Addictive behavior is, indeed a human problem, whether it be substance abuse, obsessive thought, rage, sex, spending, etc., the list goes on and on. We help our children steer clear of the pitfalls by parenting without anger while teaching them healthy expressions of anger, and providing the support necessary for them to safely explore their world while they gain the confidence and resilience to transition to efficacious adulthood. No easy task. Families need to be organized, loving and supportive as do communities. The same risk factors that lead to substance abuse for children also lead them to suicide, teen pregnancy, violence, and a host of other socially destructive pathways. ( http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/sa/prevention/riskandprotectivefactortheory.shtm ) We reduce the risk factors by organizing our communities, everyone giving kids the same opportunities and messages about life. We improve protective factors for kids with strong interpersonal bonds, clear and consistent rules and messages (including a no use of drug expectation) teaching and modeling coping and other necessary skills...it helps to network, one parent or set of parents can't do it alone...yet one strong adult influence can make an immeasurable difference in the life of a child.
After that, knowing that all kids rebel and find their own way, we must be there to help them through that. We do know that kids who come from a family environment with a high level of conflict or interpersonal detachment are kids at a very high risk. Interestingly enough, this means that children at the lowest and the highest economic scales are at the highest risk, even though the expression of conflict in these families may be entirely different. On Oct 3, 8:03 pm, Ash <[email protected]> wrote: > If you think it necessary Allan I will accept this decision, however I > need not remind that we are all adults (assuming here) and most have > some experience or knowledge of drug use as ceremonial, recreational or > medicinal. > > Molly, the only two drugs I've had a hard time with are nicotine and > caffeine. Thankfully I had the knowledge not to get swallowed up by hard > drugs in any of my harder times, but have had times that I thought > wrongly that escaping myself was better than facing my problems. When I > hear about crack, pcp, meth, herion or 'ice' dozens of lives and people > come to mind, and many roads leading down that path, it is like fast > forwarding through volumes in parallel with so much pain. I'll cut that > short and leave it impersonal preempting digression. I hear a lot of > fear mongering about drug use, which I agree it is important to provide > warnings of potentially dire consequences however I think it is > important to provide some bolstering of people's awareness and > understanding of how the entry down those paths are the self. I would > like to hear your thoughts on this because I am considering what to tell > my son when the time comes. > > On 10/3/2010 4:20 PM, iam deheretic wrote: > > > > > Most I will answer privately Molly, > > > but even causal use of drugs effect thinking. > > Allan > > > On Sun, Oct 3, 2010 at 6:45 PM, Molly <[email protected] > > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > > I do understand, Allan. I worked in the field of Prevention for ten > > years. I see drug addiction as a completely different issue, as > > substances are used by shaman and holy men throughout the ages. I > > completely agree that they are not necessary for the journey, and as I > > understand it, are used by the Shaman to "journey with" the > > uninitiated and allow their healing, getting them to the state that is > > otherwise unaccessible to them without years of study. > > > Many people who dabble in psychedelics never become drug addicts. On > > the other hand, most soft drugs are considered gateway drugs to drug > > addiction. I look at the state of medicine now in the US and see that > > mind altering drugs like anxiety relieving or anti depressants are > > used by a large majority of the population. It is not difficult to > > get prescriptions for muscle relaxers, sleeping pills, diet pills or > > narcotics for chronic pain either. Those prone to addiction will find > > their substances one way or another. > > > I too saw several lives ruined with the prolific use of psychedelics. > > Unfortunate indeed. Timothy Leary's use and distribution of it is > > difficult not to judge, I leave the judgement to history. Aldous > > Huxley is a success story coming out to the group. John Lily (Mind of > > the Dolphin) probably the best example of the pitfalls of addiction. > > I try to recognize the merits of these folks individually, and the > > revolutionary movement of self examination that they lead in the US as > > a part of the greater evolution of the species. > > > On Oct 3, 2:04 am, iam deheretic <[email protected] > > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > > I want to thank you Molly for making me mad or at least mad > > enough to look > > > up a spelling. > > > > years ago I hear a 12 year old boy tell me about his latest acid > > trip and it > > > pissed me off I knew who sold it to him and it pissed me off as > > he was > > > destroying the mind of a child. it went from there.. > > > > What the realization came to me the realization that making > > these addicts > > > Icons if that is the right word really created a drug culture. > > because > > > before that if you smoked dope you were known as a > > mugglehead.this drug > > > culture of all drugs including cocaine went rampant and one > > heard on the > > > news one thing or another about the problem and thinking