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Promoting Alcohol and Drug Free Lifestyle

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Promoting Alcohol and Drug Free Lifestyle

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This website explains what drugs and alcohol are and what they do. It is important to define things like this to children so they know why they shouldn’t do it. This article gives insight on why people abuse substances and it provides insight on how to promote a substance free lifestyle.

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People take drugs because they want to change something about their lives.

Here are some of the reasons young people have given for taking drugs:

To fit in

To escape or relax

To relieve boredom

To seem grown up

To rebel

To experiment

They think drugs are a solution. But eventually, the drugs become the problem.

Difficult as it may be to face one's problems, the consequences of drug use are always worse than the problem one is trying to solve with them. The real answer is to get the facts and not to take drugs in the first place.

How Do Drugs Work?

Drugs are essentially poisons. The amount taken determines the effect.

A small amount acts as a stimulant (speeds you up). A greater amount acts as a sedative (slows you down). An even larger amount poisons and can kill.

This is true of any drug. Only the amount needed to achieve the effect differs.

But many drugs have another liability: they directly affect the mind. They can distort the user's perception of what is happening around him or her. As a result, the person's actions may be odd, irrational, inappropriate and even destructive.

Drugs block off all sensations, the desirable ones with the unwanted. So, while providing short-term help in the relief of pain, they also wipe out ability and alertness and muddy one's thinking.

Medicines are drugs that are intended to speed up or slow down or change something about the way your body is working, to try to make it work better. Sometimes they are necessary. But they are still drugs: they act as stimulants or sedatives, and too much can kill you. So if you do not use medicines as they are supposed to be used, they can be as dangerous as illegal drugs.

Drugs Affect the Mind

Normally, when a person remembers something, the mind is very fast and information comes to him quickly. But drugs blur memory, causing blank spots. When a person tries to get information through this cloudy mess, he can't do it. Drugs make a person feel slow or stupid and cause him to have failures in life. And as he has more failures and life gets harder, he wants more drugs to help him deal with the problem.

Drugs Destroy Creativity

One lie told about drugs is that they help a person become more creative. The truth is quite different.

Someone who is sad might use drugs to get a feeling of happiness, but it does not work. Drugs can lift a person into a fake kind of cheerfulness, but when the drug wears off, he or she crashes even lower than before. And each time, the emotional plunge is lower and lower. Eventually, drugs will completely destroy all the creativity a person has.

During the whole time I was on drugs I thought I had control over my life and that I had it great. But I destroyed everything I had built up and fought for in my life. I cut ties to all my drug-free friends and my family, so I hadn't any friends but my drug mates. Every day revolved around one thing: my plan for getting the money I needed for drugs. I would do everything possible to get my amphetamine-it was the only thing in my life." -Pat

I felt that I was more fun when I was drunk. Soon after [I started drinking] I was introduced to marijuana . . . . Later, I was hanging out at a friend's house smoking marijuana when someone pulled out a bag of cocaine. Snorting cocaine quickly became a daily habit. I was stealing money from my parents' business and from my grandparents on a daily basis to support my alcohol, cocaine, marijuana and LSD habits. Then I was introduced to OxyContin and began using it on a regular basis. By the time I realized I was addicted, snorting OxyContin was part of my daily routine. I needed something stronger-and was introduced to heroin. I would stop at nothing to get high. My addiction was winning. And every time I tried to kick it, the physical craving would send me back for more." -Edith

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Why Do People Use Drugs? How Do Drugs Work? - Drug-Free World

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People take drugs because they want to change something about their lives. Here are some of the reasons young people have given for taking drugs: To fit in To escape or relax To relieve boredom To seem grown up To rebel To experiment They think drugs are a solution.

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This article discusses being tobacco free. It discusses the benefits of being tobacco free and the severity of being non- tobacco free. It also provides tips on how to quit smoking.

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Benefits

Choosing to be tobacco free could be one of the most important decisions you ever make. Quitting smoking will help you live a longer, healthier life as well as help protect the health of your family and friends. Giving up smoking can be difficult, but a tobacco-free lifestyle offers many benefits - benefits that will last a lifetime.

Smoking contributes to a number of serious and often disabling diseases including lung cancer and other types of cancer, heart disease, stroke and chronic lung disease. Every year, nearly 10,000 Missourians die from tobacco-related diseases. And secondhand smoke causes an average of 1,150 deaths in Missouri annually.

