Our country, state, and region are in the midst of the worst drug epidemic in history. Leaders in law enforcement know that it’s impossible to “arrest our way out” of this problem. And substance use treatment providers all agree that there is no way to “treat our way out” of it. Once addiction sets in, it is terribly difficult—and terribly expensive—for sufferers to find long-term recovery.

When we cannot “arrest our way out” or “treat our way out,” it becomes clear that the way forward must include a greater effort to prevent addiction before it starts.

Drug misuse prevention begins with conversations at home. We know that starting these conversations can be difficult and uncomfortable. It can be easy for adults to assume that kids know all they need to know about making healthy choices. Talk About It and PreventEd are dedicated to giving families the encouragement, resources, and tools to have these life-changing discussions.

Talk About It is proudly brought to you by PreventEd, a local community health agency working to reduce or prevent the harms of alcohol and other drug use through education, intervention, and advocacy. For more information visit prevented.org or call (314) 962-3456.

• Having conversations with your kids about the risks of drugs and alcohol cuts their chance of future misuse in half.¹
• Parents who set clear rules and expectations lower their family’s risk of using illicit drugs by 50%.²
• When parents use consistent and fair discipline, their kids are 2.5 times less likely to start using illicit drugs.²
• When parents help their children healthily manage their stress levels, their kids are twice as likely to avoid smoking, drinking, getting drunk and using illicit drugs.³

¹ NCADD. “Talking with Children. Parents Play a Key Role.” Web. Oct. 2016.
² Mann, A. “Relationships matter: Impact of Parental, Peer Factors on Teen, Young Adult Substance Abuse.” NIDA Notes, Vol 18:2. Aug. 2003.
³ CASA. “Family Matters: Substance Abuse and the American Family: A Casa White Paper.”