“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”   ― Mother Teresa 
- It is estimated that 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students. Source: National Education Association.

- American schools harbor approximately 2.1 million bullies and 2.7 million of their victims. Dan Olweus, National School Safety Center.

- 1 in 7 Students in Grades K-12 is either a bully or a victim of bullying.

- 56% of students have personally witnessed some type of bullying at school.

- 15% of all school absenteeism is directly related to fears of being bullied at school.

- 71% of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at their school.

- 1 out of 20 students has seen a student with a gun at school.

- 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month.

- Those in the lower grades reported being in twice as many fights as those in the higher grades. However, there is a lower rate of serious violent crimes in the elementary level than in the middle or high schools.

- 90% of 4th through 8th graders report being victims of bullying

- Among students, homicide perpetrators were more than twice as likely as homicide victims to have been bullied by peers.

- Bullying statistics say revenge is the strongest motivation for school shootings.

- 87% of students said shootings are motivated by a desire to “get back at those who have hurt them.”

- 86% of students said, “other kids picking on them, making fun of them or bullying them” causes teenagers to turn to lethal violence in the schools.

- 61% of students said students shoot others because they have been victims of physical abuse at home.

- 54% of students said witnessing physical abuse at home can lead to violence in school.

- According to bullying statistics, 1 out of every 10 students who drops out of school does so because of repeated bullying.

- Harassment and bullying have been linked to 75% of school-shooting incidents.

Bullying can take many forms but it usually includes the following types of behavior:

• Physical – hitting, kicking, pinching, punching, scratching, spitting or any other form of physical attack. Damage to or taking someone else’s belongings may also constitute as physical bullying.

• Verbal – name calling, insulting, making racist, sexist or homophobic jokes, remarks or teasing, using sexually suggestive or abusive language, offensive remarks

• Indirect – spreading nasty stories about someone, exclusion from social groups, being made the subject of malicious rumours, sending abusive mail, and email and text messages (cyber bullying).

• Cyber Bullying - any type of bullying that is carried out by electronic medium. There are 7 types including:

1. Text message bullying

2. Picture/video clip bullying via mobile phone cameras

3. Phone call bullying via mobile phones

4. E-mail bullying

5. Chat-room bullying

6. Bullying through instant messaging (IM)

7. Bullying via websites

Suicide remains among the leading causes of death of children under 14. And in most cases, the young people die from hanging. (AAS)

A new review of studies from 13 countries found signs of an apparent connection between bullying, being bullied, and suicide. (Yale School of Medicine)

Suicide rates among children between the ages of 10 & 14 are very low, but are "creeping up." (Ann Haas, Director of the Suicide Prevention Project at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention)

The suicide rate among young male adults in Massachusetts rose 28 percent in 2007. However, that does not reflect deaths among teenagers and students Carl's age. (Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health, in a report released April 8, 2009)

• Since 2002, at least 15 schoolchildren ages 11 to 14 have committed suicide in Massachusetts. Three of them were Carl's age. ("Constantly Bulled, He Ends His Life at Age 11," by Milton J. Valencia. The Boston Globe, April 20, 2009)

• Suicide rates among 10 to 14-year-olds have grown more than 50 percent over the last three decades. (The American Association of Suicidology, AAS)

• In 2005 (the last year nationwide stats were available), 270 children in the 10-14 age group killed themselves. (AAS)

In a 2007 study, 86% of LGBT students said that they had experienced harassment at school during the previous year. (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network -- GLSEN)


Research indicates that LGB youth may be more likely to think about and attempt suicide than heterosexual teens. (GLSEN)


In a 2005 survey, students said their peers were most often bullied because of their appearance, but the next top reason was because of actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender expression. ("From Teasing to Torment: School Climate of America" -- GLSEN and Harris Interactive)

According to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network 2007 National School Climate Survey of more than 6,000 students...

• Nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT youth reported being verbally harassed at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation

• Nearly half (44.1 percent) reported being physically harassed

• About a quarter (22.1 percent) reported being physically assaulted.

• Nearly two-thirds (60.8 percent) who experienced harassment or assault never reported the incident to the school

• Of those who did report the incident, nearly one-third (31.1 percent) said the school staff did nothing in response

Lets us all make the commitment now to treat others with kindness and compassion.  We all have something we are battling with and a kind word can make all the difference!

1) Gift a Smile

“Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” ― Mother Teresa

2) Be Kind

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.” ― Plato

3) Spread Love

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ― Martin Luther King, Jr.

