New Publication for Parents Introduces Home Rules for Healthier Families Program

National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence
Monday, 1 January 1996

"What Should I Tell My Child About Drinking?," a new publication for parents, introduces "Home Rules For Healthier Families," a multi-media educational program sponsored by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD) with funding from the American Contract Bridge League Charity Foundation.

"With alcohol remaining far and away the most popular--and destructive--illegal drug among teenagers, parents need to begin communicating with their children about drinking long before they reach puberty," said NCADD president Paul Wood, PhD. "Our new program will provide guidance in discussing drinking at various stages of a child's development. It also will address the influence of advertising, an issue ignored by the alcoholic beverage industry in its so-called `prevention' programs."

"What Should I Tell My Child About Drinking?," offers 20 pages of easy-to-follow advice divided into sections for specific age groups and includes a series of "teachable moments" that give parents structured opportunities to sit down with their children and discuss alcohol. Additional information helps parents recognize if their child is in trouble with this widely available drug, expose common myths about drinking and learn about how use of alcohol can affect various organs of the body.

"Home Rules For Healthier Families" is being funded by a $200,000 grant from the American Contract Bridge League Charity Foundation, which has designated NCADD as its 1996-1997 Charity of the Year. The video component of this educational program is now in development. Two 20-minute videos will be produced and targeted at parents of young children and parents of teenagers.

Sample copies of "What Should I Tell My Child About Drinking?," will be distributed in 1996 Alcohol Awareness Month kits developed by NCADD as part of its "Let's Draw The Line" against underage drinking campaign. To receive a single free copy of the brochure, send a self-addressed envelope stamped with $0.55 postage to NCADD (12 West 21 Street, New York, NY, 10010). Additional copies may be ordered for $1 each with bulk discounts available.

For more information, or to contact National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence, see their website at: www.ncadd.org