Save a Life! Seven Ways to Stop Drug and Alcohol Abuse
By Linda Lin
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The problem, the stigma, the black mark that crushes everyone's life - drugs, illegal drugs, over-the-counter drug use, how do we stop it? No
one has the perfect answer on how to stop people from using drugs, but there is one way that you can give your children better chances than they
might have when it comes to winning the war against drugs. How do I know this - from personal experience, from living life, from growing up in
the generation of flower power and the era when drugs were prevalent and widespread throughout the large cities in America. What was one of the
things that helped keep me away from drugs when drugs were all around me? If you knew the answer of how to stop your children from using drugs
would you use the solution?
| Denial is a stubborn angry refusal to see the truth. Addicts refuse to see what is right before their eyes.
They block out what is real until they really don't see it at all. |
Nothing is guaranteed, of course. Everyone is an individual and of course, if one person wants to do drugs and if one person feels they need
to do drugs, then that person will abuse drugs. However, there are little things, ordinary things that we can do to guide our children in the
better directions in life, and these little things have been proven to work on most children. Here is how you can give your children a head
start, a running start in the race against illegal drugs in your society.
| Research shows that the younger children and adolescents are when they start to drink, the more likely they will
be to engage in behaviors that harm themselves and others. For example, frequent binge drinkers (nearly 1 million high school
students nationwide) are more likely to engage in risky behaviors, including using other drugs such as marijuana and cocaine,
having sex with six or more partners, and earning grades that are mostly Ds and Fs in school. |
- Enforce an atmosphere where time is valuable and that valuable time is filled with good events, good projects, and valuable hobbies. Any
time that is spent doing good, doing productive projects, being busy being creative is that much less time that any person will spend doing
drugs or being hooked on drugs. introduce your children to being creative, to having a hobby, to becoming very interested in bringing good
into their lives and you will have given your children an anti-drug asset. If you look at other teens and adults, it is usually the teens and
adults that are occupied with LIFE that have no time and have no interest for illegal drug use. So, first priority, get your child or teen
interested in a hobby that rocks their world. Let them choose the hobby and that hobby will last them a lifetime.
- Teach your children the valuable lesson that God is forever with them, wherever they are, with no matter what they are doing. When
children realize that God is with them, right there, at that very moment, then children -when approached by drug dealers -- will just say no.
Anyone who believes in God and believes that God is with them in every moment of their lives will be stronger when it comes to fighting
against drug use. Faithful believers are generally much stronger, emotionally than people who believe in nothing. The reason for this is
because it is common sense that two are stronger than one. So when a child has a strong faith in God, that child is never alone. That child
has a Buddy that will help that child fight the urge to join the drug users. That works! That child has someone they can call on in times of
temptation and weakness, and most times, that simple solution to lifes' problems does work.
- Talk to your child about drugs. Give them the information that they need to have in their lives. But most importantly talk to them
about drugs even when you think that they are too young to know about drugs. No child is too young to learn about illegal drug use. Your
approach in the talk will be different depending on the age of the child. But every single child should be taught about illegal drug use.
Besides this talk to them about alcohol abuse.
- KNOW that there are sometimes direct links between alcohol abuse and illegal drug use or abuse of prescription drugs. There are
times when a child or teen will be very vulnerable to using illegal drugs when normally they would not dream of touching the product. These
times are the times when a child is weak or vulnerable - for example, if a child or teen has abused alcohol or is really drunk. That child
will possibly accept drugs if that child is drunk when normally that child had the attitude of "just say no" to drugs. This is how educated
children or teens get hooked on drugs when they have, all their life, been anti-drug. So, a clear, present, solid education on alcohol abuse
is one of the weapons that you have in your arsenal against illegal drug use and against prescription drug use.
- Keep your prescription drugs out of the medicine cabinet and keep them inside a locked box away from children and teens. Every
child has a bit of temptation inside of them. It is best to get the drugs out of plain view. The bathroom and the medicine cabinet are
private places. Children and teens can look through there and experiment in there and you would never know it happened. Knowledge is your
second weapon against drug use. So keep all and any prescriptions locked up and out of the bathroom. Throw out all old prescriptions. You do
not need them if they have been sitting for years. They are not valuable to you and if you need them again, you should go to the doctors and
get new prescriptions.
