Parental influence is the most important factor in helping keep teens safe. That’s why MADD launched the Power of Parents, It’s Your Influence® program. The goal of this program is to educate parents about the dangers of underage drinking and give them the tools they need to start talking with their kids about alcohol. The program has two major parts:
Free parent workshops to equip parents with strategies for having these potentially life-saving conversations.
The Power of Parents program can reach parents across the country with its proven strategies to help reduce underage drinking by as much as 30 percent. In fact, in 2011, MADD reached one parent every thirty minutes to help them talk with their teen about alcohol.
April 21, PowerTalk 21® day, is the national day for parents to start talking with their kids about alcohol. Each year, we focus on reaching as many parents as possible, with the vision that April 21st will become widely known as the day to talk about kids and alcohol. In preparation for PowerTalk21, parents can get tips and conversation starters, download the parent handbook and find a free 30-minute parent workshop at www.madd.org/powertalk21.
MADD knows that informed, caring parents can make a difference, and we’re here to help. Together, we can save lives that might otherwise be lost as a result of underage drinking.
Three out of four teens say that their parents are the number one influence on their decisions about alcohol. One in five teens admits to binge drinking, while only one in 100 parents believes their child binge drinks. These are astounding and revealing figures. They show that parents not only have the responsibility to talk with their children about the dangers of alcohol before age 21, they also have to power to influence their children’s decisions. How many times do parents say that their children’s peers have more influence on the teens’ behavior than they do? The research says otherwise!
Dr. Ralph Hingson, Starrla Penick, Jan Withers, Sally Ganem
Yesterday Dr. Ralph Hingson, Director of NIAAA, Starrla Penick, MADD National Program Director and I had the privilege to speak at the National Governors’ Spouses breakfast in Washington, DC. Sally Ganem, First Lady of Nebraska and MADD National Board Member, invited us to speak about underage drinking and MADD’s Power of Parents, It’s Your Influence program. We felt privileged to share a couple of hours with them on this important topic.
Dr. Ralph Hingson, Starrla Penick, Jan Withers, Sally Nebraska First Lady Sally Ganem & Dr. Ralph Hingson
Starrla Penick & Jan Withers
The Governors’ Spouses Association uses its unique positions of influence to work on life-changing issues. Their Leadership To Keep Children Alcohol Free Foundation, a unique coalition of current and former Governors' spouses, Federal agencies and public and private organizations, is an initiative to prevent the use of alcohol by children ages 9 to 15. I am excited about working together in connecting with parents around the country to share MADD’s Power of Parents life-saving program.
Mary Ann Taufa'asau Tulafono, First Lady of American Samoa, is a strong advocate for underage drinking prevention programs.
Won’t you join us in spreading the message about the dangers of underage drinking, our Power of Parents program, and reach as many families as possible? Just click onto http://www.madd.org/underage-drinking/the-power-of-parents/ for more information and to download the simple booklet. Remember, three out of four teens say that their parents are the number one influence on their decisions about alcohol.
This Friday evening on the season premiere of ABC’s What Would You Do? there will be a segment about parents using their children as designated drivers. You can view a preview of the segment here. While we don’t know all of the details of the episode, we do know that is a real problem that should be addressed.
Our friend, Hollywood Ruch, was only five-years-old when his impaired biological father gave the keys to Hollywood’s 13-year-old half-brother to drive. This decision ended in a crash. Hollywood lost several teeth and suffered a brain injury that affected his fine motor skills. However, Hollywood overcame this disaster and now speaks at schools and events across the country, including MADD events, sharing his story and speaking out against drunk driving. View Hollywood’s speech at MADD’s National Conference in 2010:
MADD believes that driving under the influence with a child in the car, as well as having a child drive the car, is child endangerment. As noted in our Report to the Nation, more than half of all children under the age of 15 killed in drunk driving crashes in 2009 were passengers of drunk drivers.
In 2009, 11-year-old Leandra Rosado was tragically killed when an SUV she was traveling in with seven other children crashed in New York City. The adult driver, who had a BAC of .132, was the mother of one of the other passengers. After Leandra’s death, her father tirelessly advocated for Leandra’s Law, which makes driving drunk with a child passenger under the age of 16 in the car a felony punishable by up to four years in prison. From December 18, 2009, when Leandra’s Law went into effect, through July 2011, 1,409 people were arrested in New York State for driving drunk with children in the car. This equates to four people per day arrested specifically for that offense.
