This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of National Institute on Drug Abuse for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you've been around the blog for a while, you know that I have written about National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week^SM in the past. This is a trend which I intend to continue for many years to come, because this is a particular issue that is near and dear to my heart. The father of my oldest three boys (my ex-husband) was a drug addict and ended up passing away when they were very young. My own father was an alcoholic until the day he passed away. For these reasons, I live in constant fear that one or more of my boys will go the same direction unless I am vigilant in helping to steer them in the opposite direction.

Unfortunately, as parents, we tend to have the uncanny ability to come across as nagging ogres to our teenagers and that is where the help of programs like NDAFW come in. A week-long event held each year, National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week^SM, strives to provide clear and concise drug and alcohol facts from scientific experts to help counteract the myths they are hearing on television, online, from music, friends and in movies.

Since 2010, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism have teamed up to bring about this incredible week with a wide array of SHATTER THE MYTHS^TM,SM  events spread across the country and even internationally.

One of the main resources that the NDAFW utilizes to help disprove myths and open up the lines of communication between teens and parents is the National Drug & Alcohol IQ Challenge. This is a short 12-question quiz that parents and teens can take. Parents can take the quiz and use their results to help open up a fact-filled line of communication about the risks that drugs and alcohol pose.

Is talking to your teens about the dangers and facts of drugs and alcohol important to you? If so, be sure to tune in for National Drug & Alcohol Facts WeekSM January 23-29, 2017, and look into SHATTER THE MYTHSTM,SM events in your local area! Think your teen might have a problem with drugs or alcohol? Check out the resources available on the National Institute on Drug Abuse website for help and download the Shatter the Myths Booklet.