September is a special month at Informed Families as we celebrate Family Day on September 22—a national movement that reminds us of the power of eating meals together and making time for meaningful connection.

Topics: President's Message, lock your meds, safe parties, safe homes smart parties, alcohol, Informed Families, lock your meds pledge, alcohol use, summer, alcohol abuse, substance abuse

Informed Families proudly welcome the newly appointed DEA Administrator, Mr. Cole, and look forward to working together to strengthen prevention efforts, reduce drug demand, and build safer, healthier communities nationwide.

Topics: President's Message, lock your meds, safe parties, safe homes smart parties, alcohol, Informed Families, lock your meds pledge, alcohol use, summer, alcohol abuse, substance abuse

Remember when Sunday dinner at grandma’s was the weekly tradition? When family time meant gathering around a table—not around separate screens? While times have changed, the need for real connection hasn’t.

Topics: President's Message, lock your meds, safe parties, safe homes smart parties, alcohol, Informed Families, lock your meds pledge, alcohol use, summer, alcohol abuse, substance abuse

As summer begins, I’m reminded of something we say often at Informed Families: Prevention doesn’t take a break.

Topics: President's Message, lock your meds, safe parties, safe homes smart parties, alcohol, Informed Families, lock your meds pledge, alcohol use, summer, alcohol abuse, substance abuse

Over the years, I’ve had the honor of walking alongside countless families, schools, and communities as we work together to raise healthy, resilient children. And if there’s one truth I’ve learned, it’s this: Prevention doesn’t happen in a one-time talk—it happens in the everyday moments.

Topics: President's Message, lock your meds, club drugs, safe parties, safe homes smart parties, alcohol, Informed Families, lock your meds pledge, alcohol use, summer, alcohol abuse, substance abuse, spring break

April marks Alcohol Awareness Month—a powerful opportunity for families to open the door to conversations that can shape a child’s future.

Topics: President's Message, lock your meds, club drugs, safe parties, safe homes smart parties, alcohol, Informed Families, lock your meds pledge, alcohol use, summer, alcohol abuse, substance abuse, spring break

March is here, and it’s time to talk about something that’s putting young people at serious risk—dangerous party drugs being disguised as something else. A synthetic stimulant called N,N-dimethylpentylone is being sold as MDMA (also known as ecstasy or molly), but it’s far more harmful than people realize.

Topics: President's Message, lock your meds, club drugs, safe parties, safe homes smart parties, alcohol, Informed Families, lock your meds pledge, alcohol use, summer, alcohol abuse, substance abuse, spring break

WHAT IS AMERICA'S ALCOHOL AWARENESS?

April is Alcohol Awareness Month, so let’s talk about alcohol.

Parents are still the number one reason kids give for not using alcohol and drugs.

Parenting is a hard job. You rarely get thanked and pushing back against unhealthy behaviors is hard. We know you want the best for your kids – and when you know better, you do better.

Americans are more into using alcohol – and less into understanding alcohol’s negative effects, considering that:

•  Alcohol is a carcinogen and is linked to cancer. In fact, alcohol is responsible for an estimated 15 percent of US breast cancer cases (35,000/year) and deaths (6,600/year).
• Underage drinking causes 4,300 deaths and 189,000 emergency room visit per year and  
• Alcohol damages our stem cells.
• People who consume more than one drink a day are more likely to die earlier and have greater health problems.

Topics: President's Message, safe parties, safe homes smart parties

SAFE HOMES SMART PARENTS

Last week, we had an amazing conference call with one of our absolutely favorite Ambassadors, Tracy Bowen, of Collier County Public Schools. Tracy said that our Safe Homes Smart Parties campaign should be renamed the Safe Homes Smart Parents campaign because Safe Parties Require Smart Parents. Parents are the key to safe children.

She hit the nail on the head and we are taking her advice very seriously and determining what that change means for our campaign. The best ideas come from boots on the ground and Tracy is a wonderful example of someone using her knowledge, experience and passion to help the children in her community grow up safe, healthy and drug free.

It’s been 36 years since we founded Informed Families and I’m still simultaneously confident that our prevention programs will help students make good choices this Spring Break and fearful that some parents are misinformed about the dangers of underage drinking, thus choosing to host parties and expose children to potentially frightening consequences. Social norms about alcohol are overwhelming to a parent’s better judgment. How can we help each and every parent take a stand for Safe Parties?

Topics: President's Message, safe parties, safe homes smart parties

Thanks to a generous grant from the 2017 State Attorney's Safer & Healthier Communities Fund through the Miami Foundation, Informed Families will be expanding our Safe Homes Smart Parties campaign to address safe driving.

The program will reduce impaired driving by educating over 40,000 teens and families in 30 Miami-Dade high schools about the danger, consequences, illegality and social unacceptability of impaired driving through educational materials, educational activities and a targeted, interactive awareness campaign in schools and online.

Topics: safe parties, safe homes smart parties, driving