Even if you're a long-time smoker, quitting now could help prevent serious illness and add years to your life. And if you've tried to quit before and weren't successful, don't be discouraged. Try again. Many people have tried to quit more than once before they succeed.

Because secondhand smoke can cause cancer, heart disease and other illnesses in people who don't smoke, your spouse, your children, other family members or friends who breathe your smoke are at risk. In addition, children who are exposed to tobacco smoke are more likely to experience sudden infant death syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, asthma and other respiratory problems.

While the most important benefit of quitting smoking is preventing disease and early death, there are many other advantages as well.

You'll have fresher breath, whiter teeth and better smelling hair and clothes.

Your sense of smell with return to normal, and food will taste better.

The discoloration of your fingers and fingernails will disappear.

You'll be able to do normal activities such as climb stairs, do house and yard work and keep up with your kids and grandkids without losing your breath.

You'll feel free to go to restaurants, theatres, sports arenas and other public facilities where smoking isn't permitted.

You won't have to worry about exposing your family members and friends to your secondhand smoke.

You will no longer spend time and energy worrying about when you'll be able to get your next nicotine "fix."

Quitting smoking can also improve your family finances. Not only will you save thousands of dollars that you would have spent on cigarettes, you will also save on medical expenses as well. Missouri spends almost two billion dollars every year to treat smoking-related illnesses.

When you quit smoking, you'll be setting a positive example for your children and grandchildren. And if they don't smoke, they won't have to worry about increasing their risk for lung cancer, heart disease and other illnesses as they grow older.

When you quit smoking...

...the health benefits begin almost immediately.

20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drop.

12 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.

2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation improves and lung function increases.

1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing and shortness of breath decrease. The cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function, increasing their ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.

1 year after quitting: Your increased risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.

5 to 15 years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker.

10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker's. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancrease decrease.

15 years after quitting: Your risk of coronary heart disease is the same of that of a non-smoker.

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Choosing to be tobacco free could be one of the most important decisions you ever make. Quitting smoking will help you live a longer, healthier life as well as help protect the health of your family and friends. Giving up smoking can be difficult, but a tobacco-free lifestyle offers many benefits - benefits that will last a lifetime.

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Preventing Violence and Intentional Injury

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Preventing Violence and Intentional Injury

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This website provides tips on how to prevent violence amongst youth.

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Youth violence is a serious problem that can have lasting harmful effects on victims and their family, friends, and communities. CDC's goal is to stop youth violence from happening in the first place.

In order to prevent youth violence, we must understand and address risk and protective factors at the individual, relational, community, and societal levels.

CDC developed a resource, Youth Violence Prevention Resource for Action [4 MB, 64 Pages] , to help communities take advantage of the best available evidence to prevent youth violence. This resource is available in English and Spanish [3.89 MB, 68 Pages] and can impact individual behaviors and the relationship, family, school, community, and societal factors that influence the risk and protective factors for violence. Strategies and their corresponding approaches are listed in the table below.

Promote family environments that support healthy development

Early childhood home visitation

Parenting skill and family relationship programs

Provide quality education early in life

Preschool enrichment with family engagement

Strengthen youth's skills

Universal school-based programs

Connect youth to caring adults and activities

Mentoring programs

After-school programs

Create protective community environments

Modify the physical and social environment

Reduce exposure to community-level risks

Street outreach and community norm change

Intervene to lessen harms and prevent future risk

Treatment to lessen the harms of violence exposures

Treatment to prevent problem behavior and further involvement in violence

Hospital-community partnerships

Everyone can help support teens and prevent violence
Parents and Families Can:

Learn about links between teens' experiences with violence and their health.

Talk with teens about violence and ask how you can support them.

Reach out to local programs to learn effective parenting practices.

Communities Can:

Make teen mentoring, apprenticeship, and leadership programs more available.

Collaborate with health departments and other partners to promote healthy and safe neighborhoods.

Make use of effective social and economic policies that reduce violence.

Schools Can:

Adopt policies and practices that create safe and supportive environments.

Teach teens skills to navigate social and emotional challenges.

Connect students to health and mental health services.

