Dunwoody High School Red Ribbon Week
October 23rd through the 31st

DID YOU KNOW?

Children of parents who talk to their teens regularly about drugs are 42% less likely to use drugs than those who don't; yet, only a quarter of teens report having these conversations.

This year's theme is Love Yourself. Be Drug Free.®

Visit http://www.redribbon.org/ to learn more about Red Ribbon Week® and get tips for talking to your kids about drugs. The life you save may be that of your own child or a dear friend.

More information along with the parent/student drug free pledge card will be sent out via DHS news later during Red Ribbon Week.

Red Ribbon Social Media Tools

Participating in Red Ribbon Week just got even easier! We encourage you to participate to help us spread the message across America. All you have to do to participate is tweet or post on Facebook with any or all of the suggested language below to spread the word about Red Ribbon Week: See the examples below, copy the language you want to use on your blog or social networking site and start spreading the message!

Sample Tweets and/or Facebook Posts:

Red Ribbon Week is in full swing at Dunwoody High School. Each day, a statistic is being shared with the students. Please see some which are shared below. Additionally, please consider taking the parent pledge and encourage your student to take the student pledge.
What's the Pledge about? http://redribbon.org/pledge  

As parents and citizens, we will talk to our children and the children in our lives about the dangers of drug abuse. We will set clear rules for our children about not using drugs. We will set a good example for our children by not using illegal drugs or medicine without a prescription. We will monitor our children's behavior and enforce appropriate consequences, so that our rules are respected. We will encourage family and friends to follow the same guidelines to keep children safe from substance abuse.

Some Sobering Statistics:

High-School Drug Users Are Becoming Addicts. Of the 76 percent of high school students who have used tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, or cocaine, one in five meet the medical criteria for addiction. That number is particularly troubling considering that the younger the brain, the greater the risk of moving from drug use to drug addiction.

Among children who have ever had a drink of alcohol, 68 percent have used another addictive substance. High school students down more drinks when they imbibe than any other age group: 4.9 drinks on average.

Thirty-four percent of high school students binge drink which means-have five or more drinks of alcohol in a row.

Most high school students drink:
63 percent of freshmen say they've had alcohol; by the time senioritis kicks in, 80 percent have.

Teens Think Marijuana Is Harmless.
About one-third of high school students have used marijuana, and 25 percent of students consider it a harmless drug. Heavy or chronic marijuana use is associated with a host of cognitive impairments and with structural and functional brain changes.

Finally, please mark your calendars- March 24, 2015.
Right before the students head out for spring break destinations, DHS will be hosting two powerful guest speakers, Ginger and Larry Katz, from The Courage to Speak Foundation. They will share their experience with the students during the school day and with parents in an educational evening event.
http://www.couragetospeak.org/.

The Courage to Speak® Foundation is a 501(c)(3) and its mission is dedicated to: Saving lives by educating and empowering youth to be drug free and encouraging parents to talk to their children about the danger of drugs.