4) Keep Dreaming

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt

5) Do not fear Failure

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” ― Paulo Coelho

6) Believe in yourself

“Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle.” ― Christian D. Larson

7) Make mistakes

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” ― Albert Einstein

8) Never Give up

“It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” ― Babe Ruth

9) Be a die-hard optimist

“Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss.

“Shoot for the moon, even if you fail, you’ll land among the stars” ― Cecelia Ahern

10) And finally, Laugh Heartily

“Because the purpose of our lives is to be happy” – Dalai Lama

11: Be what you are

“It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.” ― André Gide

12: Move on

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” ― Albert Einstein

13: People are beautiful

“Sometimes people are beautiful. Not in looks. Not in what they say. Just in what they are.” ― Markus Zusak

14: Life is worth living.

“Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.” – William James

15: Love is LIFE.

“Where there is love there is life.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

16: Human life is worth the same.

“We’re all human, aren’t we? Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving.” ― J.K. Rowling

17: Enjoy Life

“The most important thing is to enjoy your life – to be happy – it’s all that matters.” – Audrey Hepburn

18: Be Brave.

“A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

19: Fight Fight Fight

“First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win.” – Mahatma Gandhi

20: Make mistakes, don’t forget to correct them

“If you make a mistake and do not correct it, this is called a mistake.” – Confucius

21: Love, Give and Forgive.

“Every day you must love a little bit more, give & forgive a little bit more, if you wish to live with less pain & heartache.”

22: Always Give

“Happiness is not so much in having as sharing. We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” – Norman MacEwan

23: Apply

“Happiness is not so much in having as sharing. We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” – Norman MacEwan

24: Trust Yourself

“As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

25: Listen to your Heart

“When nothing makes sense & the world seems upside down, listen to your heart, it will never lie about your true feelings.”

26: Get trained and practive

“One becomes a beginner after one thousand days of training and an expert after ten thousand days of practice.” – Masutatsu Oyama

27: Do small things

“If you can’t do great things, do small things in a great way.” – Napoleon Hill

28: Keep Learning

“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can never live long enough to make them all yourself.” – Groucho Marx

29: Try Try Try

“I can accept failure but I can’t accept not trying.” – Michael Jordan

30: Start

“It’s never too late – never too late to start over, never too late to be happy.” Jane Fonda

31: Sobriety

“Helping others to higher ground enhances your resolve to be sober."  Todd Sylvester

I have found that Gratitude is one of the most powerful antidotes to unwanted behaviors and the key to opening the door to more blessings in your life.  I wake each day with an attitude of gratitude for being sober.  Being sober has brought me so many blessings, so many that would not have come any other way.  "Throw your heart over the fence to sobriety and the rest will follow."  

I came across this great article that can help with cultivating an attitude of gratitude...

"If I could offer you a magic potion that would make you happier, healthier, more optimistic and more productive, and tell you that potion would cost nothing and will require very little effort to use, would you be interested?

Let me ask the question differently.

If this potion existed would you want some?

Of course you would! Unfortunately, I don't have a potion that will do these things. But each of us has something even better than a potion that will do all of those things and more...

Gratitude.

Science tells us that an "attitude of gratitude" is a good health choice. Being more grateful more often makes us happier and more optimistic. But gratitude also adds to the bottom line - in very real ways. And the best news about gratitude is that it requires little time and no money.

Here are five reasons gratitude improves your productivity and results:

Gratitude attracts what we want. The universal law of attraction says that we will attract into our life the things we think about and focus on. Since this is true, wouldn't you want more of what you are thankful for? (I think I know the answer to that!) Remember that when you are consciously aware of your blessings, and are grateful for them, you are focusing more clearly on what you do want in your life - and are attracting more of those things into your life.

Gratitude improves relationships. We learn the importance of saying "thank you" as little children. We are taught that habit because it is "good manners." This childhood lesson is extremely powerful. Think about those people that you know who are most appreciative of you - and let you know it. How do you feel about them? Does their appreciation positively impact your relationship with them? Of course it does! Be grateful for people, their contributions, their talents and their actions - and make sure you let them know how you feel.

Gratitude reduces negativity. It is hard to be negative about your situation when you are thinking about things for which you are grateful. One of the fastest ways to improve your mood or outlook is to count your blessings.

