Random Stuff

cc licensed ( BY SA ) flickr photo by Michael Fleshman: http://flickr.com/photos/fleshmanpix/6815449144/

These days it’s harder to be “proud to be American” than it once was. Sure, there are hundreds, thousands, and maybe even millions of reasons to be happy to be an American. But not billions. Billions belong to the billionaires, which coincidentally, is what makes it so hard to be proud of the stars and stripes. Do you catch my drift? Well, allow me to phrase it this way: the economy stinks. The middle class is definitely not what it used to be. There are many reasons for this. Too many to fit in a blog post, that’s for sure. But just to skim the surface, corporate greed and the government’s willingness to enable it is what forms the base of the economic pyramid of sadness. The best things to do are to find ways to live amid the chaos in hopes of eventually pulling ourselves out of it. For most, that means tightening the budget. For others, the budget is already long gone. One thing that should be avoided at all costs is self pity. We as individuals are not to blame for the current economic situation. The lead-up to this mass unemployment was largely out of our control. And unfortunately, a common side effect of unemployment is self loathing, which can lead to isolation from friends, which can soon spiral into a vicious cycle of self-fulfilling prophecy. How can one find any hope when one has isolated him or herself from the very people that can provide it? This must be avoided at all costs. Affordable housing, food, and medical services have always been Americans’ top priorities. Unfortunately, many often find themselves looking for affordable addiction treatment.  This too should be avoided at all costs, but the reality is that many of us don’t have the mental fortitude to weather such extreme losses. And following close on the heels of sadness is escape from the pain via controlled substances. If it gets to that point, you must try to think about all the downtrodden Americans that came before you and find it in yourself to do what they all most certainly did. Soldier on with your best foot forward in hopes to rediscover the pride in your country.

As we enter the new century we are dealing with issues that have been pertinent for a while, but with the ever-increasing technological revolution it is becoming more and more difficult to deal with competing influences.  Addiction to television sounds like a joke at first mention, but it is certainly a real deal issue that is plaguing the youth of today.  So many children are battling television addiction and with all the programs and videogames that are available it is no wonder that we are a culture that has its face glued to the tube.  Dealing with these issues is not easy, especially since we are all creatures of comfort.  It is not at all uncommon for individuals to feel comforted by escaping into the false reality that television programs offer.  The realism is becoming more and more pertinent, and can certainly play a large factor in how we are getting sucked into programs that are engulfing our lives.  There are ways to deal with this issue, and they are all common sense alternatives. We can all practice these on a daily basis because they are not difficult to accomplish at all, and in fact are a much more healthy way to live life.

Here are a few statistics to put this situation into perspective:

• An average American watches more than 4 hours of television a day.
• 99% of all households possess at least one television.
• 66% of all American homes have 3 or more television sets.
• Television is on 6 hours and 45 minutes in an average American household.
• 250 billion hours of television are watched annually by Americans.
• 49% of all Americans admit to watching too much television.

These numbers are astounding and are proof that there is TV addiction in America.  Remember that this is not just relegated to the United States, but all of the statistics that were just mentioned are all American statistics.  It is because of this that we can assess that there is far too much television watching in this country.  It makes you wonder what is happening to the youth of our culture.  These children are glued to the tube watching the latest and greatest episode of whatever program it may be.  Another issue that can crop up is the fact that it is extremely difficult to screen television when it is on so much.  So we should take caution when we are allowing our children to veg out in front of the television.

If only families had an Employee Assistance program, California kids whose parents are alcoholics could totally use the hotline.  My name is Nancy, I’m sixteen years old, but I feel like I’m thirty.  I’ve been through a lot, maybe not as much as some people, because some people have been through A LOT LOT, but I’ve been through some stuff, and made it out alive.  So I guess I wanted to share that I started showing symptoms of anorexia nervosa when I was thirteen or fourteen.  My body was starting to change and there was all this pressure at school to be skinny like the popular girls in every grade and I mean, every grade.  My family is what my mom says is, “big-boned” – but at school, it was no excuse.  Anyway, it was a pretty stressful time for me, my parents were fighting a lot, they had money problems and they would argue almost every night. . .It was all I could do to just come home from school, eat something really quick, and then lock myself in my room for the rest of the night.  It started when for a few nights I missed dinner because they had started yelling early.  I had this feeling of calm from functioning on empty stomach, that I just started skipping dinner regularly, and lunch too.

