Power of Parents ® Middle School Handbook
Chapter 1
A MESSAGE TO PARENTS FROM DR. TURRISI AND MADD Research shows that kids who drink are a danger to themselves, their friends, and others. For over 30 years, high quality clinical studies in the United States and Europe have shown that the sooner kids drink, the more severe the problems they face in the short and long term. Science shows that a child’s brain works differently from adult brains. It is important to realize that no matter how mature kids act, they are not simply small versions of adults. Kids’ brains are still in a critical period of development well into their 20’s. Studies show that alcohol and cannabis interferes with how brains and bodies grow. As medical health professionals, we have seen countless times how a single night of underage drinking or using cannabis can destroy lives forever. Unfortunately, most individuals who have problems with alcohol or cannabis took their first drink or used cannabis when they were very young, sometimes with their parents. As a parent you have the power to equip your child to make smarter, safer choices and to help prevent tragedies. We urge you to read this handbook and talk with your middle school-aged child to help shape the choices they make regarding alcohol and cannabis. These conversations will have an impact on their physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development and could be lifesaving.
As a parent you have the power to equip your child to make smarter, safer choices and to help prevent tragedies.
Breaking News: With support from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Dr. Robert Turrisi and a team of prominent scientists conducted a clinical trial to examine the effectiveness of MADD’s Power of Parents handbook. 1100 families, representative of the U.S. population, participated in the trial. Dr. Turrisi and his team observed that when parents read the MADD handbook AND discussed its contents with their teens, their teens declined more rides with impaired drivers. It is important to mention that this was only the case when parents discussed almost all of the content of the MADD Power of Parents materials. See the study for yourself in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
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