Drugs & Your Dinner Table

It may be time to curb that habit of eating in front of the TV. It turns out that eating dinner together as a family may have the power to keep your kids from experimenting with – or become addicted to – drugs or alcohol.  

Family Dinners Fight Drug Use

“The Importance of Family Dinners VI,” a new report issued by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, found that those who have infrequent family dinners (fewer than three per week) are more than twice as likely to say that they expect to try drugs in the future compared to teens who sit down to eat with their families five to seven times per week.  

In what may be surprising to more than a few moms and dads, the study also revealed that 72 percent of teens think that eating dinner frequently with their parents is very or fairly important. Not convinced? The numbers prove it.  

Compared to teens who have frequent family dinners, those who have infrequent family dinners are:

            •            Twice as likely to have used tobacco

            •            Almost twice as likely to have used alcohol

            •            One and half times likelier to have used marijuana

“The message for parents couldn’t be any clearer. With the recent rise in the number of Americans age 12 and older who are using drugs, it is more important than ever to sit down to dinner and engage your children in conversation about their lives, their friends, school -- just talk. Ask questions and really listen to their answers,” said Kathleen Ferrigno, CASA’s director of marketing.  

Teen Drug Rehab

If you or someone you love is in need of teen drug rehab, call The Canyon at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.