How to get off of Drugs?
By Edit Vidalon, B.A.
I think this is a hard question, and I may not have the right answer, but from graduate school, I have learned that each case is unique. Each person has a different story to share on how he or she got off of drugs. I would like to write about some personal experiences related to the question above. I grew up in a community with dangerous streets, discouraging role models, scarce social resources and many dysfunctional families with addiction issues. When I started my first volunteer job at the mental health center in my community, I became aware that many young people from low-income families and minorities joined gangs and became addicted to drugs for many reasons. Poverty was one reason, other reasons were related to scarce resources, limited social opportunities, and family belonging issues. Many of these young individuals did not feel loved or felt that society or family member listened them. Many of them looked discouraged and hopeless when I stared into their eyes.
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The Importance of Educating
yourself About Drug Use
By Edit Vidalon, B.A.
Many individuals quickly become addicted to drugs after they use it. Why do these people get so emotionally and physically dependent on drugs? What makes them enjoy psychoactive drugs as much having a delicious meal or sex encounter? What does the brain have to do with pleasure and dependency? As we all know, the human brain is very complex, and scientists will never stop discovering things about drug use and how they work on the brain. The most recent research found that addiction changes the brain. First, in the way it registers and processes normal neural activities, and then by confounding the addicted person and altering the learning and concentration processes. The above information is something interesting to analyze because if the use of drugs alters the functionality of the human brain, it means that drugs are bad for people’s health.
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Drugs = Poisons
By Edit Vidalon, B.A.
Did you know that you are killing yourself when you use drugs? Drugs are too dangerous to your body and your mind and will destroy everything you have built and fought for. They are stimulants that can make you live intensely and feel happy. After using these drugs, you may forget your problems. This is true, but all these false feelings and emotions will only last for a short period. Then you will realize that your intense sense of anxiety and depression return to you. So, nothing has changed after you have used these drugs. Everything is still the same or worse than before. If you run out of drugs, how far will you go to get more? Will you sell something? Will you rob someone? At this crossroads, you will have the decision to make, either you seek help and stop using drugs or ended up becoming an addict.
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The Importance of Self-Care Practices to Avoid Abusing Prescribed Drugs
By Edit Vidalon, B.A.
The abuse of prescribed drugs has become a major issue in the last few decades. What do self-care activities have to do with legal drugs and why is it important to consider self-care practices to avoid addiction? Many people use painkillers, tranquilizers, antidepressants, sleeping pills to get some rest or to reduce their anxieties. However, did you know that you could become an addict if you abuse these legal drugs? Honestly, I did not know this! You should be aware that these drugs are powerful and have the same effects on the brain as heroin or ecstasy and many types of drugs!! Many of them slow down your brain and thinking. Most of them will help you to relax, but if you abuse them, you may experience hallucinations, irregular heartbeat, and aggressive behaviors as well as violent thoughts.
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National Drug Alcohol Facts Weeks Shatter the Myths
By: Brian Marquis, Public Liaison Officer, National Institute on Drug Abuse
Many teens are not aware of the serious risks drugs and alcohol poses to their health, to their success in school, and to their future.
So the question is: What can communities do to effectively educate this generation of teens about drug abuse?One way is for school staff, parents, and students to work together on awareness events that will provide teens with the facts about drug use.
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In Spanish
Como Salir de las Drogas
By Edit Vidalon B.A.
Yo creo que es una pregunta difícil y tal vez no tenga la respuesta correcta, pero en la escuela de post grado, aprendí que cada caso es único y complejo. Cada persona tiene una diferente historia para compartir de cómo salió de las drogas. Me gustaría escribir sobre unas experiencias personales relacionadas a la pregunta de arriba. Yo crecí en una comunidad con calles peligrosas, con ejemplos desalentadores, escarzos recursos sociales y con muchas familias disfuncionales y problemas de adicción. Cuando empecé mi primer trabajo voluntario, en el centro mental medico de mi comunidad, me di cuenta que muchos jóvenes de bajos recursos y de las minorías se unían a las pandillas y volvían adictos por muchas razones. La pobreza era una de las razones, otras razones estaban relacionadas a los escasos recursos, oportunidades sociales limitadas, problemas con sus familias. Muchos de ellos no se sentían amados ni escuchados tanto por la sociedad y familiares. Muchos de ellos parecían muy desanimados con la vida y cuando mire sus ojos se les notaba artos de tratar de salir adelante sin éxito por falta de recursos sociales. Todos sabemos que un bachillerato y secundaria completa es necesario para tener una mejor posición social en esta sociedad. Sin educación, hay pocas oportunidades laborales y limitadas oportunidades sociales.
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More Articles and Posts in English and Spanish Coming Soon!