Do not handicap your children

Again and  again we try to reach parents...

Photos by Joyce Harlow on face book.

Drugs no longer cool: teens are internet addicts while their parents snort cocaine - Telegraph

I wonder if we are taking better care of our children as this article implies--helicopter parents and all. My brother, Dr Marshall would probably say yes--I am not sure, but it is worth considering. I don't think parents did so badly in the past--drugs and alcohol are part of the human condition. But when they capture our kids..and hold on tight. well, if we can do anything, good. I say that controlling who their peers are is the biggest influence--yet making them harder to get and upping the legal age to drink to 21...maybe in the long run they have contributed. But then heroin is epidemic among teens. So who knows? This is an article worth reading.

Why drugs are no longer cool: teenagers are internet addicts while their parents snort cocaine - Telegraph: "There’s no doubt this is partly due to the increased difficulty in getting hold of illegal substances - drink and drugs are more expensive, and pubs and bars are more strict about asking for ID. Another theory argues that we’re getting better at caring for children, which reduces levels of excessive drinking."

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More Teen Athletes Abusing Prescription Painkillers,

This is a fact that is very hard for parents--kids in sports are likely to be into drugs too! When I mention this at workshops and in articles, people freak out because its well known how healthy it is to be in sports.... yet, study after study finds that kids in sports abuse drugs like steroids and pain killers. in Addition, young men who play football are more likely to abuse alcohol. Its hard to tell a parent that sport is a high risk choice--doesn't mean you don't let you kids play sports. But it does mean that when they do, you pay attention and talk to them--about why athlete abuse drugs. And you tell them  what you expect from them! This is covered in "Sober Coaching Your Teen."  Read about the new study--which is old news that many don't want to face.

More Teen Athletes Abusing Prescription Painkillers, Study Finds | Partnership for Drug-Free Kids: "A growing number of teen athletes are abusing prescription painkillers, according to a new study. Football players are more likely than other athletes to abuse prescription painkillers, HealthDay reports."

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Addiction Today: ‘Legal’ highs – what you need to know

As if trying to keep our kids of illegal drugs is not enough, now we have to worry about "legal" highs and peole who tout them as safe. When I was a hippie, I remember learning about banana peels and how people said we could dry them and roll them and get high on the smoke--not so much. But then they talked about the spices--like allspice--that was more dangerous--destroying the lungs. Geese--now you parents have businesses and head shops advertising these things,,, read below:

Addiction Today: ‘Legal’ highs – what you need to know: "Over the last 10 years, novel psychoactive substances – NPSs or ‘legal highs’ - have become increasingly available to those looking to abuse them in the UK.  Not only are they advertised and sold widely on the internet and head shops but they are also sold as “safe” and “legal” alternatives to illicit drugs. In reality, they can be just as harmful and addictive as illegal drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy or ketamine. Information on their effects is minimal or inaccurate.  "

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Biases against AA? | Jean-Paul Bedard

Deciphering Addiction | Jean-Paul Bedard: "Whatever bias you have against 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, they are incredibly effective for many suffering addicts. They can help establish routine and accountability in an addict's life. More importantly, recovery meetings give addicts like me the "rewards" we were seeking in the drugs and alcohol. It's a safe place to make connections with others, and through sharing our struggles and fears with other addicts, we are given a cathartic release that quiets our restless mind."



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Mississippi Welfare Reform Links Parent Drug Test to Child Benefits -

If I say I agree--people will call me heartless. But when parents do drugs, kids are not taken care of anyway...I know I've been there.

Mississippi Welfare Reform Links Parent Drug Test to Child Benefits - Businessweek: "Progressive groups have taken particular issue with a proposed regulation, drafted by the Mississippi Department of Human Services as part of putting HB 49 into effect, that would cut off benefits for children if a parent refused a drug test or failed one after completing a treatment program. The critics contend that such a provision contradicts state law by punishing the families of drug users and should be scrapped. "

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Behaving our way into Better Feelings

We are responsible for what we do. So why do we so often give young adults a pass?

I did things like that too when I was young.
Kids will be kids.
They are sowing their oats.
They come from a broken home.
There is no father in the home.
If you came from the neighborhood, what would you do?
Racism contributed to his problem.

How many excuses can you think of the let kids do things they should not? Do you think it helps them or hurts them to excuse inexcusable behavior?