Leslie Glass's Blog, page 362

Young People With Anxiety Need More Support

From Science Daily  No matter which treatment they get, only 20 percent of young people diagnosed with anxiety will stay well over the long term, UConn Health researchers report in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

“When you see so few kids stay non-symptomatic after receiving the best treatments we have, that’s discouraging,” says UConn Health psychologist Golda Ginsburg. She suggests that regular mental health checkups may be a better way to treat anxiety than the current model.

The study followed 319 young people aged 10 to 25 who had been diagnosed with separation, social, or general anxiety disorders at sites in California, North Carolina, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. They received evidence-based treatment with either sertraline (the generic form of Zoloft) or cognitive behavioral therapy or a combination of these two, and then had follow-ups with the researchers every year for four years. The follow-ups assessed anxiety levels but did not provide treatment. Other studies have done a single follow-up at one, two, five, or 10 years out, but those were essentially snapshots in time. This is the first study to reassess youth treated for anxiety every year for four years.

The sequential follow-ups meant that the researchers could identify people who relapsed, recovered, and relapsed again, as well as people who stayed anxious and people who stayed well. They found that 20 percent of patients got well after treatment and stayed well, rating low on anxiety at each follow-up. But about half the patients relapsed at least once, and 30 percent were chronically anxious, meeting the diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder at every follow-up. Females were more likely to be chronically ill than males. Other predictors of chronic illness were experiencing more negative life events, having poor family communication, and having a diagnosis of social phobia.

On the bright side, the study found that young people who responded to treatment were more likely to stay well. The study also found no difference in long-term outcomes between treatment types. This means that if there is no cognitive behavioral therapist nearby, treatment with medication is just as likely to be effective.

The study also found that kids did better if their families were supportive and had positive communication styles. And Ginsburg has advice for getting the best help for your child: talk to your child and to the therapist, and ask questions. Why do you suggest this treatment (it should be supported by evidence)? Has the therapist been trained in cognitive behavioral therapy? How can we reinforce what you learned in therapy this week? But also, be aware that a single intervention may not be enough.

“If we can get them well, how do we keep them well?” says Ginsburg. “We need a different model for mental health, one that includes regular checkups.”

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Connecticut. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

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Death Rate Young People 1 in 5 From Opioids

From Time  By Jamie Ducharme In 2016, one in 65 deaths in the United States involved opioids — and among younger adults, that number skyrocketed to one in five, according to a new study.

Data has shown for years that deaths involving both prescribed and illicit opioids are rising sharply. They’ve nearly doubled since 2009, and have infiltrated all genders, demographics and geographic areas, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. The new study, published Friday in the journal JAMA Network Open, puts some of those numbers into new perspective.

The paper used data from the CDC’s WONDER database, which tracks mortality data and causes of death in the U.S. Researchers first isolated all opioid-related deaths recorded between 2001 and 2016 (335,123 in all), then broke those down by age groups and years.

In 2016, opioids were involved in 28,496 deaths, the study says. More than 8,400 of these occurred among adults between the ages of 25 and 34, a number high enough to mean that 20% of all deaths in this age group in 2016 involved opioids.

Among those between the ages of 15 and 24, the report adds, the nearly 3,000 opioid-related deaths recorded in 2016 accounted for 12.4% of deaths in this demographic.

While opioid-related deaths were common among older age groups as well — there were about 6,700 among adults ages 35 and 44, more than 5,600 among adults 45 to 54, more than 3,800 among adults 55 to 64 and around 800 among adults older than 65 — they accounted for a smaller proportion of deaths in these populations.

Among the eldest two age groups, however, the percentage of deaths attributable to opioids remained relatively low, but jumped by 745% and 635%, respectively.

Still, the study says opioids were involved in 1.5% of all deaths in 2016, regardless of age group. That means, the researchers write, that the drugs were responsible for more life years lost than high blood pressure, HIV/AIDs and pneumonia, and a tenth of those lost to cancer.

“Premature death from opioid-related causes imposes an enormous and growing public health burden across the United States,” the researchers write. “These trends highlight a need for tailored programs and policies.”