Build strong bonds between staff and students to improve connectedness to school.

Empower teens to be part of the solution. Directly engaging teens in preventing violence helps them:

Make healthy choices.

Be a leader and voice for change for healthier communities and schools.

Advise community and school decision-makers.

Promote respect and empathy with family, friends, and peers.

SeeYouth Violence Resources for publications, data sources, and prevention resources for youth violence.

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Strategies and Approaches to Prevent Youth Violence

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Youth violence is a serious problem that can have lasting harmful effects on victims and their family, friends, and communities. CDC's goal is to stop youth violence from happening in the first place. In order to prevent youth violence, we must understand and address risk and protective factors at the individual, relational, community, and societal levels.

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This website has 8 components on how to keep track of your personal health and wellness. It also defines health and wellness. The 8 components are emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social and spiritual wellness. It also provides tips on how to be well in all the components.

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Want to reach your fullest potential in all facets of life? Start to understand and grow in the eight components of wellness.

What Is Personal Wellness?

According to Merriam-Webster , wellness is "the quality of state of being in good health especially as an actively sought goal" while the Medical Dictionary defines it as "A philosophy of life and personal hygiene that views health as not merely the absence of illness but the full realization of one's physical and mental potential, as achieved through positive attitudes, fitness training, a diet low in fat and high in fiber, and the avoidance of unhealthful practices (smoking, drug and alcohol abuse, overeating)."

Ultimately, wellness is much more than a universal approach, as everyone has their own definition of being "well." Cohesively, wellness is an active, unique, and dynamic process of change and growth to reach one's fullest potential and is comprised of eight different components.

The 8 Components of Wellness

(And Personal Wellness Tips)

Unless you find yourself reading up on personal health and wellness articles, you may not realize just how multifaceted wellness is. In fact, there are eight components of wellness, all of which impact the mind, body, and soul.

Nonetheless, one can reach an optimal level of wellness by understanding how to maintain and optimize each of the dimensions of wellness, including with the tips identified in their respective dimension.

1. Emotional Wellness

Being attentive to your own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, whether positive or negative, and coping and accepting them accordingly.

Do not be afraid to seek out support if or as needed

Provide support to others and offer an active, listening ear

Cultivate a more optimistic attitude

Accept and forgive yourself

2. Environmental Wellness

Recognizing how decisions and actions impact the environment we live in and putting the best foot forward to maintain its natural integrity.

Bike or walk whenever possible

Carpool or use public transportation as often as you can

Support local vendors, including farmers' markets

Use water wisely and conservatively

Use natural cleaners in your home and fill it with these air-purifying plants

3. Financial Wellness

Having the ability to live within your means, including forming a healthy relationship with money and identifying effective ways to manage it.

Visit with a financial advisor

Create a self-budget, considering home bills, groceries, and fun money

Start identifying "wants" versus "needs" and make purchases accordingly

Know and understand your credit score

Automate at least 10 percent of income to savings

4. Intellectual Wellness

Participating in lifelong learning and challenging the mind on an ongoing basis such as partaking in mentally-stimulating and creative activities, reasoning objectively and critically, making responsible decisions, and exploring new ideas and different points of view.

Try something new, including learning a language or playing an instrument

Play brain games, including crossword puzzles and Sudoku's

Read books on an ongoing basis

Listen to podcasts while getting ready or on the way to work

Keep organized with schedules and reminders

Visit museums, including art and history museums

Enroll in a course or workshop

5. Occupational Wellness

Obtaining personal fulfillment from the work you do and performing with honesty, enthusiasm, and engagement on a regular basis.

Attend a career fair or networking event

Find a work-life balance, including making time for hobbies and taking a vacation

Make professional goals to pursue

Join professional groups in your respective field

6. Physical Wellness

Recognizing the need for and incorporating nourishing foods, physical activity, healthy foods, and sleep on a regular basis, along with attending regular doctor visits and minimizing risky behaviors such as drug and alcohol abuse.

Prepare a healthy meal at home at least three times a week

Try a new fruit or vegetable once weekly

Aim for at least 64-ounces of water on a daily basis

Purchase a gym membership (and actually use it)

Consult with a Registered Dietitian or personal trainer for professional guidance

Swap out TV time for a walk or bike ride

Commit to a smoking cessation program

Create a healthy bedtime routine

Keep immunizations up-to-date

7. Social Wellness

Interacting appropriately with the world around us and the people in it.