Clearly, child endangerment has reached a crisis level in our nation. Each year our victim support line receives between 17,000 and 20,000 phone calls related to child endangerment. States must act now to pass tougher laws and send messages that it is not ok to drive drunk, worse still with a child in the car.
If you know someone who drinks and drives, or worse, with children in the car, read our “Someone You Know Drinks and Drives” brochure where you will also find a section about what to do if your child may be at risk. We hope you will tune in this Friday to see the episode, and let us know what you would do on Facebook or Twitter.
Drew Crossland was your typical all-American student. He was involved in sports and did well in school. But all of that changed around the time Drew was a junior in high school.
One night when Drew was only 17, his parents, Jean and George Crossland, got a phone call from the local hospital informing them that their son had been admitted. Jean and George arrived to find out that Drew had been rushed to the hospital by ambulance, with signs of alcohol poisoning. Drew was at a party with some friends, drank too much alcohol and passed out. Fortunately, his friends called an ambulance, and Drew survived the frightening experience.
George said that Jean “came down pretty hard on Drew” and thought the experience was a good wake up call. After that night, Drew seemed to get his act together and finished up the school year without any other problems.
But unfortunately, that night would not be the last time that George and Jean would get that call.
Drew continued to abuse drugs and alcohol over the next several years, and when he was 23, he spent the day with friends watching sports and drinking. But later that night, one of his friends found him passed out in another room; he was blue. This time when his parents were called to the hospital, Drew was already being placed on life support, and would not survive. Drew’s death certificate read: “over indulged in alcohol”.
Since Drew’s death, his family has become advocates in the fight against underage drinking. They speak at various panels at high schools to tell their son’s story in hopes of preventing another teen from going down Drew’s path and losing their life too young from alcohol and drugs. In fact, George Crossland went back to school and received his psychology degree, and has applied for an alcohol and drug license.
As George said, “hindsight is beautiful,” and through their tragic experience he has advice for other parents about talking with their teens about alcohol and drugs. “You need to be honest and up front in the discussion, and let your children know you are there for them. Make sure your children know they have somewhere to go with their problems,” George said.
If you are a parent whose teen has already starting to experiment with drugs and alcohol, George’s advice is to “get on top of the situation right away, drinking is not a rite of passage. Monitor the situation closely and don't assume just because you drank at an early age that your child will also come out alright.”
It’s because of stories like the Crossland’s that MADD developed the Power of Parents™ program to educate parents about the dangers of underage drinking and give them the tools they need to start talking with their kids about alcohol. Early drinking increases the odds that a child will get hooked on alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs. In fact, kids who drink before the age of 15 are four times more likely to become alcoholics.
It’s never too early to talk with your child about the dangers of underage drinking. Download our free parent handbook to help you start the conversation today.
This week, communities around the country are encouraging youth to pledge to stay drug and alcohol free during what is called Red Ribbon Week.
Did you know?
Teen alcohol use kills about 6,000 people each year, more than all illegal drugs combined.
One in three eighth graders has tried alcohol.
One in five teens binge drinks, but only one in 100 parents believes their child binge drinks.
Seventy-four percent of kids (ages 8-17) said their parents are the leading influence on their decisions about drinking.
Having regular family conversations about alcohol can reduce underage drinking and drunkenness by 30-60 percent.
When parents and kids are better connected, kids are less likely to drink or use other drugs.
MADD knows that in order to prevent youth from drinking alcohol we must not only provide awareness to them, but we must also equip parents to tackle this tough issue. Because research shows that parents are the number one influence on their child’s decisions about alcohol, MADD created its Power of Parent’s, It’s Your Influence™ program. Through free 30-minute community workshops and a free downloadable parent handbook, parents can learn how to have ongoing conversations with their kids about the dangers of underage drinking.
Parents, remember that your influence is the most important factor in helping keep teens safe. Visit the interactive parent section of our website to get tips and expert resources for talking with your kids about alcohol.
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Parental influence is the most important factor in helping keep teens safe. That’s why MADD launched the Power of Parents, It’s Your Influence® program. The goal of this program is to educate parents about the dangers of underage drinking and give them the tools they need to start talking with their kids about alcohol. The program has two major parts:
Drew Crossland was your typical all-American student. He was involved in sports and did well in school. But all of that changed around the time Drew was a junior in high school. 
