In 2001, the National Center for Addictions declared the fourth Monday of September as National Family Day to promote families setting down in the evenings and having dinner together. Their research found that adolescents who ate meals with their families three or more times per week were less likely to use drugs or alcohol.
Try to start this tradition this week! Your meals don't have to be fancy, and the important thing is to engage in conversation and listen to each other. Show interest in each other. Seek to understand before you try to be understood. Eating together, having a family tradition, and spending quality time with those close to you are all ways to help build resilience.
https://drugfree.org/article/how-to-connect-with-your-teenager/
-Jerry Strausbaugh, EdD, LPCCS, Executive Director
