Lets try and keep this short and sweet without getting into any personal complications
The Gadgies are only here to help, as simple as...
(now this could end up being a cool page)
STEP 1: DETECT THE PROBLEM-->
[1. Detect the problem.]
[2. Hate the drugs, not the user.]
[3. Provide a drug-free option.]
[4. Recommend that your friend seek help.]
[5. Praise successes.]
When one of your friends starts to get messed up on alcohol or drugs, it can be hard to bring it up and talk to him/her about it. Most people just keep their mouths shut because they don't want to seem nosy or puritanical. It's much easier to maintain the assumption that everything's cool.
Unfortunately, substance abuse is just not cool in fact, it's shit (really sucks). There's nothing worse, than watching a friend get eaten up by her addiction until she's not your friend anymore. It's time to talk to your friends about the crap they're ingesting before it eats them up and they lose everything.
If you know someone who might have a problem, read on and see what you think about our advice. Please note that we are not professional counselors. We'll tell you how to get in touch with counselors or treatment centers, but your friend probably needs professional help, not you.
What we hope to provide is mostly common-sense advice for anyone who wants to be a good friend to someone who needs one.
It's not always easy to see when someone's use of alcohol or drugs is turning into abuse. You are probably aware of some of the occasions on which your friend has partied heartly, but you don't know if she is going home and inhaling cleaning products by herself all night. Needless to say, if you do become aware of that sort of behavior, it is what we refer to as a "warning sign."
Here is a list of warning signs that can help you to determine whether or not your friend has a problem. Have a look at these Warning Signs.
* Difficulties in controlling substance.
* A strong desire or sense of compulsion to take the substance.
* Progressive neglect of alternative pleasures or interests because of psychoactive substance use, increased amount of time necessary to obtain or take the substance or to recover from its effects.
* Persisting with substance use despite clear evidence of overtly harmful consequences, depressive mood states consequent to heavy use, or drug related impairment of cognitive functioning.
* Evidence of tolerance, such that increased doses of the psychoactive substance are required in order to achieve effects originally produced by lower doses.
* A physiological withdrawal state when substance use has ceased or been reduced, as evidenced by: the characteristic withdrawal syndrome for the substance; or use of the same (or a closely related) substance with the intention of relieving or avoiding withdrawal symptoms.
The funny thing about lists like these is that just about anyone who likes to take a drink from time to time will look at it and think "It looks like I have a problem!" Don't worry about that. This article is about poking your nose into other people's business, not taking responsibility for your own actions.
What level of use constitutes a qualified problem depends heavily on what sort of drug a person is using. For example, it is possible, and some consider it quite healthy, to have a drink a day for your entire life without it becoming a problem. It is not, on the other hand, possible to have a safe level of cocaine or heroin use. One dose of either drug can kill you under particular circumstances, and it's difficult to tell when you're in those circumstances. Furthermore, we've known too many people who claimed that their cocaine use was "just an occasional indulgence" or "something I do at parties." Normal, successful people say things like this and end up addicted, sleeping in doorways, with crack pipes duct taped to their heads.
The bottom line is, look at the list of diagnostic guidelines above, and try to see where your friend fits in. If your friend is using cocaine or heroin, skip the guidelines ? there's a problem. Otherwise, if you think a number of the guidelines do apply, resolve to sit down with your friend and talk about his/her substance use/abuse.
STEP 2: HATE THE DRUGS, NOT THE USER --
[1. Detect the problem.]
[2. Hate the drugs, not the user.]
[3.Provide a drug-free option.]
[4. Recommend that your friend seek help.]
[5. Praise successes.]
It's tough to sit down with your friend and make comments that will invariably provoke the response "Who are you, my mother?" However, you've got to start somewhere, and the best thing to do is to criticize the substance that your friend is taking. If you start by criticizing or questioning some aspect of your friend's behavior, he might just shut you out, become defensive, or become confrontational. Of course, it doesn't take a genius to guess that a conversation that starts out with "Cocaine certainly is a dangerous chemical, wouldn't you say?" is going somewhere other than chemistry. Don't say it that therapisty way. Say it in the tone of voice you use when you're commiserating or communicating with your friend, and say something like "Cocaine sure sucks." If your friend bites at the bait you've laid out and starts talking it, then you've got an opening to try to find out what's going on. Once the conversation turns to her substance use, casually ask how much she's using, and how often. Then ask if she thinks that's a lot, and, if she doesn't, ask what would be a lot.
During this initial conversation, you just want to get your friend to admit to you and herself how much she's using, and to get her thinking about whether she's got a problem or not. Don't push it too far, and never be critical or judgmental. Close by saying that you want to help and that you want to talk about it again sometime.