At some point, I got so skinny my parents noticed.  At first they joked about it, but then they started to get worried.  “Nance, are you eating enough?” I would lie and tell them that I was, but at some point I was skipping all my meals and just drinking water.  I got so skinny, they stopped fighting.  It was hilarious.  They took me to a treatment center, hugging each other, hugging me, and it was the craziest thing, when the nurses came they ended up taking both me AND my dad.  He had Suboxone addiction, and nobody had known about it except for mom.

You’ve probably seen what I’ve seen in the movies.  When you’re having a bad day, sometimes instead of just locking yourself in your bedroom, you might take it out on people.  I’m a pretty quiet kid, I don’t like to bother people, but one time, I came home and there was nothing to eat anywhere in the house, and I flipped out.  I said, “Mom!  You’re giving me eating disorder depression!  Can you buy some food please!  ()*#)(*!)(*!!”  I guess I freaked and started cussing and breaking things.  The next thing I knew I was being taken to a mental health facility for anti-social behavior and consideration for schizophrenia treatment.  I wouldn’t say that I felt particularly schizophrenic.  The voices in my head said I was fine and that my mom was over-reacting. JK

Anyway, it was not a bad thing to be taken to a facility for treatment.  It was actually really great.  They found out about the prescription drugs I’d been taking from mom’s cabinet for about a year, and they made me get off of them.  They had my mom buy me a new pair of British Knights and they gave me fitness goals to achieve while I was at rehab.  Exercise and addiction recovery can go hand in hand because exercise is a natural way to get your brain to release all kinds of good stuff.  Dopamine.  They don’t call it that for nothing.  It’s better than dope.  You have to get sweaty to get it, but at least it’s free and you don’t have to meet some stranger / drug dealer in a dark alley to get it.  It turns out that when I’m not taking Suboxone, I’m actually pretty out-going and I’m a pretty good runner.   Who would have thunk that all of this change was going to happen to little ‘ole me?

Let’s not lie about it; everyone seems to come to a Los Angeles treatment locale for that ever-so-popular shot at recovery and sobriety. You hear about the celebrity aspect to it on your TV and think maybe you need to send your loved one out here to get them cleaned up and away from their problem (which hopefully isn’t you). It’s almost the trendy thing to do nowadays. But, you start to look into it and think, “I can’t afford to send my son to this place called Beverly Hills for 50,000 dollars a month.” Now, no one can blame you, all of that is just plain silly. Why give someone the world on a silver platter if they’ve been nothing but trouble for god knows how long. Don’t let the TV shows and news reports confuse you; your loved one needs some serious treatment to snap them into shape. It  may be hard to make this decision. But, to be completely honest; we here in L.A. don’t really want all your drug addicts and alcoholics covertly recovering in the house next to ours. They strike fear in the hearts of our surprisingly quiet neighborhoods. Yet, if you’re going to come out here, or ship someone over, there are at least some low cost drug rehabs in the sea of lunacy that is the recovery industry. Also, if they’re really bad, you might need to whip out one of those good, old-fashioned interventions on them, depending on how bad their drug or alcohol problem is. Those can always be fun and dramatic, or at least that’s how A&E portrays them. But, to be completely honest; you will have an absolutely terrible time once it’s been initiated. Best of luck to you though and who knows, I may see you or someone you love recovering on the streets of L.A.

How To Meditate For Beginners; Taking Advantage Of The New Guy

You’ve been meditating for awhile and so have your friends and now it’s time to teach the new guy how to meditate for beginners. Let’s start with it’s really not funny to mess with the new guy. Yes, meditating in the beginning can feel weird and silly but if you are really a true meditation person and you really believe in the power to meditate then you don’t mess with someone who is also trying to get into it and worried already that they are going to look weird or feel out of their comfort zone. That ain’t cool.