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Marijuana Users Report High Rates Of Dependence In Global Drug Survey

From Huffington Post:

A large percentage of marijuana users around the world report signs of dependence, even as cannabis appears to be one of the safest and most commonly used drugs overall, according to the results of a survey released on Wednesday. The findings are contained in the 2018 Global Drug Survey, a detailed questionnaire that compiled responses from more than 130,00 people in over 40 countries in the past year. One section of the survey used the “Severity of Dependence Scale,” or SDS, a popular tool that asks respondents five questions regarding impaired control over drug use and anxieties related to consumption and quitting.

Around 50,000 of the survey respondents reported having used marijuana in the last 12 months. Only alcohol and tobacco use were more common.

Of all cannabis users, 20.2 percent showed substantial signs of dependence, measured by affirmative answers to at least four of the five SDS questions. Crystal methamphetamine was the drug most closely associated with dependence, with nearly 25 percent of users scoring four or higher on the SDS.

A positive SDS score is not the same as a clinical diagnosis of dependence, Adam Winstock, a British addiction psychiatrist and founder of the Global Drug Survey, told HuffPost. But it does suggest that many marijuana users have considerable misgivings about their habits.

“You’ve got 20 percent of the people who are significantly worried about the impact of their use on their life,” said Winstock. “It’s a measure of subjective worry and concern, but those questions tap into things like how much you use, how often, your sense of control and your desire to stop.”

The responses to individual SDS questions offer a window into some of those feelings of dependence.

Cannabis was the substance most frequently associated with anxiety over the prospect of quitting, for example. Although nearly 74 percent of users said the idea of stopping “never or almost never” made them anxious, 19.7 percent said it “sometimes” did, with the rest reporting that it “often” or “always” did.

A total of 21.4 percent of marijuana users said it would be “quite difficult” for them to stop using, with 6.4 percent responding that it would be either “very difficult” or “impossible.” Around 72 percent said quitting would not be difficult.

Nearly 30 percent of cannabis users reported that their cannabis use was at least occasionally “out of control,” with 22.6 percent of respondents saying it was only “sometimes” an issue, 5.3 percent saying it was “often” an issue and 1.6 percent saying it was “always or nearly always” an issue.

The survey also sought to measure the overall safety of substances by asking respondents if they’d sought emergency medical treatment after using various drugs. Just 0.5 percent of all cannabis users reported seeking treatment after use, the second-lowest rate of any substance. Magic mushrooms appeared to be the safest recreational drug for the second year in a row, with just 0.2 percent of users saying they’d pursued medical intervention.

The cannabis dependence results were particularly surprising to Winstock, who said he would’ve expected to see around 10 to 15 percent of marijuana users report signs of dependence.

“You’re legalizing a drug that a fair number of people who use it have worries about themselves,” Winstock said. “The question is what do you do about that?”

The Global Drug Survey may hold some answers. Since 2014, the independent research company has partnered with medical experts and media groups to conduct an annual survey with the goal of making drug use safer through increased access to education and treatment resources.

Around 300,000 marijuana users have partaken in Global Drug Surveys over the years, said Winstock. Those respondents have consistently shown high levels of support for establishing government guidelines around safe marijuana use. Among cannabis users who have expressed a desire to use less frequently or quit entirely, many have said they’d like assistance in doing so. But very few end up seeking help.

Taken together, the surveys suggest elected officials and the marijuana industry should be engaging in a more honest discussion about the risks associated with cannabis use so they can better address issues that may arise as laws are liberalized, said Winstock.

That advice may be particularly salient in the U.S., where a number of states are considering legalizing recreational marijuana in the face of growing public opposition to prohibition. Eight states, as well as Washington, D.C., have already legalized weed.

“Clearly arresting someone and giving them a criminal record for smoking a joint is a futile and pointless exercise and … nothing I’m suggesting is me saying cannabis is a bad drug and the government made a mistake,” said Winstock.

“What I’m saying is that at the point they regulated cannabis, they should have mandated a whole bunch of things that allowed it to be easier for people to reflect on their cannabis use and how it impacted on them and how to control their use,” he went on. “There should have been mandated health warnings and advice and an index of harm for different products.”

