Early Prevention Will Save Our Childrens Brains

"Early use of drugs increases a person's chances of more serious drug abuse and addiction." Remember, drugs change brains - and this can lead to addiction and other serious problems. So preventing early use of drugs or alcohol may reduce the risk of progressing to later abuse and addiction." So should we pass a new law for schools to make it mandatory for all children in elementary, middle and high schools to take a course in drug and alcohol abuse? A course that would make them aware of the preventions and reasons why younger people begin to use drugs and alcohol. i.e. peer pressure, family influence, friends influence, TV shows and movies that influence people to use alcohol and drugs. In early adolescence, when children advance from elementary through middle school, they face new and challenging social and academic situations. Often during this period, children are exposed to abusable substances such as cigarettes, alcohol and even marijuana for the first time. When they enter high school, teens may encounter greater availability of drugs, drug abuse by older teens, and social activities where drugs are used. No doubt the temptation can be difficult. 9 times out of 10 children will be exposed to these things by people they consider to be friends.

With parents and teachers working together they can help our children to learn how to cope with these pressures. Helping children to see the damage drugs and alcohol causes their brains, what children can do about it, to give children empowerment and an edge to overcome this epidemic. This will help them along their path when they come into these kinds of situations as they grow. I've heard people say; "When I was young we did all kinds of drugs and drank alcohol whenever we could." I often wonder what percent of those people are really where they want to be in their lives? Drug abuse effects our brains a lot more than you can imagine. Children need to be made aware of the ill-effects drugs and alcohol have on their still-developing brains. The human brain is the most complex organ in the body. This three-pound mass of gray and white matter sits at the center of all human activity. All of the different sections of our brains are meant to work together. You need it to learn, drive a car, to enjoy a meal, to speak, to breathe, to create an artistic masterpiece, and to enjoy everyday activities. In brief, the brain regulates your basic body functions; enables you to interpret and respond to everything you experience; it shapes your thoughts, emotions, and behavior. Early prevention will save our childrens brains.

Drugs are chemicals. They work in the brain by tapping into the brain's communication system and interfering with the way nerve cells normally send, receive, and process information. Although drugs mimic brain chemicals, they don't activate nerve cells in the same way as a natural neurotransmitter and they lead to abnormal messages being transmitted through the network. In a nutshell, drug addiction erodes a person's self-control and ability to make sound decisions, while sending intense impulses to the brain to take drugs. The destruction can be dangerous and deadly. What about science validated programs? Can they really help? Yes! Research shows that these programs have been rationally designed based on current knowledge, rigorously tested, and shown to produce positive results. Scientists have developed a broad range of programs that positively alter the balance between risk and protective factors for drug abuse in families, schools, and communities. While many events and cultural factors affect drug abuse trends, when youths perceive drug abuse as harmful, they reduce their level of abuse. For more information about Drug Abuse Prevention, please visit this link for FREE information.

Parents and Educators - National Institute on Drug Abuse  



 

 

Copyright(c)2013.Early Prevention Will Save Our Childrens Brains. Written by Sherrie Vitello. All Rights Reserved.  

Drug Abuse In America - How does it effect our children?

DRUGS ABUSE. It sounds bad, doesn't it? It is bad. It ruins people, it ruins lives, it kills. Did you know that drug abuse can start with children as young as those in elementary school grades? Sad to say it can. Today’s youth face many risks, including drug abuse, violence, and HIV/AIDS. Responding to these risks before they become problems can be difficult.  But by seeing these problems early on and responding to them with care, proper help and understanding, we can do what is needed to help those heading down the destructive path that will only lead to worse outcomes. Drug abuse has serious consequences in our homes, schools, and communities. Researchers [like NIDA- National Institute on Drug Abuse] are also studying older teens who are already using drugs to find ways to prevent further abuse or addiction. You can also find relevant information about drug abuse at: www.drugabuse.gov. Prevention science has made great progress in recent years. Many prevention interventions are being tested in "real-world" settings so they can be more easily adapted for community use. Scientists are studying a broader range of populations and topics. They have identified, for example, effective interventions with younger populations to help prevent risk behaviors before drug abuse occurs.
 
