The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence fights the stigma and the disease of alcoholism and other drug addictions.

SafeHomes

Erie County Council for the Prevention of Alcohol and Substance Abuse, Inc.
Buffalo, NY

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Charity begins at home. And with "SafeHomes," a widely replicated program that began in the mid-1980s at NCADD's Buffalo Affiliate, so does underage drinking prevention.

Simple adage, simple program. Parents are asked to sign a pledge for a one-year commitment that must be renewed annually.

"It's just common sense, really," explains Sally Yageric, the program's coordinator. "Parents used to talk more over the fences in their backyards and everybody knew what everyone else's kids were doing. Things aren't like that anymore. You'd be amazed at how few people even know the name of the kid who delivers their paper every morning."

SafeHomes recognizes that parents need support for their efforts. It also helps establish community-wide norms for such things as curfews, enabling parents to resist the peer pressure that influences their decisions almost as much as their children's. Through directories and newsletters, SafeHomes facilitates the kind of communication that previous generations took for granted.

Nobody understands this better than Jennifer Erickson, MD, a family physician in Orchard Park with four children of her own, ranging in ages from 5 to 10. What she sees in her practice (a teenage girl who doesn't recognize that her depression and insomnia are related to her binge drinking is one good example) has convinced her that she and other parents have a responsibility to work together to educate themselves and their children.

"SafeHomes is everything I believe in," says Dr. Erickson, whose recruitment presentations at the open houses where her children attend school have resulted in 100% participation. "We have to fight the attitude that prevention takes too much time and too much effort and that our kids are going to do what they want anyway."

Dr. Michael Glover, superintendent of the Iroquois Central School District, agrees. He credits the success of SafeHomes to the involvement and dedication of parents like Dr. Erickson as well as the willingness of the board of education to address student use of alcohol and other drugs. "Our board of education wasn't afraid to admit that this was a problem that threatened the health of our kids. They put the issue on the front burner and opened up the conversation in our community."

For Sally Yageric, "buy-in" by both the parents and school creates an environment where SafeHomes can flourish. Although some school districts have begun to establish paid positions to help implement SafeHomes, which now has spread to communities in 27 states, Yageric realizes parental input remains key. Each summer she sends a letter to parents asking them to evaluate the program and whether or not they have seen any changes in their children's behavior. And each year she starts the whole process all over again.

"The more effort we put into SafeHomes, the more reward we get," observes Dr. Erickson.

I PLEDGE TO PROVIDE A SAFE HOME I will provide adult supervision for all children visiting my home. I will provide a secure storage place for all forms of alcohol, firearms, and other potentially hazardous items. I will not allow parties or gatherings in my home when I am not there. I will not serve minors nor will I allow youth under the drinking age (21) to consume alcohol in my home or on my property. I wish for communication with any parent who personally observes my child using alcohol or other drugs. I will communicate with any SafeHomes parent of a child I personally observe using alcohol or other drugs.

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National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.

244 East 58th Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10022 phone: 212/269-7797   fax: 212/269-7510 email: national@ncadd.org   http://www.ncadd.org HOPE LINE: 800/NCA-CALL (24-hour Affiliate referral)