Among the 3,400 U.S. marijuana users surveyed this year, just under 25 percent expressed a desire to use less ― compared to 29.3 percent of users globally. Just over 25 percent reported getting high more than 300 days out of the past year, though that may not be reflective of broader marijuana trends, because the survey didn’t randomly sample users nationwide.

Sixteen percent of the American marijuana users who said they wanted to cut back also responded that they’d like help doing so. Nearly 50 percent of all U.S. users said they’d attempted to quit at some point, with 67 percent of those saying they’d tried in the previous year.

Winstock says it makes sense to increase access to harm reduction tools in order to reach those who say they want help with their dependence on cannabis. But broad support for this sort of comprehensive approach requires people on all sides to confront the fact that marijuana, like pretty much any drug, can lead to dependence with some frequency.

Instead, the legalization debate has played out in a far more polarized fashion, with advocates often pushing back against decades of government anti-weed hysteria by claiming cannabis is a harmless drug, especially when compared to alcohol or tobacco.

In light of the cataclysmic failures of the nation’s war on drugs, there is plenty of reason to be tempted by that portrayal.

“It could just be that so many people are saying we’ve raised billions in taxes, saved thousands of hours of police time, saved loads of innocent young lives from having their careers ruined and being banged up in prison,” said Winstock. “Those are such huge wins that I could see people going, ‘That’s enough.’”

But just because the status quo has been so bad for so long and marijuana is less harmful than alcohol or tobacco ― legal drugs that kill more people each year than all illicit drugs combined ― doesn’t mean the push to legalize cannabis can’t learn from past mistakes.

For Winstock, it’s not too late for legal weed states and leaders in the marijuana industry to place more focus on public health.

“Stop for a moment and think about how you cannot become the tobacco industry or the alcohol industry,” said Winstock. “Be the best you can be, don’t just make the biggest profit. Be the most responsible industry you can, and that means be honest.”

Read the entire 2018 Global Drug Survey here.

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Young People Are Choosing Marijuana Before Cigarettes And Alcohol

From Science Daily:

More young people are turning to marijuana as their first substance of choice, rather than smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol. This pattern is especially prevalent among young men of specific racial and ethnic groups in the US, says Brian Fairman of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in the US, in Springer’s journal Prevention Science. He says that young people who start off on marijuana before alcohol or tobacco are more likely to become heavy users and have cannabis-related problems later in life.

New research shows that the percentage of 12- to 21-year-olds who start using marijuana before other substances has increased significantly over the past decade.

The research team analyzed nationally-representative, cross-sectional survey data available as part of the US National Survey on Drug Use and Health. This data draws on information from more than 275,500 individuals aged 12 to 21 and was collected between 2004 and 2014. Survey respondents were asked about their use of marijuana, cigarettes, alcohol, and other forms of tobacco or illegal drugs. Those who used these substances provided further information about which they started using first, and at what age.

The researchers found that 8 per cent of participants reported in 2014 that marijuana was the first drug they ever used. This percentage had almost doubled from 4.8 per cent in 2004. According to Fairman, this could be related to a concurrent decline in those who start smoking cigarettes first, which dropped from about 21 per cent in 2004 to 9 per cent in 2014.

“We also observed a significant increase in youth abstaining from substance use altogether, which rose from 36 per cent to 46 per cent, and therefore, it is unclear the degree to which increases in those initiating marijuana first could be due to youth abstaining or delaying cigarettes,” says Fairman.

Fairman and his colleagues further found that those using marijuana first, rather than alcohol or cigarettes, were more likely to be male, and Black, American Indian/Alaskan Native, multiracial, or Hispanic. The researchers established that youths who used marijuana first were more likely to become heavy users later in life, and to develop a cannabis use disorder.

“Our findings suggest important targets for public health intervention and prevention of marijuana use, especially among American Indian/Alaska Native and Black youth, who are less likely to have access to treatment or successful treatment outcomes,” says Fairman, who believes that drug prevention strategies could be improved by targeting to groups differently, based on their risk of initiating tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana first.

