The phrase "it takes a village to raise a child" is often used to emphasize the importance of community and support in the upbringing of a child. It's a reminder that parenting is not just the responsibility of a single individual, but a collective effort that involves everyone in the child's life.As a parent or care-giver or adult with children, it can be challenging to balance work, household responsibilities, and taking care of our children. However, it's important to remember that children have limited understanding of the world and everything they learn comes from seeing what people around them are doing. Adults have the largest role to play in creating the environment that lead to healthy and thriving children. When a child lacks the support and guidance of a strong network, they may resort to negative coping mechanisms to try and fill the void. This could involve engaging in risky behaviours, acting out, or even vandalising property and stealing cars to feel a sense of power or control. One of these is using alcohol to medicate trauma and stress that often lead to alcohol use disorders and addiction.  Addiction can have serious negative consequences on a person's health, relationships, and overall well-being. As a caregiver, you play a crucial role in helping prevent the development of alcohol use disorders.Dr Pandey, is an  Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University that recently published a paper showing that positive parenting/ caregiving environments offers a protective effect on adolescents brain  development,  neurocognitive function, risk, and resilience for alcohol use disorder (AUD) via both genetic and socio-  environmental  factors.  Children who experience poor parenting tend to have atypical brain development and greater rates of alcohol problems. Conversely, positive parenting can be protective and critical for normative development of self- regulation, neurocognitive functioning and the neurobiological systems subserving them.Link to the paper here:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36680783/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/acer.14973?saml_referrerThe take home message is that it is important to understand that everyone in the Society has a role to play, regardless of their age, gender, or social status. A parent, caregiver, police, doctor, teacher, a coach, a neighbor, a grandparent, or a friend can all have a significant impact on a child's life that protects against addiction.Research shows that adult behaviours are the most important in shaping children's behaviour and in the effective development of their brain architecture, functions, and capacity. Across several studies, exposure to childhood maltreatment and poor-quality parenting and care-giving has been correlated with global changes in brain development as well as changes in circuitries that support higher-level emotional and cognitive functioning (Bick & Nelson, 2016; Teicher et al., 2016).It is hard for one person to take care of the health of children. It's essential that the we all step up and takes an active role in the life of a child/adolescent. This can include things like volunteering at schools, mentoring, or simply lending an ear when a child needs someone to talk to.  Providing a safe and supportive environment where a child can grow and develop is crucial for their future success.Embracing the idea of "it takes a village to raise a child," we build stronger communities and create a brighter future for the next generation. Support the showLearn more at www.profselenabartlett.com