- Clear your home out. You can have alcohol in your home, just do not have a liquor store inside your home. Do not make your home a
storage home for abundant alcohol or prescription, or illegal or legal drugs. This is so important in fighting the drug war. Why have a stock
of these items when children and teens are in the house. Children and teens are natural curious people and they are experimenters. There are
children and teens who never would have been hooked had the product not been in the home. So do your best. If you need a supply of anything
in your home, make it a supply of good reading books, and good music and wonderful creative projects and arts and crafts items.
- Do not use illegal drugs yourself. Just say no! When your child or teen sees you abusing drugs, illegal or legal, you are teaching
your child how to live. You do not want to teach that lesson. If you think that you can take illegal drugs and not set a bad example, you are
mistaken. I know of one family who used pot but forbid the children to use pot because it was illegal. Of course, that child grew and when
that child reached a certain age, that child became a full time drug user. That child grew up to be a drug dealer, and wound up in jail and
is now currently either in jail or in a half-way house. That child has a lifetime of illegal drug use. That same child who watched his
parents smoke "recreational pot". Sometimes your children will not have the strength or resistance that you might have. So do not think that
you can take drugs into your home and not promote these drugs to your own children. Do not use illegal drugs and do not abuse alcohol or
prescription drugs. Care about your children even if you do not care about yourself. Please save your child's life by not doing anything
illegal.
| Drug abuse is the use of illicit drugs, or the abuse of prescription or over-the-counter drugs. The abuse of
legitimate drugs (prescription or over-the-counter) can happen when people use the drugs in a manner or in quantities other than
directed, or for purposes that are not legitimate. |
Doing any or all of these things in your home will give your child and your teen strength and possibilities of avoiding illegal drug use and
avoiding prescription drug abuse and avoiding alcohol abuse. Try your best to follow the instructions listed above and you will be giving your
child and teen a head start in this world. It is worth trying. Yes, there are no guarantees in life. I am not saying that if you do all this that
your child or teen will never take drugs. However, I am saying that if you do all these things or most of these things, your child will have
better reasons to live, better reasons to enjoy life and your child will have a 85 percent chance of fighting illegal drug use and alcohol abuse
than any other person has in their life. Do it. Try it. What do you have to lose? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. This is your
child's life that we are talking about. Wouldn't you do anything to save your child's life? Most people would. Now, in that perspective , all
those actions seem like very easy things to do!
| Addiction can elicit pain and anguish in people who care the most. It is so sad to realize how many family members
and friends have to see someone they love destroying himself or herself. And what becomes overwhelming and incomprehensible
is realizing that millions of people throughout the world are suffering a similar pain and anguish--and this not only includes
those who are addicted to alcohol and to drugs but also their family members, close friends, and significant others---those who
care the most. |
So, what makes me an expert on illegal drug abuse? Here is how I come across this gem of information that definitely saves lives. I grew up in
a city that was filled with drugs. I could get drugs whenever and wherever I wanted to. Yet, I used the policy of "Just Say No" -long before this
project came out to television. That was my motto. I just said no. It is easy to just say no BEFORE you are hooked, before you ever touch an
illegal drug. And that is why you begin early. Catch your child's interest before they have a chance to take drugs, and then you have the head
start. So, back to the story, most of my friends began taking drugs. (I hung out with a group of friends and little by little, I noticed that
they were trying marijuana. The minute I saw that they were using illegal drugs, I ran from my friends and I ran to my "hobby". It was my hobby
that saved me from trying drugs and it was my hobby that saved me from being like my friends. That's all it took, one hobby. Instead of becoming
introduced to drugs I become fully attentive to my hobby. I am telling you from first hand experience that a hobby gives your child or teen an
eighty-five percent chance -better than the average person's chance to stay away from illegal drug use, and other abuses.
| Research shows that the brain continues to develop throughout adolescence and well into young adulthood. More than
a few scientists are concerned that taking drugs during this critical developmental period may lead to lifelong impairments in
brain function, particularly as it relates to memory, motor skills, and coordination. |
Where does faith and belief come in? I am not talking about religion. Religion has never saved anyone from drugs. I am talking about a sincere
faith and belief in God and or in the Bible. That is where the strength comes from. And this is your backup plan (which should be your first
plan, but everyone is individual). At times when a person is so vulnerable that they are too tired, too weak or too busy or preoccupied to reach
for or to think of their hobby, that is where faith comes in. Everyone can pray; everyone can reach out to God. All it takes is a thought. That
is why faith is so wonderful. Faith requires no physical effort. So faith fills in where the hobby left off. Even if you are totally exhausted
and can not move, you still have the energy left for prayer, a silent prayer or verbal prayer. You can pray.