“To the degree these trends continue and greater numbers of youth start with marijuana as their first drug, there may be an increasing need for public interventions and treatment services for marijuana-related problems,” Fairman explains.

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Which Drugs Pose The Biggest Threat To Public Health?

From Psychology Today:

A new report compiling data provided by the some of the most recent and reliable sources worldwide aims to answer the big question: which substances and stimulants pose the biggest threat to health and well-being on a global level?

The review was put together by specialists from prominent institutions worldwide, spanning six countries and three continents: Australia, Europe, and North America.

Its first author is Amy Peacock, who works with the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, as well as with the School of Medicine at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, which is also in Australia.

The authors sourced their information mainly through records held by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle.

“Alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use are major global risk factors for disability and premature loss of life,” the researchers write in the report’s introduction.

“Estimating the prevalence of use and associated burden of disease and mortality at the country, regional, and global level is critical in quantifying the extent and severity of the burden arising from substance use.”

These are the reasons why the team decided to publicize an up-to-date collection of available statistics — as complete as possible — about the issue of substance use and abuse, and its economic and medical burden around the world.

The report has now been published in the journal Addiction.

A new report compiling data provided by the some of the most recent and reliable sources worldwide aims to answer the big question: which substances and stimulants pose the biggest threat to health and well-being on a global level?

The review was put together by specialists from prominent institutions worldwide, spanning six countries and three continents: Australia, Europe, and North America.

Its first author is Amy Peacock, who works with the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, as well as with the School of Medicine at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, which is also in Australia.

The authors sourced their information mainly through records held by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington in Seattle.

“Alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use are major global risk factors for disability and premature loss of life,” the researchers write in the report’s introduction.

“Estimating the prevalence of use and associated burden of disease and mortality at the country, regional, and global level is critical in quantifying the extent and severity of the burden arising from substance use.”

These are the reasons why the team decided to publicize an up-to-date collection of available statistics — as complete as possible — about the issue of substance use and abuse, and its economic and medical burden around the world.

The report has now been published in the journal Addiction.

Alcohol, tobacco use ‘far more prevalent’

Citing the Global Burden of Disease study from 2015, the researchers note that tobacco use has led to 170.9 million disability-adjusted life-years worldwide. Second in line comes alcohol consumption, to which 95 million disability-adjusted life-years are attributed.

No less worryingly, illicit drug consumption has caused individuals around the globe to claim 27.8 million disability-adjusted life-years.

Based on the data available to them, the authors note, “Alcohol use and tobacco smoking are far more prevalent than illicit substance use, globally and in most regions.”

About 1 in 5 adults worldwide will have engaged in heavy alcohol consumption on at least one occasion in the past month, which may increase the risk of sustaining injuries.

Also, an estimated 15.2 percent of adults smoke on a daily basis. People who frequently smoke, the researchers warn, are at an increased risk of developing 12 different forms of cancer, respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular diseases, to name but a few related health outcomes.

The data also suggest that the “use of illicit drugs [is] far less common” than the use of alcohol and tobacco worldwide; estimates indicate that “fewer than 1 in 20 people” reported an instance of cannabis use over the past year.

Even fewer people are thought to engage in amphetamine, opioid, or cocaine use. Nevertheless, some regions — including the United States, Canada, and Australasia — have very high rates of illicit drug abuse that warrant concern.

The authors of the report note that Australasia came up as the region with “the highest prevalence of amphetamine dependence,” amounting to 491.5 per 100,000 people. Australasian populations also appeared to use other drugs, such as cannabis, opioids, and cocaine, more frequently.

Europeans score high on heavy drinking

The authors also note that, in stark contrast with the populations of other continents, people across Central, Eastern, and Western Europe tend to indulge much more in alcohol consumption.

Per capita, Central Europeans drink 11.61 liters of alcohol per person, Eastern Europeans drink 11.98 liters per person, and Western Europeans consume 11.09 liters.

Europe was also discovered to contain the highest number of people who smoke tobacco, with 24.2 percent of Eastern Europeans, 23.7 percent of Central Europeans, and 20.9 percent of Western Europeans admitting to this habit.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, countries in North Africa and the Middle East reported the lowest rates of alcohol consumption, as well as the lowest percentage of heavy drinking.

