and worries and hopes. Ask them to share theirs. Remind them that it is okay to feel these things. It would be odd if they didn’t. As you prepare to send them off into the next phase in their lives, let your graduates know your expectations for them. You expect them to make healthy choices and good decisions, and those expectations don’t expire when they receive their diplomas. Adulting Begins Now These days it seems that being an adult is defined by an ability to juggle multiple streaming services and order food delivery. Perhaps. However, being an adult requires the self-management to balance wants and needs to maximize the bounty of what life can offer and be able to pay for it. Rising graduates can begin this journey in how they plan to mark the occasion. Talk with your seniors to assist them in devising strategies to implement if alcohol is introduced at any of the parties they attend. Include strategies for any celebrations hosted by parents who choose to turn a blind eye to underage alcohol use. Remind your seniors that, even though they’ve officially graduated, their brains are still developing. Reiterate the point that the harmful effects of alcohol are damaging to the teenage brain and body, even after they graduate. Keep the lines of communication open and free flowing. You want to know you’ve expressed your thoughts to your teen, but more importantly you want them to be comfortable talking with you about what they plan to do to celebrate. Remember, they’re still teens and still learning. You’ll rest easier knowing they know what to do if they need you. Picture It… Remembering where we’ve been prepares us to aim better at where we want to go. Practice your multimedia film production skills and make a “Look at You!” slideshow to share with your graduates so they can celebrate their achievements and remember how far they’ve come and how much they’ve grown. “Do you remember your first base hit when you played T-ball?” or “Do you remember when you won 1st place in the regional eighth grade science fair?” Those are just a few examples of healthy, positive accomplishments that you can share with your graduates and friends and family members. Did you save any of the scholastic or athletic trophies, pins, or badges your graduates won in high school? What about in middle or elementary school? If so, feature them with your slideshow. Participation ribbons alone have merit, value, and memories. Also, the fact that you held onto all their plaques and trophies will let them know their awards matter to you as much, if not more, than they did to them when they first won them. Think about the first time they raced home from kindergarten to hand you their drawings to tack up on the fridge. Hard to tell who felt more pride and sense of accomplishment. By sharing their adolescent honors with them, you can inspire them to guard over them as they continue to practice making healthy decisions on their journey through life. Nostalgia is a powerful sentiment to call upon. Every step graduates take can be risky, so remind them they’re in control of their choices and will continue to be capable of making good decisions. Every graduate has things they wish to protect and the capacity to get more. So, embolden your graduates to think about their past positives so they will continue making good decisions to generate future ones. Embrace Your Inner Child More than likely, graduates and their friends will soon be parting ways. Whether they or their friends will be attending out-of-state colleges or universities, entering the workforce, traveling abroad, or embarking on other post-graduation adventures, commencement might be one of, if not the last chance for them to celebrate this milestone with friends. So, suggest your graduates make a pact with their fellow graduating friends to celebrate all of their successes together without drinking. High School graduation is one of the final steps into adulthood, but before that happens, give your graduates and their friends one more chance to act like kids again. Whether it’s a pool party or BBQ, a trip to the beach, or a day at the go-kart track, there’s still time for innocent fun. Urge your graduates to go have fun with their friends. Safely. When they refuse to drink, they’ll have a great time and be able to remember all the fun they had too. High School is a wonderful learning experience for teens and life is an interactive experience whether they want it to be or not. So, inspire your graduates to practice healthy living strategies so the same can be said about graduation and all their exciting opportunities that lie ahead.
