Brianna's 2nd Chance inc

For most kids, the holidays mean family around the table. For children with a mom or dad in jail or prison, the empty chair can feel louder than ever. These children are often called the hidden victims of incarceration. They didn't commit a crime, but they serve a sentence too: missed birthdays, phone calls cut short, questions from classmates they don't know how to answer. This is personal for our family. Ways caregivers can help Tell the truth, simply. Young children do bes

The decorations are already up in the stores. The commercials are louder. Everyone seems to be counting down to something. But for a lot of families we know, November and December are not the most wonderful time of the year. They are the months when the empty chair is hardest to ignore. When a parent is behind bars and the phone call is only fifteen minutes. When a teenager is carrying more than anyone at the dinner table realizes. We know this season from the inside. Why thi

First, the good news: youth tobacco use keeps falling. The 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), which asked more than 23,000 students in grades 6–12, found that 7.2% of middle and high schoolers used a tobacco product in the past month, down from 8.1% in 2024. But 7.2% still means about 2 million kids. And the numbers hide some trends worth knowing. What the survey found Product Students using in past 30 days (2025) Any tobacco product 7.2% (about 2 million) E-cigarette

Every October, parents worry about strangers putting drugs in trick-or-treat candy. That fear makes headlines, but the real danger for teens isn't in the candy bowl. It's the pill a friend offers at a party, or the one bought through a social media app, that looks exactly like a Xanax, Percocet or Adderall. Why fake pills are so dangerous They look real. Counterfeit pills are pressed to copy the color, shape and markings of prescription pills. Fentanyl is invisible. You can't

Red Ribbon Week starts tomorrow, October 23, and runs through Halloween. This year's national theme is "Make a Difference. Be a Hero. Stay Drug Free." We love that word: hero. Because in our Future Fuel classes, the heroes we meet don't wear capes. They're the teen who walks a drunk friend to safety and calls her mom. The kid who says "nah, I'm good" and changes the subject. The friend who knows how to use Narcan. Make a Difference. Be a Hero. Here's a secret: most teens don'

By early November, the school year has lost its shine. Grades are piling up. Daylight disappears before dinner. The holidays are coming, and for some teens that means family tension, money stress, or missing someone who won't be there. Most teens don't start using substances because they want to party. Many start because they want to feel less — less anxious, less sad, less overwhelmed. That's self-medicating, and it's one of the most common paths we see in our Future Fuel cl

Save a life. The most dangerous moment in an overdose is often the pause before someone calls for help. Friends freeze. They worry about getting in trouble, about the police, about their own record. Minutes pass. Those minutes matter. Florida lawmakers saw this, and in 2012 they passed the 911 Good Samaritan Act, now section 893.21 of Florida Statutes. What the law says, in plain words Florida's 911 Good Samaritan Act If you call for help in good faith for someone who is over

October is National Substance Abuse Prevention Month. There is real good news to start with: U.S. overdose deaths fell about 14% in 2025, to the lowest level since 2019, according to CDC provisional data. That is not luck. It is Narcan in more pockets, honest conversations at more kitchen tables, and communities that refuse to give up. But CDC still predicts about 67,800 overdose deaths in the 12 months ending March 2026. Every one of those numbers had a name. Ours was Briann

"Ghosting" has become part of modern communication - cutting off contact without explanation. While sometimes it can be harmless, other...

For many people, fall means holidays, family gatherings, and excitement. But for others, it can bring up memories that aren't comforting....

When the air gets colder and the days shorten, it can be tempting to scroll TikTok until midnight or crash into homework burnout. But...

For many people, the holidays begin the moment that Halloween decorations hit the clearance aisle. November and December call for...

From lattes to candles to breakfast cereal, pumpkin spice has become a cultural icon. But the appeal goes far beyond just marketing. Both...

While Halloween is famous for candy and jump scares, its most universal tradition is the costume. From glittering fairies to eerie...

The glow and excitement of autumn eventually gives way to the grayer days of late fall and winter. For many, this is simply a cozy shift....

Take autumn as an invitation to pause As we progress into autumn, nature signals a shift from growth to rest. For many people, October is...

October invites us to lean into everything scary: such as haunted houses, late-night horror movies, cobwebbed decorations, and the thrill...

High school isn't always just about classes and homework. It's about having to balance grades, sports, friends, family, relationships,...

Parties are meant to be fun - the music, the people, and the freedom to let loose. But, they can also bring risks, especially when you...

Harm reduction isn’t just about drugs. It’s a life skill that you use already. Examples: Wearing helmets when biking. Using condoms to...