Sometimes people are so busy with their own lives they overlook or ignore a problem such as, drug abuse, becoming a problem. Whether this problem is with themselves, other adults in the home and especially children. Because some parents get so involved with their work and trying to provide for their family, they forget the most important factor of taking care of their family. That is being there for their families. Being an active member of their families development, social structure, activities like school, neighborhood friends and their families, teachers, and other important occurrences in your families lives. Although this can be difficult to do, a parent must make time to the best of their ability to "show up" and be there for their family. Its important to be apart of the development and functions of the family unit. Research has shown that when families that do things together, spend quality time together, they are less likely to have addiction problems than families that live like strangers in the same home.  Of course its not an easy task. This is also why young people that marry will want to plan out their lives together. Plan out having children. Plan to have a plan. Then make that plan the most important part of your lives together. Benjamin Franklin quoted: "If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!" Something to keep in mind as you travel through your journey.

The risk of becoming a drug abuser involves the relationship among the number and type of risk factors (i.e. deviant attitudes and behaviors) and protective factors (i.e. parental support.) The potential impact of specific risk and protective factors changes with age. For example, risk factors within the family have greater impact on a younger child, while association with drug-abusing peers may be a more significant risk factor for an adolescent. While risk and protective factors can affect people of all groups, these factors can have a different effect depending on a person’s age, gender, ethnicity, culture, and environment. Its a fact that when you plant your seed in "good soil" and nurture your garden, it grows healthy. Well why not the same principle for human beings?  Grant it, we'd be kidding ourselves to think that we are the perfect parent. There is no such thing. But as a parent, we fall back on the positive teachings of our parents, we can grow in wisdom, experience and guidance. Parental monitoring and supervision are critical for drug abuse prevention. These skills can be enhanced with training on rule-setting; techniques for monitoring activities; praise for appropriate behavior; and moderate, consistent discipline that enforces defined family rules.

We all know the destructive nature of drug abuse, as well as alcohol abuse. Prescription drug abuse is more apparent than illegal drugs, in some places. Without people getting involved in this planetary epidemic, we will surely stay on the course to moral crumbling. Our greatest asset is our children, they are the future. With proper efforts we can certainly put a big dent in this problem across America. There is always hope. And depending on how your perpective is about your own life, you have the power to make a difference. Whether you're just starting out as a young adult, or you're a veteran survivor of your youth. We have to care. We have to make ourselves aware of this problem and do something about it. It can start in our own homes, right now! By looking into places for help, such as, local area recovery and rehabilitation services, the cdc - wonder program, doing your own research about preventatives, becoming apart of a clean and sober household, can be the main factor in knowing what to do, when to do it and how to help loved ones that may fall into this very destructive way of life. Even though drug abuse in America is in full force, we can do things about it in our own homes, with our families, our social structure. But we have to be willing to take that step to be involved. Are you willing? Are you able? Then lets get busy!

 

 

Copyright(c)2013.Drug Abuse In America - How does it effect our children? Written by Sherrie Vitello.All Rights Reserved.

 

Planet Earth - We are here to take care of her. But we forget.

If not us.... who will?

Its as though the eagle is saying: "Please help keep our planet beautiful!" Afterall thats why we're really here. I think people just get so wrapped up in surviving that they forget that. Sit back for a moment and get inspired. Feel the beauty we are responsible for. Our planet is our home. We as "the human race", no matter what color, creed, religion, or beliefs, WE are responsible for the place we live. Our beautiful planet. If you were to look into history and see all of the dwindling of wilderness, wildlife species, habitat and trees, you'd either be very angry, upset or heartbroken. Some would be all 3. Mankind can have ALL the money in the world, but what good is it if you can't exist in harmony with your planet?

