Shades of the Cleaver Family

TV family shows of the 50s, 60s and even the 70s regularly featured scenes around the family dinner table. Remarkably, the entire family was normally present! Try finding that on a family TV show today. OK, maybe the Thanksgiving or Christmas episodes, at best. It's a struggle for families to come together on a regular basis for a shared meal. But it's a struggle that well worth winning.

A study performed by Columbia University revealed that children who eat dinner with their families each night at least 3 times a week are less likely to use drugs, smoke or drink.

What a great prevention measure - dinner with the family!

Monday, September 27th is Family Day - a day to bring your family together for dinner. It's a great day to start a very worthwhile and healthy family tradition.

New National Drug Use Stats Don't Look Healthy

From today's press release by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration:

The use of illicit drugs among Americans increased between 2008 and 2009 according to a national survey conducted by SAMHSA. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) shows that the overall rate of current illicit drug use in the United States rose from 8.0 percent of the population age 12 and older in 2008 to 8.7 percent in 2009. This rise in overall drug use was driven in large part by increases in marijuana use.

The annual NSDUH survey, released by SAMHSA at the kickoff of the 21st annual National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, also shows that the nonmedical use of prescription drugs rose from 2.5 percent of the population in 2008 to 2.8 percent in 2009. Additionally, the estimated number of past-month Ecstasy users rose from 555,000 in 2008 to 760,000 in 2009, and the number of methamphetamine users rose from 314,000 to 502,000 during that period.
"These results are a wake up call to the Nation," said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D. "Our strategies of the past appear to have stalled out with 'Generation Next.' Parents and caregivers, teachers, coaches, faith and community leaders, must find credible new ways to communicate with our youth about the dangers of substance abuse."

"Today's findings are disappointing, but not surprising, because eroding attitudes and perceptions of harm about drug use over the past 2 years have served as warning signs for exactly what we see today," said Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, Gil Kerlikowske. "