By using all of the above tools you can possibly safeguard your child and teens from jumping into the world of illegal drugs and alcohol
and prescription drug abuse.
| Substance abuse research has shown numerous times that substance abuse is a major public health problem that has a
numerous negative societal consequences. Directly or indirectly, almost every family is negatively affected by alcohol and
drug abuse and addiction, as is every community in the U.S. Until a more relevant and effective drug and alcohol abuse and
addiction prevention and educational program is developed and implemented in all of the U.S. schools, substance abuse will
continue to damage and destroy the lives of many people in our society. Stated differently, more relevant drug and alcohol
abuse educational and prevention programs are needed to reduce the damage and destruction caused by substance abuse. |
So, what was the outcome of my own tools? I grew up with almost everyone around me using illegal drugs. My knowledge let me "leave" the group
and run to my hobby. I never even touched a marijuana cigarette. I never took one illegal drug. That is enough proof for me that this system and
these tools works. I have many friends who have died from drug use and have many other friends who wound up in rehabs and had miserable lives
because they had no hobby to run to and no faith to take over when there was no physical strength to do their hobby. Almost everyone around me,
in my circle of friends caved in to peer pressure and caved in to taking illegal drugs. I wonder how many might have stopped short of that if
they just had faith or a hobby. None of my friends had a hobby so when marijuana came around, they made marijuana their hobby. Many of them had
religion. They had to go to church on Sundays; they had to follow certain man-made religious rules. But none of them had faith in God or faith in
themselves. Their faith was in marijuana. Their faith failed them when they needed real faith.
| About 10% of the time addiction is recognized as the cause of the problem that brought the individual into the
health care system. A cut on your head probably won't kill you. An ulcer probably won't kill you. A broken bone probably
won't kill you. But alcoholism and drug addiction will kill you if you allow them to continue. |
This system works if you dare use it. Yes, yes, yes, I hear you. It is not foolproof, but I guarantee you this. If you use this system, your
child will have a better chance than anyone else's child. How do I know? I have proof of it. I just said no! Help your child say no! Bring a
system, a plan into your home and into your life. You will be glad that you did. I hope you take the advice and I hope that you pass this article
around your circle of friends because by doing so, you have the opportunity to save someone's life. And in saving one person's life, you are
saving an entire family. People who use drugs ruin lives; they ruin whole families. So please take this step today, and help save your child's
life. You will be so glad that you did this.
| According to the substance abuse research literature, at first, the individual drinks alcohol to reduce emotional
or physical pain. After neuroadaptation has caused the brain to adjust to the influx of alcohol, however, the individual
drinks not to reduce pain but rather to function on a daily basis. In short, abusing alcohol and drugs change the brain
that in turn leads to compulsive and uncontrollable drug abuse and/or drinking. |
The author of this article has had many works published in the USA. She has traveled extensively throughout the East Coast and through the
South while observing people and writing about life and everything that is in it. She invites you to connect with her at her website. Contact her
through ezine.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_Lin
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| Substance abuse research demonstrates that drugs and alcohol trigger the endogenous opioid system and the
mesolimbic dopamine reward system located in the brain. These are the systems that "reward" drinking and taking drugs and
that lead to addictive behavior. Once these systems are triggered in the person's brain, it becomes extremely difficult for
the person to stop taking drugs or to stop drinking. Indeed, when addicts stop taking their drug of choice, they will at
the very least experience mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms such as restlessness, irritability, anxiety, and overall
discomfort. Regrettably, the easiest way to stop such symptoms is to take more drugs or to drink more alcohol--thus
starting the negative addiction spiral all over again. |
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