Some would say that the people that are "in charge" or "in control" of what happens to our planet are the wrong people. I tend to agree. Remember all of us humble masses, we have more power together than any group of government. We have to stick together in the effort to keep our world a safe, secure and harmonious planet. Every little bit helps. Please do your part to help to preserve our planet for our children and their children for generations to come. I still get goosebumps when I watch this. Enjoy!

How Do I Reach Out For Help - What About Support Groups?

Someone has stated that they don't quite understand this sobriety thing, how to reach out or get connected. A lot of people feel that way when first changing their lives for the better. When you've realized that you need to change you've just done what you question. You have already begun reaching out. At this point, getting involved in a home group is very beneficial to you. You can find a variety of information online. GO! You'll see. Be sure to ask where you can get a schedule-book with all the locations and time-schedules in it. Don't feel bad about going to meetings, everyone there has the same goal, more than less. Even though at first we all may feel awkward at an unfamiliar place. Stick with a place for a few visits and get a feel for the group. If you're not comfortable with a place go to another place. Until you feel comfortable about going there all of the time. Its a process, so take your time. But GO! At first it may seem like its useless but it isn't. Then again you may find a place right off that you'll feel really good about. You may also want to check out the selected groups for men or women only. The first step is recognizing that you have to change, so you are already on your way to changing for the better. Now you need to learn the tools of how to deal with keeping to it. Remember how far you would go to get your DOC? (works for Drink or Drug of choice.) Use that same persistence and desire to get the support & learn the tools you need to stick to your sobriety.
Its ALL worth it.  

 

This is one journey that is more successful when you have support from others. Because addiction is very stubborn about staying in your life. It will cause you to have cravings and triggers influenced by the social structure you are subjected to everyday. Its a monkey on your back and its holding on to you very strongly. You'll need to learn how not to give in to it. Because of all the influence there is in society for most of us it can be difficult to overcome, at first. But by having support and direction from your group, you will become strong enough to overcome those influences that would otherwise get the better of you. If you are fortunate enough to connect  with  a "good" sponsor, its a very good idea to do so. You may have to go through a couple of sponsor's though before you find one that really is active in helping you stay clean and sober. But don't despair, you will find one. Although some people may not be as genuine as others, you can connect with the right person. Don't give up trying. A sponser can become an important associate in your journey to staying clean and sober. Look for someone who has been clean and sober for more than 2 years. In doing so, this person has honed the tools for staying away from the addiction. You want someone who has a positive outlook and solid emotional stability. So look for these qualities before you ask someone to be your sponsor.

 

 

What about relationships? One rule of thumb you should always stick to during recovery and that is, NEVER get romantically involved with your sponsor, people in your group, or even people outside of your group. Especially within your first year of going to meetings. Why is this important? Because when you're in the first stages of recovery you are not emotionally ready or prepared to take on any issues that come with a relationship. Just the common events of it can be stressing. A lot of times when things get stressed or go wrong in a relationship, it can cause you to relapse. Sometimes it can cause worse things to happen as well. Its safer for your sobriety and for you to keep any outside emotional demands from occurring. If you're already in a relationship, hopefully your partner is attending meetings as well. Either for themselves or to learn how to support the partner in recovery. Both people in a relationship will need to learn how to deal with sobriety whether both are addicts or not. Also remember just because you are going to a meeting place where most people are working at the same thing, sobriety, don't think that everyone there is a wonderful, trust worthy, supportive person. Even though we'd like to think that about everyone, there will be some people there with their own agenda. They may not be as genuine about their sobriety as others. Something else to keep in mind.

