New program keeps children with parents fighting addiction

I have mixed feelings about this. I used to tell mothers to let their mom or sister or husband worry about the kids and they need to worry about recovery. Getting clean and sober is hard enough without having to change diapers. Sigh. On the other hand, worry about our kids doesn't help either. Its a tough one but i still think it takes everything you have to make it and little rug rats only divert us from ourmission--get well....

New program keeps children with parents fighting addiction - www.kmtv.com: ""Parents suffering from an addiction often times can't or won't get the help they need because it requires being separated from their spouse and children," Heartland Family Service said."

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Alcoholics Anonymous: Let’s drop the stigma -

Its such a shame that some people attack what works. Honestly I love AA--it is the best most open organization and it has saved so many people. When others just have to bash it (usually those who can't stay sober or are threatened in some way (say a husband doesn't want his wife sober because she might leave him) --they will say AA does more harm than good. Well, believe me--drunks and drunken mothers and fathers do a lot more harm than a group of people trying help each other ever did!



Gosh, lets celebrate the organization that has saved so many.

Alcoholics Anonymous: Let’s drop the stigma - Daily Courier: Life: "Alcoholics Anonymous just celebrated 79 years of bringing drowning alcoholics back to shore. Not only is AA a safe shore, but it’s a place where the most broken spirits may be revived, and even more so, they may begin to thrive unlike any time in their life before."

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Legal Marijuana for Parents, but Not Their Kids -

OK Mom and Dad--what do we do with this one?

Legal Marijuana for Parents, but Not Their Kids - NYTimes.com: "These are confusing times for middle and high school students, who for most of their young lives have been lectured about the perils of substance abuse, particularly marijuana. Now it seems that the adults in their lives have done an about-face.

Recreational marijuana is legal in Colorado and in Washington, and many other states have approved it for medical use. Lawmakers, the news media and even parents are debating the merits of full-scale legalization."

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9 Questions You Should Ask About the Drug "Molly"

I never heard of "Molly"--but if I had heard of it when I was 15 to 21, I would have wanted to try it. Why? Because it promises danger, excitement, something different to experiment with. And of course I wouldn't be one of the unlucky ones to die, I was bulletproof....they say "Molly" a slang term for ecstasy is purer--and safer. Drugs aren't safe and when they get popular, they are MORE likely to be cut with junk--stuff that will hurt and kill kids. And you--read about Molly here:

9 Questions You Should Ask About the Drug "Molly" | NBC4 Washington: "Just a week ago, two young men -- a 17-year-old and a college student -- died after attending a music festival in Columbia, Maryland. As friends and families grieved, authorities said the two may have overdosed on a drug called "Molly"

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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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