Month: December 2014

New Year’s Resolution Tips Well it’s that time of the year once again where hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people across the country decide “enough is enough of the past and now for the future”. New Year’s resolutions have been around for quite some time. This tradition actually dates back to the times of the Babylonians, some 4000 years ago. But the idea that the calendar is ending one period and beginning another that stimulates people to also put their lives into a new direction, or at the very least attempt to do so. These traditions are passed on from generation to generation and with worldwide communication at our finger tips the ideas of yesteryear are pushed forward. So what is it with this concept of “New Year’s resolutions”? Most people set up or make decisions to change something about themselves that they have observed; that has not been very successful or that did not contribute to their survival. The...

ONE OPINION ON DRUG & ALCOHOL ADDICTION Most of us are quite aware when someone close or not so close is using some form of illicit drug or misusing a prescription medication. You can actually see in the person various indicators, physical and psychological that tell us, “Hum…, something is not right here with Joe”. A large percentage of society can probably look not too far away and locate some person who is using some illicit drug, abusing alcohol or a prescription medication. The odd thing is that this same larger percentage is also the ones that feel nothing can be done about it. Well that is exactly what the Health care system would like you to believe; that addiction is a chemical imbalance and there is no “cure” and the best treatment is to counter balance this with more chemicals or learn to live with it. Well I disagree, having been in the field of addiction both as a counselor / administrator...

Youth Addiction Treatment Centers Exposure to Substance Abuse As addiction goes across Canada we normally see it with adults but in the majority of cases the addiction to drugs or alcohol began many years before. Whether the addiction is to street drugs, prescription drugs or alcohol the person began at some point in their life and in many cases; before their legal age. Growing up in our present society is quite a challenge for kids. A child is surrounded by various instances of substance use, principle of these is TV advertisement, if you watch television do this simple exercise; count how many commercials are about alcohol such as beer & wine, pain medication like Tylenol, Advil or Anti-depressant medication. You will also notice in each case those promoting the substance are “smiling and living very happy” or so it appears to market the product. Then there is the drink that mom and dad take on occasion, social events, summer BBQ, etc. The pressure...