Impaired Driving: Talk With Your Kids

Keeping Your Kids Safe

Don’t Wait for the “Right” Time—It’s always a good time to talk to your kids about the dangers of impaired driving. Here are some common situations you can take advantage of to discuss drunk and drug impaired driving:

When your child asks to borrow the car
When you’re at the dinner table together
When your child asks if he or she can ride with a friend to school/a concert/a party
When you’re running weekend errands
When you’re at the grocery store
When you and your child are in the car together

Reinforce Expectations—Make sure your children know what you expect from them when it comes to impaired driving. Let them know it’s never okay to get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle while under the influence, and that getting in a car with someone who has been drinking or using drugs is also dangerous.

Help Them Build an Exit Plan—Some kids may not know what to do if a friend or family member who is under the influence of alcohol or other drugs offers them a ride. Explain to your child that it’s okay to say no, and help them think through an exit strategy.

For example, you can suggest:
Calling a rideshare service or taxi;
Calling a relative or friend for a ride home;
Staying the night at their current location; and
Convincing the person under the influence not to drive.

Mention that drunk and drug-impaired driving is illegal and unsafe and suggest they find another way home.

Show Them You Care—Kids are more likely to listen when they know you’re on their side. Make sure they know that you’re talking to them about impaired driving because you care about their safety, not because you assume they would ever drive drunk or drug-impaired driving.

Read more here

89% of U.S Adults are Stressed During the Holiday Season

“The holiday season can be both a happy and stressful time of year in part due to expectations to spend time with family and friends, navigate family conflicts and uphold important traditions,” said Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, APA’s chief executive officer. “At this hectic time of year, it is important that people take care of their mental health, especially in communities whose members feel disproportionately burdened or excluded from what is traditionally considered the holiday season.”

Coping with Potential Holiday Stress

To manage the stress of the holiday season, nearly 9 in 10 adults who reported experiencing stress at this time (88%) said they have coping mechanisms that help them handle it. Fewer adults said they turn to negative or potentially harmful coping mechanisms during the holiday season.

A majority of adults who experience stress (70%) said they are comfortable talking with others about their stress during this time.

Others focus on strategies such as:

managing their expectations (38%)
reminding themselves that the season will pass (35%)
volunteering to help others (16%)

Read the full article

Coalition Updates

Screenagers: Under the Influence

You still have a chance to watch!

Presentation at Greenwich United Way Community Planning Council

Greenwich Together was invited to present at the Greenwich United Way Planning Council Meeting on the Greenwich Youth Survey Results on November 30th at Greenwich Town Hall. Along with Greenwich Public Schools Mental Health Professionals who presented on youth development. If you missed our Presentation head to the Greenwich Together website for a copy of the slides.

Click here to view tip sheet for parents

Tobacco Flavor Banning Task Force

Greenwich Together has formed a new Task Force that is focused on looking at the impact that Flavored Tobacco products has on the Greenwich Community. Let's start to take steps towards banning these products. If this is a topic that resonates with you and you are interested in joining please reach out to via email

Upcoming Events

Join The Hub for this online one-hour training to learn about the Opioid Epidemic and Naloxone (Narcan), a life-saving tool to reverse opioid overdoses. Attendees who complete this training can receive a certificate of completion and one free Naloxone kit (two doses of Naloxone).

Jan 03, 2024, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

The Study Escape: for High Schoolers

Calling all High Schoolers studying for Midterms! Need a snack while you're studying, or a space to decompress? The Library has you covered. Join us in the Marx Family Black Box Theater for free snacks and decompression activities while you are using the Library to study for midterms. Each day we'll offer a different decompression activity.

Sunday, January 14 from 1-5 pm (the Library will be open from 12-6pm)
Tuesday, January 16 from 4-6 pm
Wednesday, January 17 from 4-6pm
Thursday January 18 from 4-6pm (with Greenwich Together)

Link to event page

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