Official Foundation for the Strengthening Families Program

We are committed to keeping our nation’s youth addiction-free by providing parents and youth with research-proven skills to develop healthy brains and prevent alcohol and drug use. Research shows most adult addiction begins in adolescence, and if kids don’t abuse alcohol or use tobacco or illegal drugs before age 21, they likely won’t ever do so.

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WHY WE ARE CONCERNED:

Addiction, which destroys lives and devastates families, combined with underage alcohol and drug use, is undermining the stability, safety, and prosperity of our nation.  One in 10 American children currently lives with an addicted parent. Kids who grow up with addicted parents are 40 percent more likely to use themselves, putting them at risk for the gut-wrenching misery of addiction. This burgeoning financial and social burden of addiction costs the U.S. $500 billion every year. Studies show that most adult addiction begins in adolescence, which is even more concerning. As these addicted youths engage in risky sexual behavior, they often bring forth precious and vulnerable children into unstable and neglectful home environments. This puts these children, who need to become our next generation of thoughtful, responsible, tax-paying citizens, at risk for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Adverse childhood experiences cause huge problems in a child’s life, for they interfere with proper brain development, which contributes to

• Emotional reactivity; poor anger management skills
• Impaired ability to self-regulate and self-soothe
• Impaired ability to focus
• Impaired ability to delay gratification
• Impaired ability to organize, plan, schedule, and complete tasks
• Impaired ability to nurture (parent) or attach (child)
• Health problems as adults

The good news is research shows addiction is an adolescent problem and can be prevented with three types of simple and easy-to-learn parenting skills taught in the Strengthening Families Program. They are: bonding with your kids, setting clear boundaries against use, and monitoring to see that teens always stay in an alcohol- and drug-free social environment.

These effective, nurturing parenting skills can prevent ACEs and addictions—helping our nation stay prosperous and free. Please learn the skills, use them yourself, and help us make effective, nurturing parenting the new national pastime!