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Since 2001, on the fourth Monday of September, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University has encouraged families to simply eat dinner together through “National Family Day.” Studies over the last decade have consistently shown that regular family dinners have a positive impact on a teenager’s ability to avoid alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana and to get better grades in school. Kids who eat with their parents frequently (5-7 nights per week) are about half as likely to abuse drugs and much more likely to report achieving A’s and B’s in school than their peers who eat with their parents infrequently (3 nights each week or less).
Family Day will be observed locally on Monday, September 26th by several Px20 member agencies. ECCPASA will be holding an event specifically for their Stengthening Families Program participants while West Side Community Services and EPIC will hold large open community events at their locations. Preventionfocus staff will help our friends at the Northwest Buffalo Community Center with an event they are hosting. Contact any of those organizations for more information. Family Day can also be easily observed in individual family homes. Materials and activities can be found at http://casafamilyday.org/familyday.
Px20 is a collaboration of ten different substance abuse prevention and mental health agencies providing services in Erie County. Under the guidance of the Erie County Department of Mental Health and the Buffalo State College Center for Health and Social Research, the group uses local data to ensure that appropriate programs are provided in areas where the risk factors that lead to alcohol and other drug abuse are most prevalent. Px20 also works together on public awareness campaigns to maximize the impact of limited resources. Preventionfocus is a proud member agency of Px20. For more information, go to www.Px20.org.
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