"Learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow."

Start talking before they start drinking

Between the ages of 9 and 13, children start to think differently about alcohol. Many children begin to think underage drinking is OK and some even start to experiment. It's never too early to talk to your children about alcohol, and encourage them to talk with you.

Over 70% of children say parents are the leading influence in their decision to drink or not.

Keep the conversation going

As children get older, the chance they will try alcohol continues to increase.1 One conversation isn't enough to give them the information and guidance they need. By talking often and honestly about alcohol, you have the ability to influence your child's decisions about underage drinking.

Children who talk to their parents about alcohol regularly are less likely to drink.

Be aware

Family, peers, school, and the community all play a role in your child's decision to drink. In fact, most children who use alcohol get it from a friend or family member. To ensure these people become positive role models for your child, let them know how you feel about underage drinking.

Over 70% of eighth graders said alcohol is easy to get. 30% of children age 12-14 get alcohol from a family member.

National Drunk and Drugged Driving
Prevention Month

Every day, 36 people in the United States die, and approximately 700 more are injured, in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. This December, during National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month (3D Month), consider what you and your community can do to make injuries and deaths from impaired driving less of a threat.

The Problem

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some point in their lives.
In 2006, 13,470 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one-third (32%) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.
In one year, over 1.4 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. This accounts for less than 1% of the 159 million self-reported episodes of alcohol–impaired driving among U.S. adults each year.
Alcohol-related crashes in the United States cost about $51 billion a year.

Protect Yourself and Your Family and Friends

During the holiday season, and year-round, take steps to make sure that you and everyone you celebrate with avoids driving under the influence of alcohol. Following these tips from NHTSA can help you stay safe:

Plan ahead. Always designate a non-drinking driver before any holiday party or celebration begins.
Take the keys. Do not let a friend drive if they are impaired.
Be a helpful host. If you’re hosting a party this holiday season, remind your guests to plan ahead and designate their sober driver, always offer alcohol-free beverages, and make sure all of your guests leave with a sober driver.

Know How Communities Can Help

Proven community and state-level methods for reducing alcohol-impaired driving include:

Sobriety checkpoints. Studies found that fatal crashes thought to involve alcohol dropped by about 22% following implementation of sobriety checkpoints.
Minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) laws. Studies found that raising the MLDA to 21 reduced crashes by about 16% among people ages 18.20 years.
0.08% BAC laws. Fatal alcohol-related crashes declined about 7% after 0.08% BAC laws were passed.
"Zero tolerance" laws for young drivers. Three studies found that zero tolerance laws resulted in declines in fatal crashes among drivers ages 18.20 years of between 9% and 24%.

Resources for More Information

CDC: Impaired Driving Fact Sheet
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Traffic Safety Facts 2006: Alcohol-Impaired Driving (PDF 630KB, 6 pages)

Accept the Great American Smokeout Challenge

Quitting smoking is not easy, but it can be done. To have the best chance of quitting successfully, you need to know what you're up against, what your options are, and where to go for help.

American Cancer Society Marks 34th Great American Smokeout® by Encouraging Smokers to Quit

Less Smoking Leads to More Birthdays
As the official sponsor of birthdays, the American Cancer Society marks the 34th Great American Smokeout on November 19 by encouraging smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day.

Lock Up Your Meds Day: A Focus on Another Drug Problem Facing Today’s Youth

Another war on drugs that is gripping our nation starts with your own medicine cabinet.

Today’s teens are finding it all too easy to get prescription drugs right out of their parent’s and grandparent’s medicine cabinets. They can use them, give or sell them to their friends to get high.

The abuse of prescription drugs in the U. S. has risen and the abuse of illegal drugs has declined in recent years. Over three hundred US teens abuse prescription drugs.

Local statistics in Martinsville and Henry County mirror the national statistics showing that more than 1 in 10 high school students have used prescription drugs to get high.

“What teens don’t realize is that the abuse of prescription drugs can be just as dangerous as illegal drugs. Kids think that because the drugs were “prescribed”, they must be safe,” said Katie Connelly, coordinator of CHILL Youth Task Force and HEY! Community Coalition in Martinsville and Henry County.

How do we address this problem and prevent prescription drug abuse? First, educate yourself about the problem. Then, spread the word out to your community, especially to educate parents and grandparents, who could unknowingly be the supplier of their teen’s high.

According to the National Family Partnership:

Take Inventory of your medicine
Educate Yourself & your child
Set clear rules & monitor behavior
Pass it on
Properly Dispose of old or unused meds

For more tips, a medicine inventory and pledge card plus information on treatment for prescription drug abuse, go to www.nfp.org and click on the logo icon at the upper right side of the home page.

Additional information at www.drugfree.org.

We all can do more to prevent prescription drug abuse in our own homes and in the community, so pass the word to “Lock Up Your Meds”! YOU are the key to preventing prescription drug abuse!