 

                            

All in all attending a support group for any addiction is a very useful tool for people. You get from it what you want by attending. Take the time to talk to someone who has been going to meetings for a long time. Someone who has been clean and sober for a while. You can feel their inner-strength, self assurance and positive attitude. It doesn't matter how many people are at a meeting either. You can attend a small group or a large group, its up to you. But going is key to feeling better and staying clean and sober. You are going because you want to learn to live life on life's terms, without having to use drugs or alcohol to exist. The cravings diminish overtime, the triggers are kept at bay because you've learned how to deal with them. You wake up and actually feel grateful for the day. Like a lot of things, you get out of it what you put into it. But you have to make up your mind to go everyday even more than once a day if necessary. This is your journey to sobriety. You are going to these meetings to help yourself get on the road of a clean, sober and happy life. This is the most important thing you can do for yourself and your life. You have to take it serious in order for your recovery to be achieved. And it can be achieved even if you're at that point of your addiction where you believe you can't exist without your DOC. As a matter of fact its when you think that.. that its time to get the help you need. Its time to get your life back. Just Go!

 

 

 

Copyright(c)2013.How Do I Reach Out For Help - What About Support Groups? Written by SherrieVitello. All Rights Reserved.

A Hassle Free Life? Dealing With Life's Terms.



Look around you. You may see alot of people whose lives you think are perfect, but the fact is that nobody's life is perfect. Not even the "wonderful-life family" down the block, the ones with the 2 wonderful children, wonderful house, cute little doggie, 2 new cars, 3 huge flatscreen tv's, a John Deer Riding lawnmower and a wonderful weed and crab-grass-free lawn. Although it may not look like it from the outside, everyone has daily stress, absurd situations and problems. There is no one on the planet that has a hassle free life. No matter how good things look. The universe just doesn't work that way. There may be days when life seems idyllic, so enjoy them while they last because the universe is just getting wound up to throw you a curve ball. Its not a matter of IF it will happen, its WHEN. There comes a day when the car breaks down, the cable goes haywire, the dog runs away, you couldn't pay a bill, your nice new truck got broke into overnight, the lawn is sprouting weeds and the mower needs repair and you've just found out that your place of employment is downsizing.

Its no wonder that sometimes daily lives can become overwhelming. Its enough to drive a person crazy. Sometimes it does, sometimes we just break down. Yet basically people find ways to work through the absurdities and pressures and we strive to be happy. For some, they aren't taught about the tools or coping skills necessary to help work through life's daily pressures and stress. Perhaps their parents weren't taught to have solid coping skills either. We can begin to turn to outside influences. Befriending a person who is of good character and influence makes for a good example. Usually a positive influence talks the talk and walks the walk. Just as negative influences will have negative effects. Other influences can be forms of overdone stimulation, like drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, overeating etc. People do these things in order to feel better and to help forget the negatives in their lives. Its an easy way out of dealing with the pressures and not living life on life's terms.

We convince ourselves that we need this outside stimuli in order to feel good about ourselves. But we don't and its only temporary. We usually regret this later on after a bad habit has become an addiction. Maybe, at this point of your life, yours isn't exactly what you had hoped it would be. You may even think of your life as a mess. That's not okay. Unless you've given up on yourself and your life, we all have a responsibility to ourselves and our loved ones. People who have set goals, achieved things, created a life with structure and purpose always feel more complete and happy. If all you do is wake up everyday, do drugs or drink alcohol, you don't do anything constructive, your life will become one stagnant, sad existence. Even in the face of loss, due to a tragic storm, foreclosure on your home, loss of your job, loss of a loved one, whatever the case.

People can and will always rebuild themselves and their lives. Its in our innate nature to survive. To come full circle and back to a plateau of stability. You may not get back everything material you've lost and may not achieve every goal you've had on your bucket list. But by aiming high to reach your goals, you will certainly land above where you are now. Fighting the "good fight" to survive and exist in a state of gratitude or completeness is not an unrealistic aspiration. All things are possible when we believe in it enough to try. Your goal isn't perfection, but progress, day to day, month to month, year to year.  If you can look back and see that progress, know you're moving on, you gain fortitude and motivation which gives you wings. You're doing fine. As you progress, you compare life now with life 6 months ago or even a year ago. You see the progress you've made. It feels good and gives you direction and structure. Which are vital keys to feeling productive, content and living more happily.

