According to the CDC, Florida experienced a 22.7 percent increase in overdose deaths between 2014 and 2015, which was the seventh-highest jump nationally. No numbers are yet available for 2016, but make no mistake: Drugs remain a huge problem in our state, especially when it comes to teenage use. For all the good news about declining drug and alcohol use by teens, there is still much work to do in 2017 and beyond.

That said, a new year should always be cause for optimism—a fresh start with a fresh calendar. And 2017 will provide plenty of opportunities for teachers to band together with parents, students and administrators to support student success. Here are some ways to do so:

The Best Gift You Can Give Your Kids Is Not A Hatchimal

Every year, the toy craze du jour sends parents frantically using their FBI skills to track down the “perfect” gift for their child. The coveted gift is likely no longer in stores and can only be purchased on ebay for three times its original price. These parents dedicate a great deal of time trying to give kids want they want. “Oh, won’t they be so happy,” the parents say. “My child is so special to me and I just want to make him/her happy.”

This year’s top toy, the Hatchimal, is very impressive! It’s a plush robot inside of an egg that hatches when you take care of it and once hatched, responds to commands. Boy have we come a long way from the cabbage patch doll!

Those of us who haven’t found lasting happiness through material goods can agree that having the coolest toy doesn’t always make us happy. Meaningful relationships can be the gifts that truly keep on giving. It may not seem like it, but your kids will likely agree.

The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) recently published its latest version of its Monitoring the Future survey, and the results are reason to cheer. The impressive findings: Past-year illicit drug use, other than marijuana, declined to its lowest levels in the 25-year history of the report—5.4 percent among eighth-graders, 9.8 percent among 10th-graders, and 14.3 percent among 12th-graders. Alcohol, nicotine, opioid, and synthetic drug numbers also dropped, as did marijuana use among eighth- and 10th-graders.

Despite the promising numbers, drugs are still a concern in schools today. Any drug and alcohol usage by students should be a cause for concern for principals and superintendents because the safety and future of teens remain at risk. The problem of drugs in schools isn’t going away; here are some reasons why:

The end of the year is a festive time for families. School is closed. Holidays are celebrated. Presents are exchanged. Parties are thrown.

Unfortunately, at those parties—especially unsupervised New Year’s Eve parties—teens may be tempted to drink or use drugs. And though kids hunkered down at one party might be preferable to kids driving from house to house on New Year’s Eve, any time that teens have access to alcohol, there will be risk. Establishing and enforcing family rules in regards to drinking is important year-round but takes on added urgency in December. Here is some advice for setting those rules and keeping your kids safe for the rest of 2016 and beyond:

Adderall abuse continues to be a problem with young people. The drug, usually prescribed to counter ADHD in children, is often used by non-ADHD patients to help them study better. And though it is usually associated with college students, Adderall is becoming more of a concern with teenagers, including kids in Florida high schools. According to a 2015 survey, 7.5 percent of 12th-graders reported misusing the drug in the previous year. Of all prescription drugs, Adderall trailed only general amphetamines at 7.7 percent in the survey and came in higher than Vicodin, OxyContin, Ritalin and steroids.

Unfortunately, many parents aren’t aware of what a serious problem Adderall can be if abused or how prevalent it is in Florida high schools. Here is more information on Adderall abuse:

When you walk into your local Publix Pharmacy in January, please thank the pharmacist and store manager for helping to prevent prescription drug abuse!

Once again, Publix is partnering with Informed Families to promote an important new years message: Lock Your Meds. The Lock Your Meds campaign, created by the National Family Partnership and sponsored by Informed Families in Florida, educates adults about the importance of securing medication to keep them out of the wrong hands.

Lock Your Meds asks individuals to secure their medication, take regular inventory to ensure nothing is missing, safely dispose of unused or expired medication and share the message with friends and family.

The campaign will be featured in 1,022 Publix Pharmacy stores across Southeastern United States. Each Publix Pharmacy store will have in-store counter signage and printed pharmacy receipts with a Lock Your Meds Message. This is the fifth year in a row that Publix, the fastest growing grocery chain in America, is collaborating with Informed Families to reduce prescription drug abuse in Florida's communities. 

‘Tis the season for giving! Two Florida schools are the recipient of $1,000 each as part of Informed Families' 2016 Florida Red Ribbon Week Photo Contest. Gabriela Sanchez of Miami won an iPad for her family and $1,000 for Good Shepherd Catholic School. Paola Stauffer, an administrator at Orlando Science Elementary School, won an iPad for herself and $1,000 for her school.

The contest took place as a part of National Red Ribbon Week ® – the nation’s oldest and largest drug prevention campaign, sponsored by the National Family Partnership (NFP). During the month of October, the Sanchez family decorated their home front door and Paola Stauffer worked with her Orlando Science Elementary School community to decorate the school's campus with this year’s Red Ribbon Week theme, “YOLO. Be Drug Free™.” All this was done to promote their commitment to living a healthy and drug-free lifestyle.

“I loved decorating my home with a drug free message,” said Gabriela Sanchez, a teacher and mother of two children who attend Good Shepherd Catholic School. “The contest is an activity that brings families together and it’s a positive message. Not only did we decorate, but we talked to our children about how important it is for them to stay away from drugs. We discussed what to do if they are ever in the position where they are offered drugs.”

The effort to reduce alcohol use among teenagers has shown real progress in Florida and around the country. Underage drinking is down, and marijuana and heroin use is holding steady, for now. However, for every victory, another concern seemingly arises to challenge the effort to stop drugs in schools. For example, more people in the U.S. now use prescription painkillers (38 percent) than tobacco products (31 percent). Not every person taking painkillers is necessarily misusing them, but the statistic shows how prevalent they have become, which in turn demonstrates how easily teens can obtain pills and put themselves at risk. In fact, 66% of abused prescription opioids come from friends and family. Additionally, Amendment 2 (medical marijuana) passed in Florida, which means there will be increased availability and likely decreased perception of risk, which leads to increased use.

As much as teenagers might be loath to admit it, parents are the greatest influencers in their lives, especially when it comes to discouraging them from alcohol and drugs. One survey of 663 teens discovered that of the respondents whose parents felt underage drinking was unacceptable, only 8 percent of the kids were drinkers themselves. Contrast that with parents who thought underage drinking was OK—the number of teen drinkers in the survey jumped to 42 percent. This finding only goes to reinforce the power one parent can possess in influencing his or her children.

Now imagine it’s not just one parent but many parents working together in your community. That kind of united effort can make a real difference in helping keep teens safe. Parent support groups—or more specifically, parent peer groups—can effect positive change in your neighborhood and community. Here are some ideas for starting such a group in your area:

Being a parent of a teenager can be rewarding, joyous, maddening and infuriating—all at the same time. Unfortunately, it can also be frightening, especially with the prevalence of drugs and alcohol. Despite decades of prevention efforts and laws to limit access to booze and drugs, teens are still finding ways to use and abuse illegal substances.

Raising healthy kids can be difficult in today’s world, and the world isn’t exactly helping. Consider society and the media’s messaging on marijuana, for example. Casual pot smoking has become almost accepted, yet teens (and parents) don’t understand marijuana is more potent—and, thus, more dangerous—than ever. Kids might not fully realize the impact that drugs and alcohol can have on their health. As parents, your job is to help your children come to that realization; they need to know the facts in order to make smart choices. Here are some impacts that drugs and alcohol can have on otherwise healthy kids: