Drug Prevention Gets Delicious

Teens Who Eat Infrequent Family Dinners Likelier to Drink, Smoke, Use Drugs
September 23, 2009

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From:
National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA*) at Columbia University

New York, NY, September 23, 2009 – Compared to teens who have frequent family dinners (five or more per week), those who have infrequent family dinners (fewer than three per week) are twice as likely to use tobacco or marijuana; more than one and a half times likelier to use alcohol; and twice as likely to expect to try drugs in the future, according to The Importance of Family Dinners V, a new report by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

The report also found that compared to teens who have five to seven family dinners per week, those who have fewer than three family dinners per week are:

Twice as likely to have friends who use marijuana and Ecstasy;
More than one and a half times likelier to have friends who drink, abuse prescription drugs, and use Meth; and
Almost one and a half times likelier to have friends who use illegal drugs like cocaine, acid and heroin.

"The magic of the family dinner comes not from the food on the plate but from who's at the table and what's happening there. The emotional and social benefits that come from family dinners are priceless," said Elizabeth Planet, CASA's Vice President and Director of Special Projects. "We know that teens who have frequent family dinners are likelier to get A's and B's in school and have excellent relationships with their parents. Having dinner as a family is one of the easiest ways to create routine opportunities for parental engagement and communication, two keys to raising drug-free children."