Families United by Dr. Dennis Embry PhD

Many in the country have heard about or knows the alarming news about: Alcohol and drug use (marijuana, Ecstasy) are up in multiple national surveys: the Pride Survey, Monitoring the Future, from the Partnership for A Drug Free America.  This means delinquency and criminal behavior will increase, too, among youth and young adults. This means more already hard-pressed states, communities, businesses and families will have to “shovel up” for the astounding short and long-term costs of these trends—unless we collectively act.

A diverse group of passionate individuals is now launching a cost effective, coherent, sensible plan to act that, ultimately, will reduce our collective tax burden and help us to work smart, spend wisely and make our kids, schools and communities safer and healthier.  We call this effort “Families United”— uniting all families, communities, and states, the private and public sectors, health-care, schools and the media in concerted action using simple, scientifically proven, low-cost prevention strategies.  We call them prevention “evidence-based kernels” or “behavioral vaccines” (e.g., like car safety seats) when used repeatedly to improve health, safety or wellbeing read more...

The Washington State Coalition to Reduce Underage Drinking (RUaD) is excited to announce a new tool for educating parents about the risks of underage drinking, and the power they have to prevent it. RUaD has developed an eight minute video, Underage Drinking in Washington - Something To Talk About, which can be viewed on You Tube.

This is one example of how the RUaD Coalition is working to reduce underage drinking in Washington, and the devastating effects on youth, families and communities. Research shows parental disapproval of underage drinking is the #1 reason youth choose not to drink (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2005).