Strong Voices, Smart Choices

Based on the Coalition for a Drug-Free Greater Cincinnati’s Student Personal Drug Use Survey data, we know that parents are the most important factor in kids’ choices not to use drugs. As a result, The Coalition’s Parent Task Force, through social marketing process, created an initiative to help parents know what to say and when to start talking. The Parents’ Guide to Talking with Kids About Drugs was created as a result.

This campaign has partnered with businesses, doctors, pharmacies, the local media, and the Ohio National Guard to put parenting tips into the hands of more than 750,000 parents throughout Greater Cincinnati. The campaign has already changed community attitudes and norms. Middle school parents often pull away from the issue of kids use at this critical time, but this campaign has begun to change the standard so the expectation is that parents become increasingly involved during the middle school years. As a result, the Coalition’s 2004 Student Drug Use Survey showed a 55% decrease in drug and alcohol use among youth who report that parents talk to them and set clear rules regarding substance abuse.

The Parents’ Guide is short, user friendly and filled with age-appropriate information from preschool through life after high school. Since 2002, more than 25,000 parents in our region have received this guide. In addition to the Parents’ Guide, parenting tips in the form of payroll / bill stuffers were created to have maximum reach and impact in our area. This year-round campaign aims to increase the frequency and effectiveness of parents talking to their kids about drugs.