*If you're in recovery, and this is your beginning, first off, you are not alone. For some people, the first year of getting back on solid ground, is a case of one step forward two steps back. You may finish the first few weeks not noticeably advanced from the day you started your journey. Perhaps you were in such a dense fog of addiction, for so long, that now you feel you are incapable of dealing with everyday life situations. If this is your case, you should embrace that fact and get the help you need. It may take a little longer for someone with that scenario to see improvements, but they will. Inevitably, in such a case, the time it takes to build a solid foundation for recovery is prolonged but still possible. Many of these people aren't ready to move on after a year or even 2 years. That could be your situation. If it is, don't despair. You have already started improving your life by acknowledging that you need to be in recovery. That's awesome! You're building a foundation for that new positive, productive person you will become. If you rush through that foundation then you're sure to regret it when the walls cave in on you. Take the time you need or you may find yourself relapsing and having to begin over again on a new road to recovery.  All life is precious, share your knowledge and help those who need help. You'll be a better person in doing so. Enjoy the day.


Copyright(c)2013.A Hassle Free Life? Dealing With Life's Terms.Written by Sherrie Vitello. All Rights Reserved.
 

RISE!

People need to be their best friend instead of their worse enemy. Loneliness and Alienation is a state of mind and can be prevented. You have to channel negative feelings like boredom or hopelessness into something constructive. I tell people this because its true. Once you've decided to commit to a sober and clean lifestyle you can develop forms of thinking that are productive instead of destructive.

You wonder why life sucks for you. You think its all your fault or someone else's. You think you'll never get out of the rut you're in, you are depressed, you feel hopeless, you look down on yourself..... when you reach this point, its time to look up! Change your thinking, transform your life. The choice has always been our own.

"Set yourself free from your addictions"

 

There are many ways to get help if you're in need of it. Some places cost money, some places are free. Because the state of our outlook about our lives depends on our perception of it, its important to remember that there is always hope, there is always help. You have to make the move for yourself in order to get the tools you need to work through the problems you're facing.

 

The wonderful thing about life is WE CAN ALWAYS CHANGE. Sometimes things happen in our lives that make us feel useless, hopeless or you may feel like its just not worth living. But you're wrong. We are put here, in this life, for a very short time, when you consider the entire spectrum of the universe. What matters is what we do with the time we are given. Your life isn't meant to be lived in a chaotic, addictive, angry, hateful or unhappy state. You are a loving, giving, spiritual being.

 

Through self pity and a hopeless driven existence you've forgotten how wonderful of a human being you are. Sometimes people just don't want to be hurt so they hide away in addictions. They alienate themselves because they think they won't be hurt by anyone by being that way. But in reality, that person is actually hurting themselves and with some help and support, people in this state CAN change for the better. And live a much more positive life that they truly desire.

 

 

 

So reach out, take it upon yourself to get the help you need. Stop doing things that are bad for you. Stop allowing addiction and falsehood to run your life. Once you believe that there is a better way, a happier way to exist, commit to the change. You can fight off the dependence of addiction, whatever it may be and let go of the fear that you can't live without it. Because you can. 

YOU WILL RISE.   

 

 

 

Copyright(c)2013. Rise! Written by Sherrie Vitello. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

Procrastination – Are we hard wired or is it by choice?

This character trait effects anyone. But are we hard wired or is it by choice? It is believed there are different levels of procrastination, some are more severe than others. Throughout our lives, we will come across circumstances where we have to complete a task, or finish something, we started. Sometimes we tend to put that off because we would rather be doing something more enjoyable. If whatever it is we're procrastinating about is something we find difficult or unpleasant to do, we tend to put it off for as long as we can. Not everyone is like that. There are some people that understand that they have to get done what has to be done, no matter what it is. Loose ends are not a part of their character makeup. Source: Widipedia (The Free Encyclopedia) states: In psychology, procrastination refers to the act of replacing high-priority actions with tasks of lower priority, or doing something from which one derives enjoyment, and thus putting off important tasks to a later time.