Gratitude improves problem solving skills. Too often we look at problem solving with a very jaded view. "Something is wrong. We have barriers in our way. Then, we have to put in effort to fix it." Conversely, when we think about what we are grateful for we open our minds up to new possibilities and connections. We also enter a problem solving situation with a perspective of improvement and opportunity rather than challenge or issue.

Gratitude helps us learn. Every dark cloud has a silver lining. Behind every problem lies an opportunity. Being grateful for our situation - even if we don't like everything about it - allows us to be thankful for the opportunity to learn something new.

That's Fine, But How?

At this point you may be thinking, OK, sounds great, but how can I really be more grateful, more often?

It's really very easy.

Let's practice right now.

1. Make a list of five things you are grateful for right now. These can be big things (like your family) or little things (like the fact that someone held the door open for you this morning). This can be a mental list or written down. Do it now.

2. Reflect on your list and allow yourself to feel good about these things.

3. If there is a person you can thank or show your appreciation to, do that now too (a quick call or email is a good start!).

You can do this exercise anytime, and you don't have to stop at five things. In fact, it is a great idea to keep a running list in your Journal, planner or notebook - this way you can return to your list anytime you wish, reinforcing your gratitude.

But at any moment you can make a list, bask in those thoughts, and share that thankfulness with others.

You've probably thought of being thankful as a good thing to do or the right thing to do. But now hopefully you see it can be even more powerful than "right."

Gratitude is an attitude. Gratitude is a choice. And gratitude is a habit. When we consciously practice being grateful for the people, situations and resources around us we begin to attract better relationships and results. The habit will be strengthened as you make the choice each day." 
By Kevin Eikenberry

Have a grateful day today!

By Eileen Shim  April 16, 2014

The news: Every day, the push toward national legalization of marijuana seems more and more inevitable. As more and more politicians and noted individuals come out in favor of legalizing
or at least decriminalizing different amounts of pot, the mainstream acceptance of the recreational use of the drug seems like a bygone conclusion. But before we can talk about legalization, have we fully understood the health effects of marijuana?

According to a new study published in the Journal of  Neuroscience, researchers from Harvard and Northwestern studied the brains of 18- to 25-year-olds, half of whom smoked pot recreationally and half of whom didn't. What they found was rather shocking: Even those who only smoked few
times a week had significant brain abnormalities in the areas that control emotion and motivation.

"There is this general perspective out there that using marijuana recreationally is not a problem — that it is a safe drug," said Anne Blood, co-author of the study.  "We are seeing that this is not the case."

 The science: Similar studies have found a correlation between heavy pot use and brain abnormalities, but this is the first study that has found the same link with recreational users. The 20 people in the "marijuana group" of the study smoked four times a week on average; seven only smoked once a week. Those in the control group did not smoke at all.

"We looked specifically at people who have no adverse impacts from marijuana — no problems with work, school, the law, relationships, no addiction issues," said Hans Breiter, another co-author of the study.

Using three different neuroimaging techniques, researchers then looked at the nucleus accumbens and the amygdala of the participants. These areas are responsible for gauging the benefit or loss of doing certain things, and providing feelings of reward for pleasurable activities
such as food, sex and social interactions.

"This is a part of the brain that you absolutely never ever want to touch," said Breiter. "I don't want to say that these are magical parts of the brain — they are all important. But these are fundamental
in terms of what people find pleasurable in the world and assessing that against the bad things."

Shockingly, every single person in the marijuana group, including those who only smoked once a week, had noticeable abnormalities, with the nucleus accumbens and the amygdala showing changes in density, volume and shape. Those who smoked more had more significant variations.

 What will happen next? The study's co-authors admit that their sample size was small. Their plan now is to conduct a bigger study that not only looks at the brain abnormalities, but also relates them to functional outcomes. That would be a major and important step in this science because, as of now, the research indicates that marijuana use may cause alterations to the brain, but it's unclear what that might actually mean for users and their brains. 

But for now, they are standing behind their findings. 

"People think a little marijuana shouldn't  cause a problem if someone is doing OK with work or school," said Breiter. "Our data directly says this is not so."

BY SHANNON KAISER  
While cruising in Hawaii with Wailua River guides, I asked my kayak guide, Annie, what her favorite part about living in Kauai was.

She smiled brightly and beamed, "I'm so rich here. I mean, I don't have a lot of money, but my quality of life is abundant. I get to do what I love every day, and that makes me rich.”

