05/17/06 Fighting Drug Abuse with Eating

Kids don't' come with handbooks, and after raising three boys to it is easy to reflect on the all would have and the should haves. So when I heard about latest recommendation to keep kids off drugs it was nice to know that in one case I actually did something right. You see despite the ball games, home work and careers our family nearly always ate breakfast and dinner together, Sunday being mandatory. Amazing that the simple act of sharing a meal together was found by Researchers from National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse to actually reduce the risk of drug and alcohol use in teenagers and that teens who don't eat with a parent, have higher frequencies of drug, alcohol and tobacco dependency. This study is especially poignant given today's alarming rate of obesity in children again attributed to our their lack of family dinners, diet of fast food and hours in front of the Xbox.. Raising kids is daunting isn't it nice to know that something as simple as a family dinner can make a difference.