Read more
Prom Season in Full Bloom
Welcome to Springtime! Time for Graduation (almost). Time for Prom. Most teens and their friends and family have already been hard at work devising their prom plans for months if not years. Prom is the quintessential coming-of-age rite of passage that signifies the transition from adolescence into adulthood. Even though teens might be more concerned about their corsages and boutonnieres matching their dresses and tuxedos, parents should be more focused on making sure their teens are ready to make healthy decisions in the face of the peer pressure and influence innate with the party atmosphere of prom. April is Alcohol Awareness Month, so use this as a time to make communication key. Prior to prom, parents should talk to their children about the harmful effects and negative consequences of underage alcohol use. Then the whole family can work together to devise alternative activities and healthy strategies for teenagers to apply at prom, so they can return home safely. Here are some alcohol-free celebratory prom suggestions for teens and their parents: Tips for Teens: Avoid parties where alcohol will be served and be ready with a departure strategy if alcohol is introduced. When consuming non-alcoholic drinks at a party, refuse drinks that have already been opened and avoid mystery punch bowls. Avoid interacting with others who plan to drink, whether that’s before, during, or after prom. Prom attendees should also make sure their cell phones are fully charged before leaving the house and, if possible, take a portable charger with them. In addition to mapping out their plans for prom itself, teens should make sure to tell their parents their pre- and post-prom agendum, too. Introduce dates to family and friends. The stress and anxiety parents are dealing with will be mitigated once they meet and get to know their teen’s date. If teens are planning to attend prom with friends rather than significant others, they should invite them over for some healthy pre-prom activities that don’t involve underage alcohol use, such as a photoshoot or a picnic. Teens should make a pledge with their friends to party responsibly. The topic of underage drinking will seem foreign or may not even come up at all when everyone remains focused on simply having a safe, fun, alcohol-free prom. Tips for Parents: Is your teen planning to carpool or drive their own vehicle to prom? If they are driving, remind them to drive defensively at all times and avoid all distractions while driving including too many passengers, cellphone use, and other non-driving activities. It’s been proven that there’s a higher rate of car crashes on prom night. Remind your teenagers to stay buckled-in at all times and insist that the driver never calls, texts, or picks up their phone while in the driver’s seat. If your teen is planning to attend prom with a date, get to know their family members, too. Parents will discover that the parents of their teen’s date are also coping with their own heightened levels of concern in the lead-up to prom. Addressing their worries openly as a collective unit will put everyone at ease. Offer to host an alcohol-free pre- or post-prom party at your house. Hosting such an event will give everyone the chance to unwind and relax at a location away from prom and far-removed from its pressures and influence. When teens discover how easy it is to have an amazing time without alcohol, they will be more inclined to celebrate similarly at prom festivities themselves. Grant your teens permission to use your rideshare account in case they need to make arrangements for a ride home. Wait up for your teen and agree to be there in case any emergency comes up. It may take time for them to open up, but most teens are willing to share their prom adventures with their parents. Whether they realize it or not, parents are role models for their teens. When parents avoid drinking alcohol in the lead-up to prom, their children will be more likely to refuse to participate in underage alcohol use as well. Prom should be a night full of memories that all high school seniors can cherish forever. So, do everything you can to ensure prom is a dream come true for everyone. Stay Tuned for Part II of This Blog Series: Graduation
Read more
National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week
Are you prepared for National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (NDAFW) this year? Hosted by the National Institute for Drug Abuse, this annual, week-long health initiative takes place on March 20-26 and gives educators, students, healthcare providers, scientists, and community partners the opportunity to discuss and learn about the science behind adolescent drug and alcohol use. Knowledge of the negative effects alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) use have on the developing teenage brain and body is an essential protective factor that is most effective when served as a broader part of a prevention program that includes a comprehensive skills development framework. When their self-efficacy aligns with their decision-making skills, teens are less likely to engage in risky behaviors, such as underage alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD) use. As soon as they feel they have a stake in their own future, and develop the skills to protect it, teens are more inclined to safeguard their goals and not risk jeopardizing their ability to reach them. Knowledge of the physical harm and negative effects of ATOD use is helpful for teens as is the capacity to resist and refuse substance use. Skills development and practice boosts resiliency and adolescents' ability to see a future with hope and positive expectations. The best approach is a broader approach. So as you build your prevention initiatives, incorporate strategies that include developing a strong perception of the harm of substance use that is established in a firm self-efficacy and interpersonal skills framework.