Living a life you love is possible for everyone. My conversation with the happiest kayak girl in the world stirred up ideas of other happy people who practice happiness. People who have made happiness a habit and it beams from their pores. Because happiness is a choice and we can all cultivate it.

But the happiest people in the world have some habits they never talk about. When you live and breathe happiness, you feel more connected to your life. More grounded and purposeful. Here are seven habits happy people have but don’t talk about.

1. They put themselves first.

They know self-love isn't selfish. Happy people put their needs first because they see the power of showing up fully for others. When you take care of yourself, you help everyone else. If you sacrifice your needs in order to help others, you're only showing up as half of yourself.

2. They embrace impermanence.

People who feel at peace with their life recognize everything has a time and place. Relationships, jobs and experiences are all part of a bigger plan. Happy people recognize life is a balancing act between holding on and letting go — and they're comfortable releasing things that no longer serve them.

3. They're unapologetic about their desires.

Some may call them selfish, crazy, even ridiculous, but happy people make their dreams come true and focus on their goals with fearless force. They often manifest what they desire fast. Because they believe in their dreams. They live life to the beat of their own drum and will follow their heart with courageous energy. You can’t stop a happy person from reaching his or her goals. They know life is short and not following through would feel like premature death.

4. They don’t worry about money.

Happy people are extremely generous. They know the more they give, the more they get in return. But they don’t give expecting anything in return. This energy creates an abundant mindset that brings more wealth to them.

Happy people have a healthy relationship with money and they have learned it is connected to their self-worth. The more they value themselves, the more money they attract. Instead of worrying about money, they take steps to make more money and create more flow. This often happens because they do what they love daily, which creates a rich, deep connection to their own life. They also realize we don’t need a lot of money to be happy. It's experience that makes life worthwhile.

5. They don't need you to like them.

The happiest people I know don't care what others say or think about them. The only thing that matters is that they like themselves. This self-confident, infectious energy often attracts a lot of people. Happy people often have good friends. But happy folks are not dependent on your liking them.

6. They know rejection is protection.

Happy people don’t take rejection personally. They know in the big scheme of things, life will always give them what they really need. So the guy who didn’t call back, the potential job that didn’t pan out, or the loan rejection letter are all universal signs that it wasn’t the best fit. Trust that something better is on its way.

7. They see everyone as equal.

The happiest people see no difference between anyone and any situation. They don’t judge, condemn or point out flaws in others. They won’t try to prove you wrong. They embrace all of life’s diversity and celebrate the contrasts.

DO you know what they do to keep a circus elephant from running away? They tie a metal chain onto a collar around the mighty elephant’s leg – and tie it to a small wooden peg that’s hammered into the ground. The 10-foot tall, 5,000 kilo hulk could easily snap the chain, uproot the wooden peg, and escape to freedom. But it does not do that. In fact it does not even try. The world’s most powerful animal, which can uproot a tree as easily as you and I can break a toothpick, remains tied down by a small peg and a flimsy chain. How come?

It’s because when the elephant was a baby, its trainers used exactly the same methods. A chain was tied around its leg and the other end of the chain was tied to a metal stake on the ground. The chain and peg were strong enough for the baby elephant. When it tried to break away, the metal chain would pull it back. Sometimes, tempted by the world it could see in the distance, the elephant would pull harder. But the chain would cut into the skin on the elephant’s leg, making it bleed, creating a wound that would hurt the baby elephant even more. Soon, the baby elephant realized it was futile trying to escape. It stopped trying!

And now when the big circus elephant is tied by a chain around its leg, it remembers the pain it felt as a baby. And it does not try to break away. So even though it’s just a chain and a little wooden peg,
the elephant stands still. It remembers its limitations, and knows that it can only move as much as the chain will allow. It does not matter that the metal stake has been replaced by a wooden peg. It does not matter that the 100 kilo baby is now a 5,000 kilo powerhouse. However, the elephant’s belief
prevails.

If you think about it, we are all like the circus elephant. We all have incredible power inside us. We have it in us to take on the world. And of course, we have our own chains and pegs. Our self-limiting beliefs that hold us back. Sometimes it’s a childhood experience or an early failure. Sometimes
it’s something we were told when we were younger. That becomes our chain and peg, holding us back from doing what we are capable of, stopping us from achieving what was well within our powers. Time then to ask the question: what’s holding you back? What’s your chain and wooden peg?

