Exciting News from Informed Families and Publix Pharmacy! We are thrilled to announce a dynamic collaboration that's set to make a monumental impact on prescription drug safety—the formidable partnership between Informed Families and Publix Pharmacy in support of the national Lock Your Meds campaign.

At Informed Families, we're committed to helping Florida's children grow up safe, healthy, and drug-free. An area of growing concern is the misuse of prescription drugs among youth. As parents and guardians, you play a crucial role in preventing this issue. This guide offers practical advice and resources to help you safeguard your children against prescription drug misuse.

In our cozy homes, amidst the bustle of daily life, lies a hidden danger often overlooked: unsecured medications. While we diligently lock our doors and guard our online information, our medicine cabinets may not receive the same attention. Informed Families' Lock Your Meds Campaign shines a spotlight on this pressing issue.

“No man is an island, entire of itself . . . Therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”

So many amazing teachers serve as Informed Families Ambassadors. They work hard to deliver our fun and effective universal prevention campaigns, which help kids grow up safe, healthy and drug free. We thank you for what you do as a professional and the service you provide.

We know you have never experienced anything like what we are currently experiencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. For many teachers, transitioning from the classroom to online teaching has not been easy.

The U.S. Postal Service revealed the new "Drug Free USA
Forever” stamp yesterday in conjunction with Red Ribbon Week, the nation’s oldest and largest drug prevention program taking place each year from October 23 through 31.

Earlier this year, the National Family Partnership and Drug Enforcement Administration submitted a joint letter to the U.S.Postal Service’s Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee, to propose a stamp to raise national awareness about the dangers of drug misuse.

“We are delighted that the U.S. Postal Service is committed to supporting our efforts to promote drug prevention, education and awareness,” said Peggy B. Sapp, President and CEO of Informed Families and the National Family Partnership. “We all must continue to play our unique roles in spreading the word to communities about how individuals can make healthy choices.”

The Drug Free USA Forever stamp features a white star with lines of red, light blue, and blue radiating from one side of each of the star’s five points, suggesting the unity necessary at all levels to effectively address drug use. The stamp will go on sale in October 2020.

Informed Families welcomed more than 300 Youth Ambassadors to the fold this fall.

Until recently, most parents were not as concerned about their teenager vaping as they would be if their child experimented with other drugs.

An Easy Way to Improve Parent-Child Communication  

Do you want to stop school violence and a host of other dangerous behaviors? Eat dinner with your children.

Did you know if you eat dinner together as a family four times a week that your kids are 50% less likely to use drugs and engage in other risky behaviors?

Many people think they don’t have time to eat dinner with their children – well just imagine how much time you will spend sorting out your child’s problem behaviors?  And guess what, some behaviors become chronic and don’t get sorted out so you will be living with them for a life time.

Eating dinner together provides an opportunity for family members to come together, strengthen ties and build better relationships.  Communicating early and often makes it much easier to tackle conversations around tough topics, like substance use, when the time comes. If your kids aren’t used to talking to you about their day when they are 8 or 10 years old, it's much harder to start at age 12-14.

Our Family Day campaign promotes frequent family dinners as a way to prevent risky behavior in kids. On September 23rd, join millions of families across the U.S. to Stand Up for Sitting down to dinner. Enjoy a meal together with your family and talk to each other, electronics-free.

Peggy

 

 

Back to School Transitions Can Lead to Problems   

Hi friend,

Summer vacation is coming to an end, and your children will be returning to school soon. Some are preparing to transition into middle or high school; while others are heading off to college.  These transitions will introduce new environments, new friends and new found freedoms. Research shows that dealing with transitions is often a time when kids get into trouble. If you haven’t done so already, now is a good time to have another talk with your kids about your family rules and boundaries regarding underage drinking and substance abuse. 

You want to encourage your children’s growing independence, but set appropriate limits. Set clear rules, and then enforce the rules you set. Make sure your children understand what the consequences will be for breaking rules.  But equally important, don’t forget to acknowledge the moments when your kids choose healthy behaviors over underage drinking or experimenting with drugs.

According to a recent report, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s (ONDCP) Drug-Free Communities (DFC) programs continue to yield consistently reduced youth substances use rates. There has been a decline in prescription drugs, marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol use among youth. So we know prevention programs and initiatives, like the ones Informed Families offer, work.  We all must continue to play a role in creating communities that care about helping kids grow up safe, healthy and drug free.

Peggy