Alcohol can impair proper teen brain development. • Drinking can program a teen's brain for alcoholism. • Drinking starts as early as grade school in Utah. • Express love daily to your kids. • Participate in fun activities as a family. • Eat dinner together as a family. • Listen with love and empathy to your children. • Set clear "no-alcohol" rules for your children. • Establish consequences for underage drinking. • Follow through on no-alcohol rules. • Review family rules regularly. • Know where your kids are. • Know who your kids are with. • Know what your kids are doing. • Alcohol can impair proper teen brain development. • Drinking can program a teen's brain for alcoholism. • Drinking starts as early as grade school in Utah. • Express love daily to your kids. • Participate in fun activities as a family. • Eat dinner together as a family. • Listen with love and empathy to your children. • Set clear "no-alcohol" rules for your children. • Establish consequences for underage drinking. • Follow through on no-alcohol rules. • Review family rules regularly. • Know where your kids are. • Know who your kids are with. • Know what your kids are doing. • Alcohol can impair proper teen brain development. • Drinking can program a teen's brain for alcoholism. • Drinking starts as early as grade school in Utah. • Express love daily to your kids. • Participate in fun activities as a family. • Eat dinner together as a family. • Listen with love and empathy to your children. • Set clear "no-alcohol" rules for your children. • Establish consequences for underage drinking. • Follow through on no-alcohol rules. • Review family rules regularly. • Know where your kids are. • Know who your kids are with. • Know what your kids are doing. • Alcohol can impair proper teen brain development. • Drinking can program a teen's brain for alcoholism. • Drinking starts as early as grade school in Utah. • Express love daily to your kids. • Participate in fun activities as a family. • Eat dinner together as a family. • Listen with love and empathy to your children. • Set clear "no-alcohol" rules for your children. • Establish consequences for underage drinking. • Follow through on no-alcohol rules. • Review family rules regularly. • Know where your kids are. • Know who your kids are with. • Know what your kids are doing. • Alcohol can impair proper teen brain development. • Drinking can program a teen's brain for alcoholism. • Drinking starts as early as grade school in Utah. • Express love daily to your kids. • Participate in fun activities as a family. • Eat dinner together as a family. • Listen with love and empathy to your children. • Set clear "no-alcohol" rules for your children. • Establish consequences for underage drinking. • Follow through on no-alcohol rules. • Review family rules regularly. • Know where your kids are. • Know who your kids are with. • Know what your kids are doing. • Alcohol can impair proper teen brain development. • Drinking can program a teen's brain for alcoholism. • Drinking starts as early as grade school in Utah. • Express love daily to your kids. • Participate in fun activities as a family. • Eat dinner together as a family. • Listen with love and empathy to your children. • Set clear "no-alcohol" rules for your children. • Establish consequences for underage drinking. • Follow through on no-alcohol rules. • Review family rules regularly. • Know where your kids are. • Know who your kids are with. • Know what your kids are doing. • Alcohol can impair proper teen brain development. • Drinking can program a teen's brain for alcoholism. • Drinking starts as early as grade school in Utah. • Express love daily to your kids. • Participate in fun activities as a family. • Eat dinner together as a family. • Listen with love and empathy to your children. • Set clear "no-alcohol" rules for your children. • Establish consequences for underage drinking. • Follow through on no-alcohol rules. • Review family rules regularly. • Know where your kids are. • Know who your kids are with. • Know what your kids are doing. • Alcohol can impair proper teen brain development. • Drinking can program a teen's brain for alcoholism. • Drinking starts as early as grade school in Utah. • Express love daily to your kids. • Participate in fun activities as a family. • Eat dinner together as a family. • Listen with love and empathy to your children. • Set clear "no-alcohol" rules for your children. • Establish consequences for underage drinking. • Follow through on no-alcohol rules. • Review family rules regularly. • Know where your kids are. • Know who your kids are with. • Know what your kids are doing. • Alcohol can impair proper teen brain development. • Drinking can program a teen's brain for alcoholism. • Drinking starts as early as grade school in Utah. • Express love daily to your kids. • Participate in fun activities as a family. • Eat dinner together as a family. • Listen with love and empathy to your children. • Set clear "no-alcohol" rules for your children. • Establish consequences for underage drinking. • Follow through on no-alcohol rules. • Review family rules regularly. • Know where your kids are. • Know who your kids are with. • Know what your kids are doing. • Alcohol can impair proper teen brain development. • Drinking can program a teen's brain for alcoholism. • Drinking starts as early as grade school in Utah. • Express love daily to your kids. • Participate in fun activities as a family. • Eat dinner together as a family. • Listen with love and empathy to your children. • Set clear "no-alcohol" rules for your children. • Establish consequences for underage drinking. • Follow through on no-alcohol rules. • Review family rules regularly. • Know where your kids are. • Know who your kids are with. • Know what your kids are doing. •

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Website provides parents with prevention help

April 16, 2007

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Website provides parents with prevention help

With the launch of the new, fully integrated website, tips and information are a few simple clicks away.

Eating dinner as a family three or more times a week can be a powerful deterrence in preventing teens from drinking, says a new report from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. This report, sponsored by TV Land and Nick at Nite's Family Table, is featured on ParentsEmpowered.org’s website, found at www.parentsempowered.org.

The new site is rich with parental skills and harmful risk assessment guidelines for Utah parents; a monthly feature article; tips and tools; downloads of brochures, fact sheets and teaching tools; and news, including the Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking (this report lists six call-to-action goals at www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/underagedrinking/goals). The ParentsEmpowered.org site also alerts parents to events on underage drinking prevention around the state.

How about text messaging your child?

A ready way to get in touch with your child while sitting at your desk is accessible directly from the site. Research shows that just keeping in touch with your child is a powerful deterrent to drinking. With a simple point and click selection, you can send a text message like these:

o JUST THINKING ABOUT YOU. YOU'RE A GREAT KID. LOTS OF LOVE.
o FACT: UNDERAGE DRINKING CAUSES BRAIN DAMAGE. FACT: WE ALL LOVE YOUR BRAIN AS IT IS.
o HEY, WHAT'S UP? GIVE ME A CALL WHEN YOU GET A MINUTE.
o LOOK WHO'S TEXT MESSAGING! JUST WANTED TO SAY HI. I LOVE YOU.

Other suggestions from ParentsEmpowered.org:
First, learn and explain how alcohol can damage your child's brain and increase the risk of addiction. Research shows parental disapproval of underage drinking is the #1 reason your child will choose not to drink. (SAMHSA, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2005)

Next, apply these three research-proven skills that prevent underage drinking (details can be found at www.parentsempowered.org):
1. Bonding
2. Boundaries
3. Monitoring

ParentsEmpowered.org is a statewide campaign focused on eliminating underage drinking in Utah. Its primary goals are to educate parents about the dangers of underage drinking and provide them with proven skills to communicate with their children about remaining alcohol-free. More information is available at www.parentsempowered.org.

R&R Partners builds innovative brand relationships across a wide range of audiences through such integrated services as advertising, public relations, government & public affairs, research, media, branded entertainment and digital marketing. Ranked among the top 10 regional agencies in the U.S. by Adweek magazine, R&R has offices in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Reno and Washington D.C. For more information, visit www.rrpartners.com