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On this site you will find

Information on substance abuse, where to find help, street gangs, intel updates on the Mexican Drug Cartels, the most recent research and documents on multiple subjects as well as links to outside organizations and our partners along with much more.



Parents:

You invest a lot of time and effort into keeping your kids safe and healthy. In fact, it’s possibly the most important thing you will do as a parent. You make sure they get enough sleep, eat fruits and vegetables, and brush their teeth. Prevention is the key to keeping your child well. Preventive measures—also called “protective factors”—can help keep your child from using alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs. In contrast, risk factors are like red flags that can warn you about possible dangers in your child’s future—and help you take steps to prevent those dangers.

Parents can provide one of the most important protective factors: a strong family bond. When you and your children hang out and have fun together, you develop a sense of closeness and trust and help strengthen family ties. Time together also gives you a chance to share your values and expectations about different issues, including substance use. Understanding risk and protective factors is complicated because they both influence decisions and behaviors. In addition, what may be a risk factor for one person may not be a risk factor for someone else. But, if you let your child know up front that you don’t approve of young people using alcohol, tobacco, or drugs, your child is less likely to use them. Research shows that parental influence is a primary reason that youth don’t do drugs, so it is important to speak up and let your children know where you stand.

You have a chance to improve many of your child’s protective factors every day, regardless of their age or stage. Start by spending time together—cook and eat dinner together, go for a walk, ride your bicycles, drive the carpool, play board games, volunteer at the animal shelter, or share other activities that you and your child can enjoy together. Like the steps you take to keep your child’s body healthy, you can develop a solid relationship to help protect them from substance use and help keep her well in body, mind, and spirit.