Join a club or summer league

Assign days of the week to certain activities, such as Mondays allocated to movie nights and Wednesdays scheduled for runs with your best friend

Call a long distance friend to catch up

Try a digital detox and connect to others in real-time

Consider attending a Meetup group with people whom you've never met

8. Spiritual Wellness

Finding and developing meaning in life, including finding a sense of purpose and belonging.

Explore and embrace your religion and spiritual core

Give daily gratitude

Identify and stand to your morals

Practice meditation and mindfulness

Give back to others by volunteering or making a donation

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Want to reach your fullest potential in all facets of life? Start to understand and grow in the eight components of wellness. What Is Personal Wellness?

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This resource is provided by PTA.org. It is an interactive website that has tips and guides on how children can be safe and how to prevent injuries. It has different things to look at such as events on keeping children safe, infographics, safe kids week, etc. This website can be very resourceful in the classroom and for parents.

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Parents and teachers set examples in childrens’ lives. It is important that they see us promoting physical activity so they can also be physically active. This article discusses the importance of being active. It increases cardiovascular endurance, large muscle strength and endurance, flexibility, and maintains a proper weight.

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healthy habits~ lifestyle~ physical activity~ fitness~ sports~ cardio~ reduce stress~ strength~ endurance~ flexibility

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Promoting Physical Activity as a Way of Life

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As a parent, you need to encourage healthy habits-including exercise-in your youngsters. Physical activity should become as routine a part of their lives as eating and sleeping.

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This article lists many different ways on how to help children with their mental health. It is becoming a more relevant issue in not only teens lives but children too. It is important to help our children so they are mentally healthy above all. In this article, it mentions basics needs for a healthy mind such as things to do and things to eat. It also goes into mention to give children unconditional love no matter what. You never know what is going on at home so being there for the student in school can make all the difference.

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It is easy for parents to identify their child's physical needs: nutritious food, warm clothes when it's cold, bedtime at a reasonable hour. However, a child's mental and emotional needs may not be as obvious. Good mental health allows children to think clearly, develop socially and learn new skills. Additionally, good friends and encouraging words from adults are all important for helping children develop self confidence, high self-esteem, and a healthy emotional outlook on life.

A child's physical and mental health are both important.
Basics for a child's good physical health:

Nutritious food

Adequate shelter and sleep

Exercise

Immunizations

Healthy living environment

Basics for a child's good mental health:

Unconditional love from family

Self-confidence and high self-esteem

The opportunity to play with other children

Encouraging teachers and supportive caretakers

Safe and secure surroundings

Appropriate guidance and discipline

Give children unconditional love.
Love, security and acceptance should be at the heart of family life. Children need to know that your love does not depend on his or her accomplishments.

Mistakes and/or defeats should be expected and accepted. Confidence grows in a home that is full of unconditional love and affection.
Nurture children's confidence and self-esteem.
Make time for play!
Encourage Children to Play
To children, play is just fun. However, playtime is as important to their development as food and good care. Playtime helps children be creative, learn problem-solving skills and learn self-control. Good, hardy play, which includes running and yelling, is not only fun, but helps children to be physically and mentally healthy.
Children Need Playmates
Sometimes it is important for children to have time with their peers. By playing with others, children discover their strengths and weaknesses, develop a sense of belonging, and learn how to get along with others. Consider finding a good children's program through neighbors, local community centers, schools, or your local park and recreation department.
Parents Can be Great Playmates
Join the fun! Playing Monopoly or coloring with a child gives you a great opportunity to share ideas and spend time together in a relaxed setting.
Play for Fun
Winning is not as important as being involved and enjoying the activity. One of the most important questions to ask children is "Did you have fun?'' not "Did you win?"

In our goal-oriented society, we often acknowledge only success and winning. This attitude can be discouraging and frustrating to children who are learning and experimenting with new activities. It's more important for children to participate and enjoy themselves.
TV use should be monitored
Try not to use TV as a "baby-sitter" on a regular basis. Be selective in choosing television shows for children. Some shows can be educational as well as entertaining.
School should be fun!
Starting school is a big event for children. "Playing school" can be a positive way to give them a glimpse of school life.

