So glad there are students out there who are not giving in to peer pressure and are standing up for themselves. These students are outstanding leaders! Students Against Destructive Decisions is one of those organizations. Bravo to this great example of healthy self-esteem and the promoting of good choices.
Today we have yet another example that Hollywood doesn’t get it. As far as I'm concerned, consuming cocaine in any way is simply a bad idea. In this FOX news report, not so-funny comedian David Cross is quoted as having said in a recent Playboy interview, that he snorted cocaine at a 2009 White House dinner, in the presence of President Obama. He said he just wanted to say that he did such a thing. Never mind the fact that he was not the primary invited guest, he was the date of his girlfriend Amber Tamblyn (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants), who because of his actions, of which she was unaware, will no longer be welcome at the White House. Guess by now, Amber might be thinking she can do better than David Cross?
Cross, who also admitted to experimenting with various drugs such as crack, said he was neither proud or ashamed of what he did. The first thing I would recommend for David Cross is psychotherapy, because what he did is totally reckless. Cross thinks it’s okay to brag about drug use and does not see that he is setting a poor example for others, who may be inspired by his extremely poor judgment. Furthermore, did cross actually think about the fact that cocaine is a controlled, Schedule I substance and possession is a felony? Did he even think twice about the consequence that he could have been arrested along with his girlfriend?
Now let’s think about what it means to bring a controlled substance into the White House? What does that say about his respect level for our President, who also is an admitted former cocaine user? Is this story about a knit whit thinking he’s funny or is it about provoking government drug policy in general? President Obama has a pretty tough stance against drug use, though I really wish he would personally take a more public position on his stance.
As for David Cross, he should be ashamed of himself.
1. Every morning, think of 10 things you are grateful for.
2. Say a prayer for those who are lost in addiction.
3. Eat healthy and exercise.
4. Stay away from things that make you uncomfortable.
5. Be interested in helping others but remember charity begins at home.
6. Always say thank you, always say please and do it with a smile.
7. Educate yourself.
8. Listen.
9. Be reliable and do it right.
10. Love yourself.
Trying to get people to understand what addiction really does is not all that simple, but in this post I'm going to try to offer some perspective. There are many different forms of addiction and many different drugs people get addicted to. There is a place called “hitting bottom”, there is a place called “a high bottom” and “a low bottom.” There is also a place called “the edge” and by hitting bottom we get closer and closer to it.
Where “hitting bottom” means having done enough social damage, damage to health and finances, “hitting bottom” can still mean a person understands they have done so and are able to pull him or herself out of the problem by finding help and learning to take direction in recovery and getting back to a healthy life.
A “high bottom” is when a person still has a house, a car, a job, family and friends, yet is burdened with addiction. People with a “high bottom” usually are able to check in to a high priced facility and get clinical and medical help for his or her problem. These people are at risk of going to “the edge” if they relapse.
A “low bottom” is when a person has lost his or her home, the support of family and friends, has lost his or her job and basically lives on the street or is in jail. If lucky enough, this person is capable to get to a community based A.A. meeting, and is able to follow the principles of a 12 Step program, to some extent fully, yet more often than not they go back out and relapse. These people are at great risk of going to “the edge”.
“The edge” is a place where a person can be either rich or poor. They are already at the bottom, either high or low. People at the edge are hardcore addicts like Amy Winehouse or Michael Jackson was, for example. They have extreme physical signs of dehydration, emaciation, scarring and tooth decay. Their behavior shifts from sweet and sensitive to abrasive and hurtful in a nanosecond. These people have serious cognitive impairment, also referred to as brain damage, are conscious of it, yet they would never tell.
This damage to the brain, caused by the caustic effects of hardcore drug abuse, causes brain cell damage. Just imagine, if a drug can melt off tooth enamel like meth or cocaine can, imagine what it can do to the brain? When part of the brain stops working, it affects other parts of the brain as well. Communication and motor skill function present obvious signs of impairment; caused by neurotransmitters trying to communicate with the central nervous system. Neurotransmitters reach cell-damaged parts of the brain, causing what is known as uncontrollable “voices in your head.” This is the edge.
These so-called “voices” are an alarming and enormous problem and it is extremely difficult to reverse and come out of this state. Even after a hardcore addict quits, the problems persist because part of the thought process cannot be controlled and has a devastating effect on the outlook on life. After years in recovery, the brain eventually creates enough new brain cells and is able to repair the damage over time. This however, also requires a loving environment, plenty of good nutrition, a lot of rest, learning of a new inner dialogue by studying approved recovery materials, therapy and physical fitness.
When hardcore addicts reach this place of having voices in his or her head, it causes extreme self-doubt and fear of insanity. Most addicts do not understand what is happening and the cognitive complications pushes them over the edge and causes them to either commit suicide or keep on using drugs until they overdose. If someone you love has this problem, do not judge them, do not tell them they are crazy or insane. This is a serious condition and requires immediate medical help.
“Sober but Stuck” is one of my favorite books for people who have been able to obtain several years in recovery and wonder if they are going to be okay. In this comprehensive book, Dan F. and several others with long-term sobriety, both men and women, go into many of the sensitive areas of day-to-day life in recovery.
From relationships, control, isolation, fear of not being enough, to resentments and financial insecurity, this eye-opening read is sure to offer a lot of perspective of what it’s like for people who are trying to find their way in a new life, after addiction.
I also recommend this book to family members who are looking for tools on how to help and be sensitive to those who are sober and succeeding with his or her recovery.
Whitney Houston’s memorial service is a prime example of how people learn to talk well of those who struggled with his or her addiction, feeling sympathy for what they don’t understand, after they are dead. Yet what makes an addict? We should really start examining this question.
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John Kobylt was trying to make a joke at Whitney’s expense. He is a small man and a coward. He would have never said those things about her while she was alive. Now that she is dead and can’t defend herself, we can see how jealous of her he was. So jealous, that he forgot all ethics in broadcasting, which has now cost him the show. If that’s how he has to learn that he’s just a little man trying to tear down a music titan, then so be it. It’s all very sad to me. If I were him, I’d move to another town, cause the people in Los Angeles and the Country, are going to be and are furious!
Unplanned and unwanted pregnancies are addiction’s dirtiest little secret. When talking about drug abuse and addiction, the connection between drug and alcohol abuse and pregnancy is seldom discussed.
How many women have been too buzzed or too high, to recognize they are letting men go too far? How many men said the words “I just wanna kiss you” then “I just wanna touch you” then “I just wanna love you” and in the end, were too buzzed to be responsible about safe sex? How many women have lied and said “I’m on the pill” when they were not? How many men said “I’ll pull out” and then said “sorry, I couldn’t hold back”, all because they were too buzzed, high and plain out of it? The numbers are probably more shocking and frightening than we can imagine.
Now let’s think about all the unplanned and unwanted pregnancies because of buzzed sexual intercourse? What a sad way for a child to grow up knowing and being reminded he or she was unwanted and unplanned. Now let’s think about how many abortions? How many drug babies? How many foster children? How many addicted mothers, who keep having children? How many men who are addicted, who have STDs and don’t know, nor care that they are getting women pregnant and infected? How many women unknowingly transmit STDs? And they keep on doing it because it’s a well-kept, dirty little secret. Do we blame abortion? Do we blame drugs and alcohol? Do we blame our alcoholic or drug addicted parents?
