Say NO to Drugs Kids!

As a parent, drugs are a big concern to me, especially since my kids don't stand up for themselves very well.  I am afraid peer pressure will have them doing drugs that are pushed on them, or being there when drugs are being used and getting into trouble, because they don't want to speak up. 

I've been looking up what happens to your brain while on drugs and addiction facts.  Scary stuff.  I was what was called a "goody goody" - I didn't try illegal drugs as a teenager, never once.  I hope my kids follow in my footsteps because the drugs today are a lot worse than the drugs of my childhood!  Nothing wrong with being smart!

If you need to look up drug rehab for your area, as an example, google Portland Drug Rehab and you'll find what you need.  Don't let yourself get hooked on them. They'll destroy your life.  As the aunt of a little girl who is growing up without her dad because of drug use, it is so not worth it to lose everything you have, your family, and your life. 

Read more...

Mom Needs Drug Knowledge

Drugs are a nasty business. I heard this commercial on the radio the other day for home drug tests and they started mentioned certain drugs...drugs I'd never heard of. My oldest just became a teenager so it's something I had better learn more about - the names, what they look like, signs, etc. 

Speaking of drugs, I hear that Michigan is going to be letting out a lot of prisoners early this year.  Somebody my sister knows is on that list to be released by Thanksgiving for good behavior.  If I were his victim's family, that would make me very angry.  Prison probably gave him a rapid detox for opiates, but the fact that he was under the influence of drugs when he commited a crime doesn't make it any easier to understand, as a parent, why he is getting out early. 

Read more...

I LOVE My New Doctor

The new doctor to handle my thyroid disease treatment is AWESOME!!  Finally a doctor who listens and thinks outside the little square box most family doctors and endocrinologists put themselves into when it comes to thyroid disease.  The things I practically begged my family doctor and endocrinologist for - that's all normal treatment options for him! 

I'll summarize:  He is raising my T3 and advised treatment for anemia and Vitamin D deficiency (the other doc wouldn't do a thing).  Instead of making me feel like I was asking for something detrimental to my health or like I needed drug rehab for wanting my T3 raised for my thyroid like the other doctor, I actually felt like crying a few times because I was so happy to have some hope that I may eventually feel good again!

Oh yeah, the rash I was complaining about - NOT hives.  It's eczema.  Hydrocortisone cream and raising my T3 should help my skin problem too.

I was gushing so much about how happy I was with this doctor, my husband asked me, "How old is this doctor?"  LOL.  Not within an age group you need to worry about, honey! 

Read more...

Huffing, Danger in the Home to our Kids

If you have kids that are a bit older - upper elementary through high school - have you talked to them about the dangers of huffing yet? Kids take things they find around the home and get high from it. It's important to learn what they use, how they use it, to lock this stuff up, and have a good talk with your children about the dangers. See the video here.

I wrote about it here.

Read more...

Drug Testing

I received this in my email the other day...


THE JOB - URINE TEST

Like a lot of folks in this state, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test with which I have no problem. What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test. Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them? Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their butt, doing drugs, while I work. Can you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check?

Read more...

Have To Know More Than My Kids

...when it comes to drugs.

My oldest is going to be starting junior high school. It is time for me to become knowledgeable on all the drugs that are out there that are going to be pushed under her nose soon. I was a goody goody when I was a kid so I don't know very much about the drugs that were popular back in my day and now there are so many more out there and more dangerous!

So what should I be researching:

• Drug Names (regular and street/slang names)
• Symptoms of each particular drug.
• Side effects and dangers of each drug.
• What they look like.
• How they are taken (smoked, ingested, inhaled, huffed...did I miss any?)

Did I miss anything? I'm sure I did. Those are my initial thoughts. I have a lot of educating to do to myself so I can talk intelligently with my child about it.

For more on huffing, I wrote this: click here.

The BIGGEST thing I need to teach my daughter: TO SAY NO. She lets her friends boss her around now so I do worry that she will crack under the peer pressure when it comes to drugs. She's a goody goody like I was when I was a kid, but I was stronger. I hope she toughens up the next few years and learns to stand up for herself.

Read more...

It's Not What Your Parents Smoked

Is your teen smoking marijuana (pot, weed, reefer, ganja, dope, doobie, bud, grass, leaf, joint, chronic, bammer, schwag)?

Short-Term Effects:

Relaxation, paranoia, dilated pupils, dry mouth, impaired memory/concentration, fear, increased heart rate, munchies, seem dizzy or have trouble walking, silly/giggly for no reason (isn't that a lot of teen girls in general), red eyes.

Long-Term Effects:

• Breathing problems, higher incidence of pneumonia, colds, and other airway problems such as coughing and wheezing;


• THC in marijuana damages cells and tissue in the body that protect against disease.


• Whether it causes cancer is still unclear;


• Dependency.

Marijuana in the 60's and 70's was much less potent. Marijuana today is much more potent due to technology so the chemicals being inhaled/consumed has substantially increased. This isn't your parents' pot anymore. It is more dangerous.

If you've seen or heard your teen refer to "420", it is said to be a term marijuana users use to mean April 20 (of any year) - almost like a national holiday for them (a time to get high) or the time 4:20. Wow, kids actually think they are spiritually connected to other pot users on this day or during this time on any given day? *yikes* They say April 20th is a day when schools see a decrease in attendance. I'd be curious to see if that is correct. It might show up in texts, myspace pages, license plates, t-shirts, etc. Interesting eh?

If you hear the term "wake and bake" - it means they are using in the morning.

Contrary to general opinion, you CAN become addicted to pot.

An article I read today in USA Today indicates:

"...Depression, teens and marijuana are a dangerous mix that can lead to dependency, mental illness or suicidal thoughts..."

"Marijuana is a more consequential substance of abuse than our culture has treated it in the last 20 years," said John Walters, director of the office. "This is not just youthful experimentation that they'll get over as we used to think in the past."

"...using marijuana increases the risk of developing mental disorders by 40%, the report said. And teens who smoke pot at least once a month over a year-long period are three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than non-users..."

"It's not something you look the other way about when your teen starts appearing careless about their grooming, withdrawing from the family, losing interest in daily activities..."

This is not something for parents to write off as "experimenting" or "we did it when we were kids..." It's not the same anymore!

Read more...

Drugs in Your Water

Did you know that when you are drinking your 6-8 glasses of water each day, that you are ingesting other people's drugs? Did you know that when you hand your young child a glass of water and insist they drink it, several times a day, your growing child could be ingesting other people's drugs - anti-depressants, cholesterol meds, heart meds, antibiotics, etc.? Did you know that if you think you can avoid this by drinking bottled water, you may be mistaken because a lot of bottled water comes straight from the tap?

I am sitting here, enjoying my quiet morning for once (my toddler is still sleeping) with a cup of tea and have Good Morning America on in the background. That's when I hear this news report about an entirely different topic that sends me to their web site to investigate further. On the front page of their web site is this article about our drinking water and drugs. Read about it right here: ABC News

Read more...