Today is Wednesday, the 3rd day of Red Ribbon week. Please be sure to ask your kids what they learned at school each day this week. And please share this post so other parents can learn.
I have spoken to so many people that struggle with addiction and who began getting high as youth. The one thing that I hear most often is “I never knew what the real consequence was”. It is so very important that we teach our youth about the realities of drugs, and not let them learn about them from their friends.
As Robert Downey Jr. said “Getting high was fun until it was no longer fun.” Being an addict is difficult.
This video contains honest people sharing their stories and their journey.
Talking with many health professionals, one thing that many agree on is that our youth do not have good coping skills. Many turn to substances as a coping skill. Some even learn this from parents. For example, you walk in the door from work, comment that you had a really hard day, and then go pour a cocktail. This is a coping method. Our kids see it. Better if we walk in the door, comment on your day and say, I am going to go take a bath, or take the dog for a walk or just sit in the garden. Then when you are having dinner, having a glass of wine with your meal looks very different to them.
After Brett’s funeral, everyone came back to our home for fellowship. I looked out the window and saw a few of his friends walking down the street. They were heading to a house to cope, the way they knew how. By smoking pot, taking Xanax or shooting heroin.
One of the best methods of coping, relaxing, calming anxiety, calming anger and even enhancing sleep quality is Mindfulness. Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present. When you’re mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Everyone can benefit from this simple exercise.
How Mindfulness Can Change Your Life
In the documentary “Not Me”, the realities of who our kids became due to drugs was discussed. The drugs changed their lives. The drugs changed relationships. The drugs changed everything. The story, “I AM” shares one person’s thoughts about change.
Soccer Ball Lesson
Soccer Ball is a game that you throw a ball that has words on it. Whatever word your thumb lands on, you learn about that word. Today’s words are:
Amphetamines DXM Hallucinogens
Take the time today to tell your kids how much you love them. We cannot see the future. Love today like there will be no tomorrow.
