Safe and Drug-Free Home Policy

I pledge to have a safe and drug free home and to   encourage youth to be drug and alcohol free by:

• Only hosting parties that are free of alcohol and other drugs
• Not allowing my child(ren) or their friends to possess or consume alcohol, tobacco or other drugs on my property
• Not allowing my child(ren) to attend parties where alcohol and other drugs may be present
• Ensuring any alcohol stored in my house is secured and monitored so it may not be stolen or consumed by underage drinkers
• Locking up and/or securing prescription medications so they may not be stolen or misused/abused by my child(ren) or their friends
• Disposing of unused and/or expired medications in a proper way such as a permanent drop box location or drug take-back event
• Never sharing my prescription medications with my children or others
• Talking to my child(ren) about the dangers associated with alcohol and other drug use including prescription drug misuse and abuse
• Setting clear rules, expectations and consequences addressing alcohol and other drug use
• Enforcing consequences when my rules and expectations are not met

Tips for hosting alcohol and drug-free parties and events:

• Create a guest list and let everyone know in advance that the party is invitation only.  Put your phone number on the invitations to welcome calls from other parents.
• Don’t use e-mail and/or social media to send out invitations.  They can easily be forwarded to or viewed by large numbers of people quickly—you can easily lose control of who has the information and the party can grow much larger than intended.
• Make sure you are home and refuse to supply alcohol or allow alcohol and other drug use to take place in your home or on your property.
• Make regular visits to the party area to monitor behavior.
• Talk to other parents about not providing alcohol or allowing drug use while hosting parties.
• Always talk to the parents of a child hosting a party to ensure they will be home and alcohol will not be provided before allowing your child to attend.

Drug-Free Youth Pledge

On behalf of the Cleveland County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, THANK YOU for your commitment to helping ensure a safe and drug-free community for our children.