Try to enroll them in a pre-school, Head Start, or similar community program which provides an opportunity to be with other kids and make new friends. Children can also learn academic basics as well as how to make decisions and cope with problems.
Provide appropriate guidance and instructive discipline
Children need the opportunity to explore and develop new skills and independence. At the same time, children need to learn that certain behaviors are unacceptable and that they are responsible for the consequences of their actions.

As members of a family, children need to learn the rules of the family unit. Offer guidance and discipline that is fair and consistent. They will take these social skills and rules of conduct to school and eventually to the workplace.
Suggestions on Guidance and Discipline

Be firm, but kind and realistic with your expectations. Children's development depends on your love and encouragement.

Set a good example. You cannot expect self-control and self-discipline from a child if you do not practice this behavior.

Criticize the behavior, not the child. It is best to say, "That was a bad thing you did," rather than "You are a bad boy or girl."

Avoid nagging, threats and bribery. Children will learn to ignore nagging, and threats and bribes are seldom effective.

Give children the reasons "why" you are disciplining them and what the potential consequences of their actions might be.

Talk about your feelings. We all lose our temper from time to time. If you do "blow your top," it is important to talk about what happened and why you are angry. Apologize if you were wrong!
Remember, the goal is not to control the child, but for him or her to learn self-control. Provide a safe and secure home.
It's okay for children to feel afraid sometimes. Everyone is afraid of something at some point in their life. Fear and anxiety grow out of experiences that we do not understand.

If your children have fears that will not go away and affect his or her behavior, the first step is to find out what is frightening them. Be loving, patient and reassuring, not critical. Remember: the fear may be very real to the child.

Signs of Fear

Nervous mannerisms, shyness, withdrawal and aggressive behavior may be signs of childhood fears. A change in normal eating and sleeping patterns may also signal an unhealthy fear. Children who "play sick" or feel anxious regularly may have some problems that need attention.

Fear of school can occur following a stressful event such as moving to a new neighborhood, changing schools, or after a bad incident at school.

Children may not want to go to school after a period of being at home because of an illness.
When to seek help
Parents and family members are usually the first to notice if a child has problems with emotions or behavior. Your observations with those of teachers and other caregivers may lead you to seek help for your child. If you suspect a problem or have questions, consult your pediatrician or contact a mental health professional.
Warning Signs
The following signs may indicate the need for professional assistance or evaluation:

Decline in school performance

Poor grades despite strong efforts

Regular worry or anxiety

Repeated refusal to go to school or take part in normal children's activities

Hyperactivity or fidgeting

Persistent nightmares

Persistent disobedience or aggression

Frequent temper tantrums

Depression, sadness or irritability

Learn more about specific mental health conditions and children Where to seek help
Information and referrals regarding the types of services that are available for children may be obtained from:

Mental health organizations, hotlines and libraries

Other professionals such as the child's pediatrician or school counselor

Other families in the community

Family network organizations

Community-based psychiatric care

Crisis outreach teams

Education or special education services

Family resource centers and support groups

Health services

Protection and advocacy groups and organizations

Self-help and support groups

Other Resources

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
www.aacap.org

Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health
Phone: 703-684-7710
www.ffcmh.org

Family Support America
Phone: 312-338-0900

National Association of School Psychologists
Phone 301-657-0270
www.naspweb.org

Sources

"Facts for Families," America Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
"Children's and Adolescent's Mental Health," US Dept. of Health and Human Services
copyright 1997 revised 2/00

This pamphlet is copyrighted. Permission to reprint must be obtained from Mental Health America. 2/00

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What Every Child Needs For Good Mental Health

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It is easy for parents to identify their child's physical needs: nutritious food, warm clothes when it's cold, bedtime at a reasonable hour. However, a child's mental and emotional needs may not be as obvious. Good mental health allows children to think clearly, develop socially and learn new skills.

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Food insecurity is not having the access or a lack of access to food. This resource provides more information on what food security is and who it affects.  This resource is good for parents and teachers because it provides clear definitions and the different ranges of food insecurity. Having this resource will help parents and teachers be well informed about this topic.

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What is Food Insecurity? | Feeding America

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Hunger affects millions of people in America. Learn about the root causes of food insecurity and hunger in America and it’s impacts.