When we are young, many of us grow up on a diet of “Don’t do that”, or “You can’t do it!”, or “You
are no good!” And we stop ourselves from aiming high. We say “I can’t do it because…” and fill in our favorite excuse. Because I don’t speak English too well. Because I didn’t study in a premier B-school. Because I come from a poor family. Over time, these beliefs about our limitations become stronger and stronger. These self-limiting beliefs become chains that stop us from trying.
Circumstances change, metal poles get replaced by wooden pegs – but we don’t recognize that. We stop trying. We give up without even trying.

And in life we often play the role of the elephant trainer, too – as parents, teachers, colleagues or friends. When that happens, remember to handle your baby elephants with care! Don’t be overly critical. Don’t belittle them. Don’t chain them to a peg!

Remember, we all have the strength of an elephant. Don’t let a mere chain-and-peg hold you back. It’s a good idea to recognize what’s holding you back. And break the shackles of your self-limiting beliefs. It’s sad when we allow our achievements in life to be determined not by our strengths and our powers – but by our self-limiting beliefs.

Time then to break free. Snap the chain. Smash the peg. Break your self-limiting belief. Set yourself
free. Today!  Unleash the elephant within! Prakash

Drug Free That's Me!

If you don’t think you deserve a better LIFE, a successful family, how can you achieve it? How can you reach something if you don’t feel you can have it? If I don’t believe in myself, then it’s not likely that I’ll attract the means necessary to make this it a reality. It’s also not likely that I’ll be successful if I don’t believe it’s possible.

 What steps are you taking to make better things happen in your life?

1. You must have a “Growth Mindset.”  Believing you are something special is a Trap.  “The moment we believe that success is determine by an ingrained level of ability, we will be brittle in the face of
adversity.”  Write down your ideas/goals for the future. If you are going to be sober the rest of your life, what steps do I need to take?  Are you willing to stand alone in order to be clean?

2. Look at where you are now. Write down the things you’ll need to move forward. 
 
3. Consider your everyday thoughts. Do you go from believing you can reach your goals to being
discouraged? If you are always thinking negative thoughts how can you create a positive life for yourself? What you tell yourself everyday does have an impact on what happens in your life.

4.  Be willing to make mistakes, be willing to be honest with others and yourself, but most of all Try! 
This is a “Growth Mindset.”

 If you want to make positive and powerful changes, then you have to believe that those changes are possible for you. You have to be there on the inside long before you see the outside results.

I came across this great article doing research on addiction and why pot is so dangerous.  We are loosing our kids to this powerful drug and the world seems to be ignoring the truth!  It's worth your time to read.  

Teen Monsters
By Jack Trimpey
www.rational.org

Potheads of all ages can be called Teen Monsters because their indulgences both reflect and generate adolescent attitudes, fixations, authority problems, and anti-family feelings. Many adolescents and young adults begin to experiment with alcohol and other drugs, often as early as age 13 to 15, when they really should be learning the importance of self-restraint, delaying gratifications, personal discipline, acceptance of authority, managing emotions, and developing more mature character traits. As suggested by the old hippie song title, “Puff the Magic Dragon,” teen dopers are transformed, almost magically, from naive kids from good families into smoke-breathing slackers.

Already straining against parental authority by virtue of healthy, adolescent growth toward independence, they experiment with marijuana and other neuro-drugs which turn them into teen-age monsters fueled by a volatile cocktail of tetrahydrocannabis plus testosterone and/or estrogen. They become animals, unfit for family membership, but wear pathetic disguises of disease provided by the school and the health and counseling professions. Even liberal churches have sold out on the family, resigning to the Beast® by opening their basements to fellowships of addiction which use the forms and parlance of religion to convey the beliefs and values of addiction to newcomers of all ages.

It’s amazing how the world looks so different through the eyes of addiction, after abandoning your right mind. The onset of addiction always feels like a blessed event, quite unexpected by the substance abuser, but nevertheless welcomed as a wonderful surprise. Many potheads and slackers still recall their first lift-off, often as teenagers, into the Ozone, that zone of deep pleasure that evokes the wonderful insight, “Ohhhhhh, ohhhhhh, this feels sooooo good! Ohhhhh…” Anything that feels this good can’t be bad!” Thus sayeth the newborn Beast of addiction, in its first utterance of the Addictive Voice.

This sudden inversion of moral truth, that there is nothing wrong with getting high, very often occurs within a single session of being “stoned.” The inversion is a pivotal life event with profound implications and effects on one’s thoughts and behavior for the rest of his life. In AVRT-based recovery, we call this inversion, the denial of the moral dimension of substance abuse, original denial. Thus, in fellowships of addiction, the act 0f self-intoxication is always an innocent act, and any attempt to abstain based upon moral judgment is ridiculed and condemned as a disease symptom.