However, the authors caution that the findings detailed in their report may not be complete, seeing that many regions — especially Africa, the Caribbean, South America, and Asia — have incomplete or missing data about substance use and its impact on the population’s health and well-being.

They therefore advise that in the future, public health organizations should develop and apply more rigorous methods of collecting relevant data and make them available to researchers and public policy-makers.

Still, “Regular compilations of global data on geographic variations in prevalence of substance use and disease burden, such as this, may encourage the improvements in data and methods required to produce better future estimates,” they conclude.

Alcohol, tobacco use ‘far more prevalent’

Citing the Global Burden of Disease study from 2015, the researchers note that tobacco use has led to 170.9 million disability-adjusted life-years worldwide. Second in line comes alcohol consumption, to which 95 million disability-adjusted life-years are attributed.

No less worryingly, illicit drug consumption has caused individuals around the globe to claim 27.8 million disability-adjusted life-years.

Based on the data available to them, the authors note, “Alcohol use and tobacco smoking are far more prevalent than illicit substance use, globally and in most regions.”

About 1 in 5 adults worldwide will have engaged in heavy alcohol consumption on at least one occasion in the past month, which may increase the risk of sustaining injuries.

Also, an estimated 15.2 percent of adults smoke on a daily basis. People who frequently smoke, the researchers warn, are at an increased risk of developing 12 different forms of cancer, respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular diseases, to name but a few related health outcomes.

The data also suggest that the “use of illicit drugs [is] far less common” than the use of alcohol and tobacco worldwide; estimates indicate that “fewer than 1 in 20 people” reported an instance of cannabis use over the past year.

Even fewer people are thought to engage in amphetamine, opioid, or cocaine use. Nevertheless, some regions — including the United States, Canada, and Australasia — have very high rates of illicit drug abuse that warrant concern.

The authors of the report note that Australasia came up as the region with “the highest prevalence of amphetamine dependence,” amounting to 491.5 per 100,000 people. Australasian populations also appeared to use other drugs, such as cannabis, opioids, and cocaine, more frequently.

Europeans score high on heavy drinking

The authors also note that, in stark contrast with the populations of other continents, people across Central, Eastern, and Western Europe tend to indulge much more in alcohol consumption.

Per capita, Central Europeans drink 11.61 liters of alcohol per person, Eastern Europeans drink 11.98 liters per person, and Western Europeans consume 11.09 liters.

Europe was also discovered to contain the highest number of people who smoke tobacco, with 24.2 percent of Eastern Europeans, 23.7 percent of Central Europeans, and 20.9 percent of Western Europeans admitting to this habit.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, countries in North Africa and the Middle East reported the lowest rates of alcohol consumption, as well as the lowest percentage of heavy drinking.

However, the authors caution that the findings detailed in their report may not be complete, seeing that many regions — especially Africa, the Caribbean, South America, and Asia — have incomplete or missing data about substance use and its impact on the population’s health and well-being.

They therefore advise that in the future, public health organizations should develop and apply more rigorous methods of collecting relevant data and make them available to researchers and public policy-makers.

Still, “Regular compilations of global data on geographic variations in prevalence of substance use and disease burden, such as this, may encourage the improvements in data and methods required to produce better future estimates,” they conclude.

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Three Ways To Start Exercising When You Don’t Feel Like It

At two years sober, I was miserable: 300 pounds, depressed, and I hated my body. I couldn’t bear to look in the mirror. I had zero energy and my life revolved around meetings, work, and carb binges. That wasn’t the recovery I signed up for. Today, exercising is a crucial element of my recovery—without it, I am not looking after my whole-self and my sobriety is affected.

I didn’t really understand the concept of holistic wellness, or a holistic approach to recovery, until I faced the hatred I felt toward my body. I was looking after my spiritual health in AA, but I was binge eating every day, and was exhausted all the time. Holistic means:

I very quickly realised that to continue to eat and feel this way wasn’t an option for my recovery. I asked for help and began working one-to-one with a coach who helped me step-by-step.

