Statement of Steve Pasierb, President and CEO, Partnership for a Drug-Free America on New SAMHSA Study On Cough Medi...(ith Kids Because many parents say the...),Health

Because many parents say they have a difficult time talking with kids about drugs and alcohol, the Partnership launched a new nationwide parent movement called Time To Talk (TM), designed to encourage and empower parents and caregivers to have ongoing and frequent conversations with their teens and tweens about the risks of using drugs and alcohol.

"Communication between parents and kids is the most effective prevention tool when it comes to protecting your teen from abusing medications," said Pasierb. "Kids who report learning 'a lot' about the dangers of drugs at home are up to 50 percent less likely to use illicit drugs."

TimeToTalk.org provides parents helpful tips and tools to begin these conversations and the encouragement to help parents keep the dialogue going over the long haul. Parents and caregivers can sign up for free monthly newsletters and gain access to tools such as, Tips for Getting the Conversation Started, How to Help Your Kid Turn Down Drugs. The site also links to the Time To Talk Yahoo Group, an online parent forum that enables parents to share experiences and connect with others facing similar situations.

"In our previous research, teens reported that foremost among the reasons they don't use drugs is because they don't want to disappoint their parents," said Pasierb. We want to help parents and caregivers understand that they are a huge influence on the choices kids make for themselves and TimeToTalk.org can give them access to the information, tools and resources to help parents make these conversations an ongoing part of their everyday lives. Educating youth about the dangers of drugs and alcohol is an ongoing job; one that parents, caregivers, schools and members of the community must all do together."

---Steve Pasierb