From then on, a new, counterfeit, survival drive has been added to the normal desires of hunger, breathing, and sexual desire — desire for addictive pleasures, the desire to get high. Original denial sets up a domino-style chain reaction in which all other truths are also up-ended, so they may appear consistent with the addictive mandate, which is that there is nothing wrong with getting high, there is nothing wrong with self-intoxication, there is nothing wrong in principle, nothing wrong with anything as long as nobody gets hurt, there’s nothing wrong at all.� Original denial is the formative insight upon which life in addiction is based, and which lays the foundation for a parallel lifestyle often called liberalism.

Addiction washes away one’s moral conscience, one’s original family values, one’s family identity, and one’s desire to compete for the good in life. Through the eyes of addiction, there is no greater good than the high life, which may be summoned forth by burning a number wherever you happen to be. Pot smokers are perpetual adolescents, with the ego prototype exhibited by radically liberal talkshow host, Bill Maher — ill-tempered, narcicisstic, obsessed with bodily functions, potty humor, sexual obscenity and perversion, i.e., “wet humor,” discussed and illustrated below.

Sadly, the Teen Monsters never know what hit them. Their world is transformed from a developmental struggle for success, freedom, and independence into a childish fantasy about how neat and super life will always be because their favorite fix will always be there. At last, newbie addicts find magic to quickly bail them out from uneasy, mundane feelings, the most frightening of which is boredom, horrible boredom. Of course, in the bubble of addiction, “boredom” is little else than the name addicted people give to reality, or “not high.” They take their boredom not to the library, not to the soccer field, nor into wholesome relationships, but they are drawn like magnets to the bad company of other substance abusers who share the inverted, antisocial, anti-family attitudes common to addiction. Why go through all the hassle and struggles of trying to be happy, when in a short moment, the magic dragon can sweep you away into the wow-zone? 

Teen Monsters are very young and cannot know what they are losing to pot and other drugs — their right minds, their personal identities, their character, their families, their freedom, and their sexual future. Love is blind, but the Beast of addiction sees through hormonal fog well enough to narrow one’s sexual desires to other users, losers, batterers, bastards, dealers, lushes and crack whores and to others unfit for family life. In their right minds, they once knew about good and evil, right and wrong, but in what’s left of their minds after addiction sets in, there are no acts which are inherently immoral or evil; it just depends upon the circumstances. In that drug-liberated mind, the social scene is more important than family, psychological principles replace old-fashioned ideas of their ancestors, “spirituality” trumps religion, addictive pleasure equals happiness, and hedonic drugs are the sacraments of the only satisfactory life they can imagine — the high life.

Addiction is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.A.
Published on February 3, 2014 by Lloyd I. Sederer, M.D. in Therapy, It’s More Than Just Talk

Life is short, and tragically shorter if you lose your battle with addiction. As did Philip Seymour Hoffman—an actor whose stunning portrayals of a wide range of troubled characters vividly lingers in the minds of countless movie goers. He reportedly was found with a syringe in his arm and packets of presumably what is heroin scattered about his West Village apartment.

Addiction is a disease. Addiction is not recreational drug use. It is characterized by compulsive drug and/or alcohol use despite clear harm to relationships, work and physical health. When addiction advances we see physical dependence on the substance where the body experiences withdrawal when blood levels drop. Like other diseases, addiction makes no distinctions between gender, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. 

Addiction is the leading cause of preventable death in the US. CASAColumbia, a renowned policy center on addiction, reports that of the approximately 2.5 million deaths (2009) in the U.S., nearly 600,000 deaths were attributable to tobacco, alcohol or other drugs. The costs of addiction to government (not to mention families, businesses, and communities) exceed $468 billion annually (casacolumbia).

Addiction in this country remarkably escapes our attention despite its huge prevalence. “Forty million Americans age 12 and over meet the clinical criteria for addiction involving nicotine, alcohol, or other drugs. That is more than the number of people with heart conditions, diabetes or cancer. Meanwhile, another 80 million Americans fall into the category of risky substance users, defined as those who are not addicted, but use tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs in ways that threaten public health and safety” (CASAColumbia).

