The Lock Your Meds campaign, created by the National Family Partnership, is a universal prevention campaign intended to save lives by preventing prescription drug misuse, which is the fastest growing substance misuse problem in America. Did you know that 44.9% of misused medications come from family and friends, not a stranger/drug dealer or the internet? Lock Your Meds® encourages people to secure and take regular inventory of their medication so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. Many adults may be unintentional suppliers and awareness is the key to ending this preventable epidemic.
Informed Families, a non-profit organization created by parents, helps Florida’s kids grow up safe, healthy and drug free through fun and effective prevention programs for students and families in K-12 schools and communities. We focus on four campaigns: Family Day, Red Ribbon Week, Lock Your Meds and Safe Homes Smart Parents.
Informed Families educates, enables and empowers students, parents and communities to work together to keep children healthy.
The median age at which children begin drinking is 12 (NIDA, 2002). Young people who begin drinking before age 15 are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those who begin drinking at age 21. Will you help to change these statistics? Safe Homes Smart Parties is a statewide initiative developed by Informed Families and implemented by parents of teens and preteens to ensure that drugs, alcohol and cigarettes will not be permitted at parties held in their homes and discouraged at parties in the community. Parents take ownership of the program by signing the pledge.
Learn MoreMore than 3.1 million teens ages 12 to 17 report misusing prescription drugs. The Lock Your Meds campaign is sponsored by the National Family Partnership to combat prescription drug misuse among youth. The target audience for Lock Your Meds® is 20-80 year-old adults, with the primary focus on keeping prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals away from drug users. Many adults may be unwitting suppliers and by making adults aware of the problem, we can curb the misuse by others.
Learn MoreCelebrated in late September, Family Day® encourages families to eat dinner together at least four times a week. This simple act has been shown to dramatically reduce drug and alcohol use among our youth. Hectic work schedules, after-school activities and time spent with school friends often interfere with dinnertime. Yet research by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University consistently finds that the more often children eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use illegal drugs. Created by CASA in 2001, Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children is a national effort to promote family dinners as an effective way to reduce substance abuse among children and teens. Parental involvement is the most potent weapon in preventing substance abuse among youth!
Learn MoreThe Red Ribbon Campaign® is now the oldest and largest drug prevention program in the nation reaching millions of young people during Red Ribbon Week®, October 23 – October 31 each year. Wear your Red Badge proudly and have the courage to say no to drugs! What is Red Ribbon Week? It is an ideal way for people and communities to unite and take a visible stand against drugs. Show your personal commitment to a drug-free lifestyle through the symbol of the Red Ribbon.
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