Some view procrastination as a form of laziness and they do seem to share similar characteristics such as unwillingness to act or lack of strong motivation. Perhaps it could stem from childhood upbringing, where a child is never taught the gratification of completing a task. It could be something that has to be done, that we may fear or be overwhelmed by. There are some people that enjoy the rush of chaos, and they wait until the last minute to get something done that has to be done right away. With the anticipation and urgency of having to take care of something that must be done. These kind of procrastinators enjoy the rush of adrenaline that one gets when in a hurry or when rushed to do something. Then there are people that think by not making a decision to complete a task absolves them from the responsibility of it. Which of course is not a good way of looking at completing things that must be done. It's kind of like having something floating around in your mind that you know must be taken care of, it must be removed from the to-do-list. Yet we let it just float around in there as we go about our day.

This could be the worst procrastination of all. When we have loose ends or leave things undone. For most people, it tends to weigh on their minds. This can cause us to be distracted and unfocused towards other tasks that may be more important or we must take care of, such as, our work, paying a bill or an immediate project. Of course, as busy as we all are during our days sometimes we have to put off until later things that should be done. So long as we get to it as soon as possible, we usually can take care of it and put it behind us and get it out of our mental folder. Have you ever noticed how relieved you feel after you've done a task that you have been procrastinating about completing? It seems like such a relief. You no longer have it in your mind and you're not distracted by remembering you have to take care of it because it's been done. I'm sure we all can remember times where we've said "Oh, shoot, I should've taken care that!"

Procrastination seems to be the type of character trait that will only cause us grief if we don't learn to overcome it or its not taken out of in our daily equation. It just seems to take up space in our minds or mental folders and that space could be taken up by much more happier, pleasurable memories or more productive things. Don't you think? When making a conscious decision to take care of something, it is by our sheer will that allows us to follow through and complete the task. You may find it better to do the tasks you dislike the most, or is most important, by completing it first. This will make the other less imperative tasks seem alot more appealing. So what's the difference between procrastinating and being lazy? Research shows that the actual act of procrastinating means putting off, suspending or delaying an action or task until a later time. Whereas laziness is refusing to act or inactivity resulting from a dislike of the activity or work. So even though procrastination and laziness are similar, they do have significant differences. So don't think just because someone procrastinates that they are lazy, there is a difference. What can you do about procrastination? You have to meet it face-to-face, one-on-one. Allowing it to linger will only make it worse for yourself in the long run.

If you have the time in the day to take care of something, which you have been procrastinating about, then take care of it, get it done, get it behind you, be done with it. It's a matter of choice. Sometimes what we are procrastinating about we may find that it didn't even take that much time to do and may not even be that hard. When you're finished with the task, you'll realize, that wasn't that bad after all. That is what life is, we have free will to decide and choose how we live our lives. Although our basic characteristics and personalities are formed as children by our parents, siblings and friends. As we grow into an adult, we form our own points of view, our own ways of handling things and we are responsible for our actions in our own lives. It is truly up to our individual selves how we will handle procrastination in our lives. But first you have to acknowledge that you do procrastinate. Like any bad habit or addiction, we have to acknowledge that it exists. After that first step is taken, we can then move on to improving that area of our lives, which is procrastination. Write this rule down and repeat it every time you think you are procrastinating about something. "Don't put off till tomorrow what you can achieve today." You will be less stressed, happier and a more content person in doing so. Thanks for reading. Enjoy the day.

 Copyright(c)2013.Procrastination – Are we hard wired or is it by choice? Written by Sherrie Vitello.All Rights Reserved.