According to the PRIDE survey given to 7th, 10th and 12th grade students in the Martinsville and Henry County school systems.

Martinsville-Henry County’s
1st Annual Recovery Day Celebration

Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009
12-3pm At J. Frank Wilson Park (Pavilion #101) Church Street Extension, Martinsville VA

Hot dogs, hamburgers and drinks will be provided. Please bring a covered dish or dessert. Anyone Interested in Recovery of Alcohol & Drug Addiction is invited.

12:00 noon- Kick-off (Introduction of National Recovery Month)
12:30pm-We will eat
2:00pm-Observation of Clean & Sober Time (respecting your anonymity)

Come help us celebrate Recovery In Our Community!

Sponsored by The Drug Task Force, VAADAC & We Care
Contact Valerie Blevins at 276-340-3562

Family day-A day to Eat Dinner with Your Children is a national movement to help parents understand that talking with their children during frequent family dinners is an effective tool to help keep American’s kids substance free. Family Day reminds parents that Dinner Makes A Difference!

Family Day will be celebrated in Martinsville and Henry Co. on Monday, September 28. A recipe contest and an essay contest will give community adults and youth an opportunity to share their thoughts on why eating dinner together as a family is important. CHILL will be partnering with area organizations to serve families in need that day.

How much is too much? Click here to find out www.alcoholscreening.org

Do you use drugs? Are these substances harming your health or increasing your risk for other problems? Click her to find out www.drugscreening.org

Transitioning Back To School

The dog days of summer are winding down, and as parents of teen children, you are getting ready for another school year. There are carpooling schedules to work out, sports events to plan for, music lessons to get on the calendar, and so on. Even though your routine will shift considerably, be mindful that your teen will be making significant adjustments, too. Here are some "assignments" for you as you prepare your teen for this coming school year:

Help your teen reject peer pressure.
Be a good listener.
Stay involved in your teen's life.

New School Year, New Opportunity to Talk to Your Teen

The weeks before your teen returns to high school (or enters it for the first time) is an excellent opportunity to speak with him/her about drugs and alcohol. The 2004 Monitoring the Future survey found that between 8th and 10th grade, the percent of kids who have tried drugs doubles—from approximately 18 to 36 percent.

Start the school year off right by bringing up the topic of drugs and alcohol before they are faced with those pressures at school. Prepare your teen with skills they can use when they find themselves surrounded by peers who are less than positive influences.

Encourage other parents to subscribe to this newsletter. Anyone can join the list by visiting TheAntiDrug.com and entering an e-mail address on the home page.

The nonmedical use or abuse of prescription drugs is a serious and growing public health problem in this country. The elderly are among those most vulnerable to prescription drug abuse or misuse because they are prescribed more medications than their younger counterparts. Most people take prescription medications responsibly; however, an estimated 48 million people (ages 12 and older) have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons in their lifetimes. This represents approximately 20 percent of the U.S. population. Also alarming is the fact that the 2004 National Institute on Drug Abuse's (NIDA's) Monitoring the Future survey of 8th, 10th, and 12th-graders found that 9.3 percent of 12th-graders reported using Vicodin without a prescription in the past year, and 5.0 percent reported using OxyContin-making these medications among the most commonly abused prescription drugs by adolescents.

The abuse of certain prescription drugs-opioids, central nervous system (CNS) depressants, and stimulants- can alter the brain's activity and lead to addiction. While we do not yet understand all of the reasons for the increasing abuse of prescription drugs, we do know that accessibility is likely a contributing factor. In addition to the increasing number of medicines being prescribed for a variety of health problems, some medications can be obtained easily from online pharmacies. Most of these are legitimate businesses that provide an important service; however, some online pharmacies dispense medications without a prescription and without appropriate identity verification, allowing minors to order the medications easily over the Internet.

NIDA hopes to decrease the prevalence of this problem by increasing awareness and promoting additional research on prescription drug abuse. Prescription drug abuse is not a new problem, but one that deserves renewed attention. It is imperative that as a Nation we make ourselves aware of the consequences associated with the misuse and abuse of these medications.

Nora D. Volkow, M.D.
Director
National Institute on Drug Abuse

Commonly Abused Prescription Medications-Opiates

What can you do? Tips for preventing Rx abuse

DID YOU KNOW?

OVER 3 MILLION U.S. TEENS ABUSE PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.

EVERY DAY, 3,300 MORE CHILDREN BEGIN EXPERIMENTING WITH PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.

70% OF CHILDREN WHO ABUSE PRESCRIPTION DRUGS ADMIT TO GETTING THEM FROM FAMILY OR FRIENDS.

More than 3.1 million teens ages 12 to 17 report abusing prescription drugs. Click here for guidelines for prescription drug abuse prevention and discuss them with your family and friends.

CLICK HERE FOR TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR CHILD SAFE FROM PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE