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Raising Drug-Free Children

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the key risk periods for adolescent drug abuse are during major transitions – such as to a new school or community – and research from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America shows that stress in school is a major reason for adolescent substance abuse. For military teens, transitions often become a way of life, as each year a third of military families move to new neighborhoods and almost half of military parents report that their kids have difficulty making social adjustments following a move to a new town. These teens are also coping with the added stresses of having one or both parents deployed, or even worse, dealing with the difficulty of a parent who has been injured or killed in combat.

Our Association recognized the need for military parents to communicate with their children in order to keep the whole family healthy. Together with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America and the National Association of School Nurses, we created a talk kit just for military families.

Designed specifically for military parents of tweens and teens, the Military Talk Kit provides ideas on how to start the conversation about drugs and alcohol, scripts to help you find the right words, and tips for answering tough questions and getting support from other adults around you.

Visit www.timetotalk.org/military today to download your free copy of the Military Talk Kit.