New Name and Celebrity Spokesperson for The Partnership

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America has a new name and a new spokesperson in actress Melissa Gilbert, the Associated Press reported Oct. 7.

The nonprofit anti-drug organization has rebranded itself as the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. According to its president, Steve Pasierb, it did so to avoid past misconceptions that it was run by the government or that its main purpose was to advocate on drug policy.

Long associated with the ad campaign, “This is your brain on drugs,” the Partnership hopes its new name will help parents see the organization as more than a source of prevention messages.

“What we were hearing a lot from parents was that they appreciated the prevention stuff, but when it came to their kid coming home drunk for the first time, or getting high for the first time there was no one out there,” Pasierb said. “We want to be the first-aid kit of this issue.”

The redesigned website, drugfree.org, allows parents to search for information for a range of situations, from prevention to intervention, finding treatment, and recovery. 

The 46-year-old Melissa Gilbert will serve as the Partnership's first-ever long-term celebrity spokesperson. Gilbert, who starred on “Little House in the Prairie,” is now a mother and stepmother to four children and has had her own struggles with drugs and alcohol.   

“We were trying to find these voices that don't bring celebrity for the sake of celebrity, but bring along credibility,” Pasierb said. “Melissa is in recovery herself and she's got kids, it was a perfect combination of our wanting to have a real relationship and her wanting to have a real relationship.”

“I myself am a recovering alcoholic, six years sober,” Gilbert said. “As a young teen in the 1980s, I more than dabbled in drugs and alcohol.”

She stated that parents today face a challenge when talking with their children about drugs and alcohol. “We can't actually say to our children, you shouldn't do it, because I never did,” she said. “It's a whole different conversation.”

Gilbert stated that she thought the online resources at drugfree.org would help parents feel less isolated. She also thinks her example can be helpful to them.

“I'm hoping that they'll come away with … the thought that the stigma of being a parent with a child who is going through addiction issues is nonexistent,” Gilbert said, “because it can happen to anyone.”