Meditation Books: When You Can’t Read

You love mediation books. You can’t get enough of them the only problem is you just do not have the time you’d like to read them. There is a great solution you can get them on your ipod, ipad or on CD or tape and listen to them while you get dinner ready for your family or while you are packing lunches for the next day for everyone at work and at school. You can take them in the car with you or you can listen to them between meetings at the office. You can use them during your workout.

Yoga Teacher Certification: Being Told You’re No Good At Yoga

You will never be told you are not good at yoga. You might feel that way about yourself and that’s some inner confidence building that you need to do and work on. You also get better with time and practice. If you feel it’s not your workout and there are other ways that you prefer to either unwind, take off the stress or build muscle then do that. However, when it comes to yoga teacher certification and actually getting a class you need to love more than yoga you need to love to teach.

This is an important video, “How to Spot Signs of Cocaine”, to watch if you believe a loved one has a cocaine addiction because it can hopefully give you insight into the use of the substance. Cocaine is a serious drug because it is extremely addictive. It is astounding how common it is for an addict to also have an emotional condition. There are dual diagnosis treatment centers where the individual can talk to a medical professional and find out if they truly do have a dual diagnosis. Either way, the addict should talk to a medical professional about the different options they have for cocaine treatment. Cocaine can take over an individual’s life, which is why it is crucial for them to find a center to talk to about the many treatment options. Overcoming an addiction such as cocaine can be extremely difficult. That is why it is important to talk to a doctor and hopefully figure out some underlying causes to the use of cocaine.

Heroin addiction is a serious problem that the individual should address immediately. There are dual diagnosis treatment centers where people can go and learn about the many treatment options available. Finding a center the addict feels comfortable in is huge because they can receive the best health treatment possible. Also, hopefully they will find a support group they can continue to have a relationship with outside the center. There are bound to be times of stress, going to a treatment center is great because they can help teach coping skills that will ultimately give the addict strength in moments of weakness. More and more young people are trying heroin, there has to be a way for these children to be informed of the horrible direction heroin will take their lives. There are so many opportunities out there and trying heroin is horrible because it puts the individuals life on hold (for however long their addiction lasts). I feel this is an important video, “Heroin Addiction on the Rise in US Suburbs” to share because hopefully if the population understands how horrible heroin addiction is the number of addicts will go down. Knowledge is power.

Meth is a terrifying substance because it is extremely addictive. Not only that, but by typing “how to make meth” into any Internet browser will give the individual a recipe made from household products. Meth has the power to take a completely responsible human being and turn them into a bum on the street, constantly looking for their next hit. Many believe that they can only try to the substance once and they will not become addicted. This is definitely not the case. Once someone tries the substance the likelihood that they will try it again is extremely high. It is astounding the number of individuals who also have an emotional condition (as well as their substance abuse problem). If this is the case, the best option is to go to a depression center (or any other treatment facility) and talk to a specialist about the possible treatment options. It is important to do research about all the possible treatment options available because the patient should be comfortable and happy in their center. That way they will hopeful get a lot out of their treatment. There are also dual diagnosis treatment programs available to help. It is important to remember that you are not alone! Hopefully they will leave the program with a new support system to help them through the difficult time ahead.

This is an interesting video, “Marijuana Addiction Test”, because it will tell the individual whether or not they have a marijuana addiction. Marijuana has not physical withdrawal symptoms and is actually is more of a physiological addiction. Another substance that is commonly used by younger generations is a club drug. What are club drugs? They are manmade substances that are taken before going to dance clubs, parties, raves, music festivals or concerts. It is pretty hard to become addicted to them but habitual use is not a good idea. They are cause seriously amounts of damage to the human brain. There are health centers in California that can help with treatment. If the addict just wants to talk to someone, they should find a center and talk to a specialist about their treatment options of their circumstance. Being young and experimenting with drugs is not horrible, but it is important to not become addicted to these substances. Also a great danger surrounding club drugs is the individual taking the substance does not know what chemicals are in the pill. Combining certain chemicals can be detrimental to an individual’s life, leaving them dead or in a coma. You are not alone!