Yet, and this may be even more difficult to believe, only one in 10 people with any form of addiction report receiving any treatment—at all. Past-year illicit drug use treatment (age 12 or older) was 15 percent and past year alcohol use treatment (also age 12 or older) was 8 percent (store.samhsa.gov).

Mr. Hoffman’s loss to his family, his friends, his professional community and his admirers cannot be expressed with statistics. Instead, his loss tells us story of a life abruptly cut short by addiction during his peak of creativity.  It is a reminder to us all how lethal a substance use disorder can be.

There are many paths for recovery from addiction. Help is available {1-800-662-HELP (4357) or 1-800-273-TALK (8255)} .

No one size fits all. For some, 12-step programs are lifesaving. Some people may be suited for a program calling for abstinence while others may benefit from what is called “harm reduction,” a path that starts with reducing use (and danger) and can build from there. Recent years have seen the introduction of medications that aid people in remaining substance free (called medication assisted treatment, or MAT); these are often best coupled with 12-step or counseling programs. We all, not just addicts, need to surround ourselves with people who support our well-being while assiduously avoiding people who want to exploit and otherwise take advantage of us. A variety of non-Western activities (like yoga and meditation) as well as nutrition and exercise aid in recovery.

Addiction is America's most neglected disease. Every day we lose people to its lethal outcomes. May Mr. Hoffman’s epitaph include a reminder of how far we have yet to go to save others from so tragic a fate.

On Jan. 1, Colorado made history as the first jurisdiction in the modern era to license the retail sales of marijuana.

To be sure, there were no bloody fistfights among people waiting in line and, as far as we know, no burglaries or robberies. Legalization advocates cheered.

While it is true that most people who use marijuana won’t become addicted to heroin or otherwise hurt society as a result, Colorado’s experiment with legal pot can be called anything but successful.

What didn’t make the news were some troubling developments.

Multimillion-dollar private investing groups have emerged and are poised to become, in their words, “Big Marijuana”; added to a list of dozens of other children, a 2-year-old girl ingested a marijuana cookie and had to receive immediate medical attention; a popular website boldly discussed safe routes for smugglers to bring marijuana into neighboring states; and a marijuana-store owner proudly proclaimed that Colorado would soon be the destination of choice for 18- to 21-year-olds, even though for them marijuana is still supposed to be illegal.

Popular columnists spanning the ideological spectrum, in The New York Times, The Washington Post and Newsweek/Daily Beast, soon expressed their disapproval of such policies as contributing to the dumbing down of America.

Colorado’s experience, ironically, might eventually teach us that legalization’s worst enemy is itself.

This raises the question: Why do we have to experience a tragedy before knowing where to go next?

Sadly, the marijuana conversation is one mired with myths. Many Americans do not think that marijuana can be addictive, despite scientific evidence to the contrary.

Many would be surprised to learn that the American Medical Association (AMA) has come out strongly against the legal sales of marijuana, citing public health concerns. In fact, the AMA’s opinion is consistent with most major medical associations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Society of Addiction Medicine.

Because today’s marijuana is at least five to six times stronger than the marijuana smoked by most of today’s parents, we are often shocked to hear that, according to the National Institutes of Health, one in six 16-year-olds who try marijuana will become addicted to it; marijuana intoxication doubles the risk of a car crash; heavy marijuana use has been significantly linked to an 8-point reduction in IQ; and that marijuana use is strongly connected to mental illness.

Constantly downplaying the risks of marijuana, its advocates have promised reductions in crime, flowing tax revenue and little in the way of negative effects on youth. We shouldn’t hold our breath, though.

We can expect criminal organizations to adapt to legal prices, sell to people outside the legal market (e.g., kids) and continue to profit from other, much larger revenue sources, such as human trafficking and other drugs.

We can expect the social costs ensuing from increased marijuana use to greatly outweigh any tax revenue — witness the fact that tobacco and alcohol cost society $10 for every $1 gained in taxes.

Probably worst of all, we can expect our teens to be bombarded with promotional messages from a new marijuana industry seeking lifelong customers.

In light of the currently skewed discourse on marijuana, these are difficult facts to digest. In one fell swoop, we have been promised great things with legalization. However, we can expect to be let down.

Voters in other states should watch Colorado closely and engage in a deep conversation about where they want this country to go. Buyer, beware.

Kevin A. Sabet is a former senior White House drug-policy adviser, director of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, and author of “Reefer Sanity: Seven Great Myths About Marijuana” (Beaufort Books, 2013).