DrugFreeAzKids News

Graduation and Alcohol

Graduating from high school is a time of celebration with family and friends. This is a great milestone for graduates and it often means graduation parties where there may be the pressure to drink alcohol.

Kids Who Sip Alcohol Are More Likely to Drink as Teens

Parents, think again before offering your child a sip of beer at your summer barbeque.  A new study from Brown University found that kids in 6^th grade or younger that were allowed to sip alcohol were five times more likely to have a full drink of alcohol by the time they were in 9^th grade.  Compared to teens who had not sipped alcohol when they were children, they were four times more likely to get drunk or binge drink.  The study, published in the Journal of Studies on

Mother’s Day

What are you doing this Mother’s Day? If you have not had a chance to make a special plan, we have a list of unique ideas for everyone to participate.

Here are seven unique activities for families to celebrate Mother’s Day:

1.      Have breakfast in bed, as a family, and don’t worry about the mess! This is one breakfast your kids won’t soon forget.

2.      Plan a tent movie! In the living room, put up a tent (or create your own out of sheets and blankets) and watch a movie together from the tent.

Connection as a Protective Influence

A sense of connectedness with other people can be protective regarding the level of risk of developing a substance abuse problem or the likelihood of recovering from such problems.  Research has broadened our understanding of the complex nature of addiction over the last few decades.

411 Drug Series – Marijuana Concentrates

DrugFreeAZKids.org understands the importance of communicating with your children. We want to share the necessary tools and information with you for starting these important conversations. Talking with your child about the dangers of drugs can reduce the chance of them using by up to 50 percent. This is why we are bringing you a series of regular blog posts, each focusing on a specific drug. It will cover the drug’s common names, effects and the important details parents should know.

Get in the Way of Underage Drinking!

Adults in Buckeye were encouraged to “Get in the Way” of underage drinking by the Way Out West Coalition this Spring when businesses allowed youth and adult coalition leaders to place table tents and posters with this message on storefronts and tabletops.  The ads raise awareness about the alarming amount of underage drinking in the community and urge parents to not provide alcohol to minors.  In a great show of

411 Drug Series – Marijuana

DrugFreeAZKids.org understands the importance of communicating with your children. We want to share the necessary tools and information with you for starting these important conversations. Talking with your child about the dangers of drugs can reduce the chance of them using by up to 50 percent. This is why we are bringing you a series of regular blog posts, each focusing on a specific drug. It will cover the drug’s common names, effects and the important details parents should know.

Between The Lines: The Arizona Youth Survey

The Arizona Youth Survey, conducted biannually by the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission, provides a great amount of data on a number of youth issues in Arizona, including substance abuse.   Because the results of the survey are made public, communities across the state can take a look at which substances are most prevalent in their counties and at the state level as well.  What we do with that data is up to us.  First, it is important to look bet

Teen Lingo

Have you heard your teen talk about wanting to go skiing with a friend named Molly, or maybe you’ve overheard them asking their friends to bring over Skittles for hanging out?  While these may seem like harmless topics, your kids may actually being discussing the latest drug trends.

Prom & Alcohol

color:black">Prom and graduation season is quickly approaching and that means alcohol is going to be featured at many teen celebrations. Often, parents and other adults assume that alcohol use is inevitable among our kids, thinking that it would be better that their kids drink at home than out at some party. Some see it as a rite of passage into adulthood, equating the consumption of alcohol with maturity.