When I started looking at how to address my weight with her I didn’t anticipate that I’d be revolutionising my relationship with my body, learning how to intuitively eat and how to fuel my body properly. She enabled me to find a means to energise myself naturally—through food and exercise. I never thought for a minute that my physical health would affect my recovery.

Easy Ways To Start Exercising

Exercise was a catalyst for not only learning to love my body and realizing its strength, but also enhancing my recovery. The way I approached exercise was simple:

Begin walking 10,000 steps a day.
Find physical activities that I enjoy, like weight lifting, martial arts, hiking, and walking.
Build exercise into my life: I bought a bike, so I had to cycle everywhere; if I got the bus, I got off two or three stops early; when friends asked to meet up I suggested a hike; I asked friends with dogs if I could come on a walk with them; and I took a break from work by walking around the block or to my favourite tea shop.

The options are endless. I think what’s key is to pick things that work for you. Don’t do anything that you don’t enjoy because you’ll get resentful and you’re unlikely to stick to it in the long-run.

Physical health is an important and interconnected part of my recovery, just as spiritual and mental health are too. By making these small and incremental changes, I slowly began connecting the dots to facilitate a holistic approach to recovery. From that place, I:

Lost weight (60 pounds)
Reorganized my relationship with food, and
Developed a much healthier relationship with my body

Best of all, I was able to look in the mirror, and I felt whole for the first time in my life.

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Deaths By Suicide And Firearms Are Rising Sharply Among Kids

From Jamie Ducharme @ Time: After years of progress, deaths by suicide, homicide and other means of injury are way up among kids, according to new data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.

The overall death rate for children between ages 10 and 19 fell by 33% between 1999 and 2013. But from 2013 to 2016, the report says, it crept back up by 12% — in large part because of a sizable increase in injury deaths, a category that includes deaths by suicide, homicide and unintentional injuries or accidents.

A total of 9,716 kids died by injury in 2016, a 17% increase over 2013, the report says. Unintentional injuries, such as those caused by car accidents, accounted for the largest number of child deaths (4,999 in 2016), but saw the smallest increase: After a 49% decline from 1999 to 2013, these types of deaths rose by 13% from 2013 to 2016.

Meanwhile, fewer children died by suicide (2,553) or homicide (1,963) than by accidental injuries in 2016, but rates of both rose sharply during the study time period. Suicide rates, which dropped by 15% from 1999 to 2007, rose by 56% between 2007 and 2016. Homicide rates, which decreased by 35% between 2007 and 2014, climbed by 27% from 2014 to 2016.

The report also showed that more girls are dying by suicide now than in the recent past, a finding that is consistent with other recent data. Boys have historically died by suicide far more frequently than girls, but the gap is narrowing, in part due to a 70% increase in suicide deaths among girls between 2010 and 2016. That uptick far outpaced the 44% increase among boys observed between 2007 and 2016.

The report doesn’t delve into why rates of suicide, homicide and other injury deaths are climbing for kids and adolescents. But it notes that firearms were involved in 87% of all homicides and 43% of all suicides among this age group. The data also comes in the wake of recent studies that have found significant increases in rates of depression and loneliness among young people.

Despite the troubling increases in recent years, the report stresses that child injury death rates are still roughly 25% lower than they were in 1999. Still, “the recent upturn shows that persistent as well as emerging challenges remain,” the authors write.

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The Ultimate Summer Bucket List

From Katie @ Wellness Mama:  A lot of summer bucket list are kid-focused, and no surprise since parents aren’t often wondering what to do with all their extra free time. Still, I’m a firm believer that we can’t give what we don’t have and we can’t teach what we don’t do ourselves.

Make time to do something relaxing and invigorating. Schedule a babysitter, swap childcare with a friend, or set aside a day of the week to work on something that’s been on the back burner but would be very rewarding. And don’t feel guilty about it!

Ultimately, we all know that kids learn by watching our habits (no pressure!), and we can only give them our best when we take time to recharge ourselves.

