The Partnership for a Drug-Free America, together with the National Military Family Association and the National Association of School Nurses, announced the launch of new online tools to assist military families and teens through difficult periods of transition, such as a deployment, major injury or illness of a parent, or when moving frequently to new neighborhoods and schools. The free tools are available at the Partnership Web site TimeToTalk.org/military.

The effort is the first collaboration between the three organizations to provide assistance with the complex, extraordinary circumstances often faced by military families, especially at a time when resources to the military are stretched so thin and families are in need of this kind of help and support.

The new resources available at TimeToTalk.org include (1) Transitions & Teens: A Guide for Military Parents, (2) The Military Talk Kit, (3) 10 Things School Nurses Want You To Know and (4) 10 Things Military Teens Want You To Know. The research-based guide in particular provides critical information to reduce stress and help keep teens drug and alcohol-free during difficult transition periods. Included within this information is a helpful checklist for pairing transition scenarios with a list of recommended tips, providing parents with a ‘roadmap’ for starting and maintaining open conversations, answering tough questions and advice for monitoring the warning signs of drug and alcohol abuse.

Time To Talk® is the Partnership’s movement designed to help parents and caregivers start and maintain open, honest dialogue and help them talk with their kids about the risks of drugs and alcohol. Partnership research has shown that teens who consistently learn about the risks of drugs from their parents are 50 percent less likely to use drugs and alcohol than those who do not.