Drug and Alcohol Awareness

I had to honor of attending the

 4th Annual Community Drug Awareness Day

 

 

 

 

To say the very least this was an eye opener.  These people are saints and I felt small in comparison. I had no idea what they dealt with, and how amazing they are at their work. They are involved professionally and emotionally in every way and I have the utmost respect for the Houston Police Dept, Drug Enforcement Agency, Rice University, MADD, The Texas Alliance and the many other enforcement organizations,  and sponsors.

 

In particular, there were therapists, scientists, and personal recovery and experience stories.  Honestly I don't know how anyone could pick up another alcoholic drink or ever take drugs after listening to what these people have been through.

 

 

One of the panels was a combination of a developmental psychologist from Rice University who discussed how alcohol and drugs affects the maturing brain. The old theory that the brain is full sized at around 18 is completely wrong, the age for a grown up brain is 25 according to the National Institute of Health. So, partying in high school and the first few years in college really does effect your brain's growth to maturity, and how your brain perceives pleasure. 

A development psychologist, a therapist, and a recovering alcoholic/addict were there also and discussed their different roles in the program at Rice University. The most significant thing I got from the discussion was the new way they are treating young people, and hearing the story from a young lady who has been through it. The young lady is now becoming a drug treatment counselor. She has made it her life mission. She entered treatment at 19. The interesting thing was she came from a stellar family, was an athlete, had a high GPA, got into a good college, had plenty of friends but still developed an addiction.

The newest treatment consists of putting kids in peer group of other kids that are recovering and sober so that there is a like minded consistency. They make friends and have fun doing things together, sober. They develop bonds and stay sober together!!! Awesome!

At the conference there was also MADD(Mothers Against Drunk Driving). There was a couple there whose son was a victim of a drunk driving murder. I call it murder because that is what it is! He was murdered!!!  He was around 24 and in the  prime of his life. He had just left from visiting his girlfriend, and was heading home when he was T-boned and killed at an intersection. They driver of the other car was barely injured and got off with a little jail time and probation. Listening to the Mom and Dad tell the story was heartbreaking and there is no worse pain than losing a child. Unbelievable!

Well there is more, so much more reason to stay sober every day!  So glad I am in this place and setting a good example. My next stop is an AA meeting and to volunteer for one of these programs! I can't wait!

Science Smience......Your Liver. Why you gotta have it.

Ok so I'm gonna mention this from the aspect that we all know we need our liver, right?

I'm gonna go with the thought that we all want to live full healthy lives and that we really give a crap if one of our major organs gradually dies off due to overwork and poisoning. If this is not something you have thought of then I implore you to do so, and now!

Your liver has about 500 things to do on an daily basis besides trying to filter your poison habit. Because alcohol is an immediate danger it gets to go to the top of the list when it is present in your system. This leaves the other jobs on the back burner until toxins can be dealt with. Here are your liver's functions.

processing nutrients from food;

storing energy;

making bile to help with digestion of dietary fats;

filtering toxic chemicals and bacteria from the body;

helping with blood clotting; and

processing medicines.

Your liver is also the main place in your body where alcohol is broken down.
About 90-98% of alcohol is broken down by your liver. The other 2-10% is sent out in your urine, breathed out by respiration and sweated out. Alcohol is initially absorbed  by way of oral mucosa, stomach, and small intestine, and this is why you get an immediate effect from alcohol, because it absorbs quickly and goes straight to your head, literally!!! Once this happens, I don't know about you but all inhibitions are leaving me and I stop paying attention to how much I am gulping down.

 I like the way Dr. Oz says that your liver is like border police in that everything has to be inspected in order to pass through. Here is the breakdown of alcohol by the liver:


by www.mydr.com Your liver has to break down the alcohol to a less toxic chemical that your body can process and expel.

I know everyone has heard of a fatty liver.  THIS IS IMPORTANT SO PAY ATTENTION@!!!!

According to www.webmd.com:  This is a direct quote:

More than 15 million people in the U.S. abuse or overuse alcohol. Almost all of them -- 90%-100% -- develop fatty livers. 
Fatty liver can occur after drinking moderate or large amounts of alcohol. It can even occur after a short period of heavy drinking (acute alcoholic liver disease).

 So, if you think your helping yourself by just cutting back, or perhaps just binging occasionally, think again. It's all bad. Poison is poison.  By this way if you are young, you don't get a free pass, you can still damage yourself. It goes this way----fatty liver, then comes cirrhosis. Cirrhosis is death of the liver, where scar tissue forms. Those cells that are turned into scar tissue are done, there is no cure.  Let this soak in.... People that destroy their good liver don't get to the top of the transplant list easily, if ever.