2018’s Ultimate Summer Bucket List



Hike a new trail.
Try a new food at the farmer’s market.
Visit a nearby nature center.
Finally go check out the state parks near our house that we’ve never visited.
Build a sandcastle as a family (and enter a sandcastle contest if we can find one!).
Go to a matinee or drive-in movie.
Put bubble solution in a kids’ pool and use a hula hoop to be inside a giant bubble!
Make a lemonade stand.
Catch fireflies.
Make popsicles from fruit and chia seeds.
Have a luau for neighbors and friends.
Look up local outdoor concerts
Stay up late and try to find constellations.
Go fishing and learn how to clean the fish.
Visit a local museum (these are usually free) and learn about the history of our town/neighborhood.
Play frisbee.
Turn on some oldies and have a dance party in the living room.
Play wiffle ball in the backyard.
Make homemade ice cream.
Try out the free kids’ workshop at Home Depot.
Learn new card games.
Have a backyard campout.
Teach kids how to jump rope (and practice it myself… yikes).
Take a nap! (Maybe in a hammock?)
Fly a kite.
Build a fort.
Play Capture the Flag.
Climb trees.
Go to a fruit farm U-pick and make homemade freezer jam.
Start a read-aloud tradition at night (one chapter).

Hopefully, with a little (fun) advance planning you will have your own fantastic family summer bucket list to mix things up and make this summer a great one!

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5 Ways To Manage Disappointment

Recently a lot of negative things happened all at the same time to our friend, Lorna. Lorna’s electric company mistakenly cancelled her account while she was on a business trip. Her phone service was halted for nonpayment even though she was paid up. An important business deal she had been counting on for financial security fell through at the same time.

She’d lost contact with one of her children in a spectacularly hostile way, and last but not least, the flight home she was on aborted in the middle of take-off when the thrusters failed. That means the plane didn’t have the lift to get off the ground.

And that was exactly how Lorna felt about her life. For a person working on peace and happiness, she was overwhelmed. It felt as if too much negativity and hurt were coming her way. It’s relatively easy to get your electricity and phone service going again. When airline issues ground you far from home, there are solutions for that, too. But a crucial lost business deal and a loved one at war with her were disappointments that made her feel she just couldn’t get out of the pit of despair.

Disappointment is the state of being dissatisfied, discontented, or frustrated. A loved one hates you, or is in trouble, is tough to take. Wanting financial security and watching it drift away is also painful. How to get out of it? You’ve heard of the animals in traps (and even humans) that bite off a limb to escape and survive. That technique may work in the wild, but doesn’t work with the spiritual condition. And disappointment is a spiritual condition.

The Real Vs. Imagined Trap

If you are actually caught in a trap and don’t have a cell phone to call for help and can’t get out even by gnawing off your feet, you have good reason for frustration and disappointment. For most everything else there is a solution.

Disappointments are nothing but failed expectations. If you expect your utilities to work, your loved ones to be reasonable and love you back, your flights to be on time and connect, your business opportunities to pan out just as you imagined they would, then you are bound to be disappointed quite a lot in life. Think of disappointments as rocks that drag you down. Here are 5 ways to let go of the weight.

1. Avoid Disappointment By Lowering Your Expectations

Knowing that you have no control over the weather, equipment, billing systems, and the behavior of other people, you don’t have to take any setback as a personal disappointment. Planning without expecting any particular outcome lowers the stakes. It helps to know the negative outcome doesn’t matter that much.

2. Be Grateful For Small Solutions

There is a feeling of relief and mastery when you repair what can be repaired. Lorna fixed her electricity and phone issues with two phone calls and the airline got her home on a nonstop flight. Arriving home safely filled her with joy, as did seeing the sunrise, and reuniting with her dog.

3 Letting Go Is The Key To Resilience

An author we know was rejected so much she was frequently in despair. It felt so personal. Judy thought she was a good writer and felt as if editors were torturing her every time her work was turned down. Other people we know experience the same feelings when they have a hard time getting a job, are laid off or fired, get hurt by a friend, lover, or family member. Or they simply feel awful when others seem to be having fun. The Taylor Swift song “Shake it Off” has been such a success because shaking it off is the key to resilience. Imagine putting those rejections in a party balloon and letting the breeze take them far far away.