Read more
Gratitude. Serve It Up All Year
Thanksgiving is right around the corner bringing friends and family together to give thanks for what we have in each other and in life. However, giving thanks needn't be reserved for turkey-day alone. It doesn’t require turkey, parades, or even football to inspire gratitude. Gratitude Does the Body Good Gratitude is a mindset. Making gratitude a part of your daily routine enhances the empathy we have for others, promotes better physical health, and strengthens our ability to overcome the stumbling blocks we face during difficult times. Giving thanks can have a soothing, relaxing effect on the mind and body. Recognition can decrease blood pressure and improve immunity. Expressing thanks can also strengthen your relationships and mitigate depression. Consider these steps you can take to get into the habit of expressing gratitude every day. When you wake up in the morning, consider all that you have. It only takes a moment. Get into the habit of saying aloud three good things that happened on the previous day. On the days when you simply can’t think of three positives, look for the silver linings in the negatives. Updating a gratitude journal daily can help. Make sure to thank your partner, your friends, your siblings, and your children for all they’ve done for you. Establishing Daily Gratitude Exercises at School Since children look to adults to set and reinforce normative expectations, adults can serve as positive role models. Gratefulness is a two-way street. Ask children how they feel when they give thanks and why. Children and teens who watch others share gratitude will be more likely to find ways to express it themselves. Saying something as simple as, “I really appreciate you volunteering to help me collect those quizzes,” or “Thank you for explaining the homework assignment to Sally since she went home sick yesterday,” is profoundly rewarding. Have your students share something they’re grateful for each day. Kids are no strangers to routine. They know when and why each bell rings, they know when it’s time for recess and when it’s lunchtime. They know (sometimes down to the second) when the tardy bell sounds. Make it a part of your Monday morning routine to ask your students to share something they’re thankful for. It will become more natural for them to be on the lookout for something else to be thankful for on Tuesday. Establishing Daily Gratitude Exercises at Home Finding opportunities to give thanks at home is as beneficial as it is at school. Did the kids walk the dog without being asked first? If so, be sure to thank them. Did they show kindness to their siblings? Gratitude is definitely in order then, too. Find ways to give thanks to children and teens on a daily basis without expecting anything in return. It’s a great way to suggest they seek out other opportunities on their own. Plus, the recognition of your confidence in them will boost their confidence in you. Expressing gratitude is thought to be one of the most powerful qualities in leading a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life. So give thanks for what you have every day. It doesn’t cost a thing, and it feels so good.
Read more
Prioritizing Prevention
National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (NDAFW) is March 21-27 this year. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) devotes this week to educating parents and teens on the harmful effects of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use. For more than a decade, this annual campaign has been inspiring commitments to prevent substance use and addiction through educational events nationwide. NDAFW events bring students, health educators, and Drug-Free Communities partners together to advance addiction science and increase awareness of the harmful effects of ATOD use. This year, inspire your community to show its commitment to drug-free living with your own NDAFW event. Involve local schools to build your NDAFW into the school calendar and form a planning committee with representatives of local stakeholder groups to broaden the reach of your event. Engage teens in your planning committee to garner their buy-in from the start. Include your local Substance Use Coalition and educational partners in the committee to achieve a broad reach and boost community participation. Identify the prevention strategies already in place in your community. Highlight and promote the good work your community is currently doing to prevent substance use. Raise awareness of the areas you wish to address with a review of relevant statistics including the rate of underage drinking and substance use, the number of Driving Under the Influence incidents involving youth, or recent changes in the availability of marijuana. Use local information to tailor your messaging to meet your community needs and identify prevention strategies collaboratively so your efforts are both possible and likely to yield positive effects. NIDA hosts a wealth of information to help you plan your event. Activity ideas, an official Event Map, resources on reaching out to local media, securing an official proclamation of NDAFW from your local government, and more is available at nida.nih.gov to make organizing your event easier than ever. Focus this year’s event on preventing addiction before it starts to help make your community healthier for the youth of tomorrow. Prevention education is a cost-effective method for lowering the rates of underage drinking and teen substance use. The Alabama Department of Mental Health recently stated in their 2021 SAMHSA Block Grant End of Contract Report that their 2015-2020 implementation of Too Good for Drugs equated to a savings of $50.11 for every dollar spent on primary prevention. Advocating for increased primary prevention efforts in your community not only saves your community money, but it can also spare countless teens and families from the significant emotional toll resulting from addiction. Prevention education is not a “one and done” strategy. Building positive norms around drug-free living and mitigating negative norms around substance use requires regular, consistent practice and reinforcement. Environmental strategies like community events in NDAFW and others support and enhance the effects of other prevention strategies including prevention education, local ordinances, and messaging campaigns, and support the community commitment to maintain prevention efforts and drug-free norms.
Read more