back a > > lot of it > > > focused around wall street as well as the nations capital. It is > > about this > > > time the extreme greed stared to show its ugly head . > > > > Looking at what is going on to day we literally and foolishly > > turned our > > > economic well being over to drug addicts and there desire for > > the nest fix. > > > > I am sorry true enlightenment does not come in a pill, all > > though thou may > > > cross the time / space barrier and come back with an idea then > > write a book > > > does not make one enlightened. Enlightenment is a long hard > > grind that > > > allows for tempering of concepts for social good and there is a > > certain > > > wisdom that come from the process. > > > > I know you have read Carlos Castaneda's books the first book I > > see a student > > > from Berkeley going to Mexico to get his drugs hiding it as > > research for a > > > university paper.(not a nice way of putting it but true) by the > > third book > > > he found out that you do not need the drug and the series show > > the long hard > > > struggle. He was very lucky in who he meet and took him under > > his wing. > > > > Molly I can not see glorifying drug addicts. > > > Allan > > > > On Sat, Oct 2, 2010 at 6:31 PM, iam deheretic > > <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > > > My experience with people that have been on LSD is not a good > > one, to me > > > > they are just another junkie , I know one thing if I had to > > see him as a > > > > psychologist I would run as fast and as far as I could in the > > other > > > > direction. > > > > > Those lsd junkies have I have no respect for in looking up > > some of the past > > > > back ground (actually a spelling check) I suddenly found out > > why I knew so > > > > many of them, and it was not from my work. None of the one I > > knew were not > > > > really worth knowing. > > > > So I am dropping it from there I do not like talking about friends > > > > Allan > > > > > On Sat, Oct 2, 2010 at 4:03 PM, Molly <[email protected] > > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > > > >> If only all mommies and daddies could teach their children to > > be here > > > >> now. I do agree, it is a simple concept, so important, and a > > thread > > > >> of truth that runs through the world as a common state > > available to > > > >> all, not accessed by those trapped in ego, memory or speculation. > > > >> that Ram Das studied this concept in India doesn't preclude > > any one > > > >> else from learning it from a different tradition. His > > exploration in > > > >> LSD may have prepared him, as did PhD in psychology, in different > > > >> ways. Why some people are able to articulate the vision and > > others > > > >> follow it is, indeed, part of the mystery, > > > > >> On Oct 2, 3:13 am, iam deheretic <[email protected] > > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > > >> > I understand it is the title of a book the point is that > > living in > > > >> the > > > >> > hear and now is not a eastern concept but rather a world > > wide one.. > > > >> > As for it being popular ,, well that simply show that many > > people don't > > > >> > listen to their mommies and daddies but would rather listen > > to someone > > > >> else. > > > >> > Allan > > > > >> > On Thu, Sep 30, 2010 at 5:30 PM, Molly <[email protected] > > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > > >> > > Be Here Nowt was the title of his book, that was popular > > in the 70s > > > >> > > and sales are still strong. That's the credit I am > > giving him, along > > > >> > > with an ability to point the way to a great number of > > folks in his > > > >> > > life time. > > > > >> > > On Sep 30, 1:41 am, iam deheretic <[email protected] > > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > > >> > > > Be here now Molly I have know of that since I was a > > child and there > > > >> was > > > >> > > no > > > >> > > > RamDas and as far as I can tell it has been around for > > generation. I > > > >> > > think > > > >> > > > it is wrong to credit someone for creating a concept > > that has been > > > >> around > > > >> > > > for generations. > > > >> > > > Allan > > > > >> > > > On Thu, Sep 30, 2010 at 4:09 AM, Molly > > <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > > >> > > > > "Be Here Now" was the bible for youth uprising that > > offered the > > > >> civil > > > >> > > > > rights demonstrations and Vietnam war protests in the > > US in the > > > >> late > > > >> > > > > 60s and early 70s. RamDas taught with Timothy Leary > > at Harvard in > > > >> the > > > >> > > > > Psychology dept, they shared an office, and both left > > when Leary > > > >> was > > > >> > > > > dismissed - moving to the Leary family home in > > California that > > > >> became > > > >> > > > > infamous for his experiments in LSD. After having > > enough of that, > > > >> > > > > RamDas left for India and found his guru, returned to > > his family > > > >> home > > > >> > > > > on the east coast afterward, and wrote "Be Here Now," > > gaining a > > > >> large > > > >> > > > > following for his Westernized, Eastern ideas. > > > > >> > > > > On Sep 29, 7:39 pm, Ash <[email protected] > > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > > >> > > > > > On 9/29/2010 8:52 AM, Molly wrote:> You do what > > you do because > > > >> that > > > >> > > s > > > >> > > > > what the harmony of the universe > > > >> > > > > > > requires, > > > > >> > > > > > That is something I've been able to accept but not > > willing to be > > > >> > > > > > comfortable with.> RamDas, "Be Here Now" > > > > >> > > > > > :) Now that sounds like a plea (kidding). While you > > are > > ... > > read more »