4. Be Optimistic

It is a fact that optimistic people are happier, experience fewer disappointments, and enjoy life more. Optimistic people also live longer. Optimism brings also hope and confidence. It is the opposite of expectation. Think optimism as a lifesaver that buoys you up and keeps you safe in troubled waters while disappointment is a heavy weight that can drag you down.

5. Do What Taylor Swift Does

The post 5 Ways To Manage Disappointment appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.

5 Lessons I Learned From My Father’s Alcohol Addiction

From SoberNation.com:

I had a great childhood. At one point, my Father was my best friend, and the amazing times I had with him will be forever etched inside my mind. We went to countless baseball games, he taught me how to drive, picked me up after school and took me to the movies, and no matter what, loved me unconditionally and believed in me more than I believed in myself. However, despite all those wonderful times that I’ve held onto, some of the clear and vivid memories that stay stuck in the back of my mind come crashing down like a stone thrown onto a sleek reflective pool.

There was that time at 13 that my Father and I took a trip to Boston to see Fenway park and I had to pour his wine down the drain because I was afraid of what would happen. There was the time at 14 when he fell off of the couch from being so drunk and got a black eye and blamed it on someone else. There was the time that my Dad dropped me off at my guitar lessons and went to the bar for a couple of drinks and picked me back up with liquor on his breath. There was also the time when I was 17 and my Father slept walk into my room naked because he was piss ass drunk and peed in my closet.

If My Dad Didn’t Get Sober, Why Should I Have To?

Despite all of the negative and traumatic memories in my mind, my Father was a good man. However, there was also that important time in my life when I had the mentality that if my Dad didn’t have to get sober and practice a program, neither did I.

I thought that I could fix my father — like in the movies, when the character you love is about to die and there’s a dramatic scene right before the bad guy surrenders. In the end, everyone lives happily ever after. I however was definitely starring in a different movie – and the movie had a surprise ending, and then I found out I couldn’t even fix myself through my own addiction.

My Father passed away a year and a half ago. I stood next to my Dad in his hospital room when he passed. I combed his salt and pepper black hair with my fingers as he took his last breath with not the least bit of resentment. After my Father passed away, the stash of alcohol and pill bottles I found was disturbing. Having a parent with alcoholism can be an endless disappointment. However, even in their darkest moments, they’re still your hero. I loved my Dad for who he was. I had always hoped that he could get sober despite his demons.

In the years of growing up with and without a father who drank and wondering if alcoholism defined “me,” I’ve learned a few things, often the hard way. These lessons, which I live by now, all resulted in a better, healthier “me.”

I Am Not My Father, Or His Addiction

I am my own person. I have my own life, and my Father’s choices don’t define who I am as a person. I can’t control anybody else’s actions, so I’m going to do what I can with what I have to live the best life of my own.

Forgiveness Is Key

Hate never wins, so love your loved ones through their troubles. That’s what I did with my Father and what others did with me. The person needs to want it.. If they don’t come around, at least you’ll be at peace with yourself knowing you did everything within you that you could.

I Can Change My Story

Just because my Father didn’t attend meetings, live a sober life, doesn’t mean I have to choose to do the same. I thought for a long time, “my Father isn’t sober, so why should I have to go to treatment?” That type of thinking kept me at a disadvantage from experiencing all the gifts that sobriety had to offer.

I Don’t Compare Anymore

It can be easy to be bitter when life feels, “unfair,” or when you feel you’ve pulled the short end of the stick, but life isn’t about what’s fair. My story is my own. I don’t feel the need to compare or invite others to my pity-party. You might feel like you’re being duped because the person you care about isn’t doing what’s obviously right, but getting worked up about these choices won’t affect the other person. It only affects you.

He Lives On In Me

Today, my Father lives on in my life. I am able to use his mistakes and lessons to live a life that he would want to live. In my own opinion, I was predisposed to an addiction because of my Father. Today I can look back and actually be grateful for that. My Father loved me as best as he could and knew how. Without my addiction, it wouldn’t have led to my recovery, and without my recovery I would never be able to have the most amazing life and be forever grateful for everything I have, including him.

The post 5 Lessons I Learned From My Father’s Alcohol Addiction appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.