If your friend does not take the bait, don't push. Once you've said something, both of you will know why you said it, and it will hang there until your friend chooses to acknowledge it. He might be ignoring it just to show you that he doesn't have to talk to you about it if he doesn't want to. He'd be right ? he doesn't have to talk to you. So just leave it alone
and see if he has the guts to come back to your earlier comment sometime later. If he doesn't, wait for another occasion and try again. It might sound like we're suggesting you pussyfoot around the issue and keep the kid gloves on forever. What about tough love? We advise you to leave any confrontational approach to the family and/or the thoughts and get professionals. It's not your place to slap your friend around and be answers to your confrontational, and if you try it you'll almost certainly do it wrong questions! and make things worse. If your attempts at gentle intervention are continually brushed off or ineffective, you should think about talking to her family (i.e., telling them he's a junkie), and suggesting they talk to a counselor about one of the more dramatic, tough love style interventions. If we can't talk you out of staging your own intervention, please, please speak to a professional councilor or otherwise seek help before you do it.
STEP 3 PROVIDE A DRUG FREE OPTION-->
[1. Detect the problem.]
[2. Hate the drugs, not the user.]
[3. Provide a drug-free option.]
[4. Recommend that your friendseeks help]
[5. Praise successes.]
As people become more involved with drugs, they start to seek the company of others who will do the drugs with them, enable them to obtain the drugs more easily, and won't hassle them about the drugs.
Once you decide that your friend has a problem, you must NEVER take the substance he or she uses when you're with him. For example, if you like to drink occasionally, you shouldn't drink with your alcoholic friend. Think up other things to do and talk your friend into doing them. Chances are, he's got plenty of friends to drink with, so you need to provide a sober option. If you're picturing skipping through alpine meadows or youth group meetings run by Ned Flanders, that's not necessarily what we mean. Try taking your friend out for coffee or dinner (at a non-licensed Building restaurant, if she's a drinker) and making -good conversation- the focus of the evening. Or see a film, play pool,or dominos go ballet dancing, or start a Boxing Club. There are plenty of things to do -- that ain't shit -- that do not involve substance abuse. You should make it a point to draw up a (secret) list of things to do, and make it your goal to get your mate to do them all with you. When the two of you do something fun that doesn't involve sitting around getting messed up, your friend will remain aware that there are other ways of living.
Addicts who have strong social or family networks and jobs are more likely to be able to break their addictions than addicts who are alienated and unemployed.
Make sure you get in there before your friend loses so much that she doesn't care anymore.
STEP 4: RECOMMEND THAT YOUR FRIEND SEEK HELP -
[1. Detect the problem.]
[2. Hate the drugs, not the user.]
[3.Provide a drug-free option.]
[4. Recommend that your friend seek help.]
[5. Praise successes.] Once you've gotten to the point
where your friend trusts you to talk to him about his problem, you've got to recommend that he should seek help. Alcoholism and drug addiction don't go away by themselves, and few people are strong enough to quit cold turkey. The help you provide is necessary and important, but it probably isn't sufficient. There are many different ways to get help with addiction, and you should suggest them all to your friend until you hit on one that's acceptable to her.
We'll provide you with a list of suggested places to get help, and you can either print it out and give it to your friend or just remember the ones which seem suitable and talk to him about them. One simple way your friend can get help is to see her family G.P, her physician will be familiar, discreet and aware of all the available resources.
Ask us a specific question and get a personalized Most of these resources are only starting points. They will either answer from a refer your friend to a local treatment center or perhaps only to qualified another, more local, referral service. It can be a bit frustrating, and you need to stick with your friend and ensure that she keeps calling until she finds help. By help, we mean either counseling or a treatment center. Of course, they do counseling at treatment centers, but we use the two terms as follows. Counseling means you continue to live your life and you go and talk to a counselor once in a while. A treatment center is a place where you go and few month while you receive you're frequent counseling, support, and, if necessary, medication (such as methadone). It will be up to your friend, in consultation with you, his family, other friends, physician, and/or anyone else who wants to stick his penny in, to determine which of these options is most suitable for her.
STEP 5: PRAISE SUCCESSES
[1. Detect the problem.]
[2. Hate the drugs, not the user.]
[3. Provide a drug-free option.]
[4. Recommend that your friend seek help.]
[5. Praise successes.]
Many, many recovering addicts relapse back into addiction. It's a sad fact that once you've been addicted to something you're always somewhat at risk to start using it again, and your friend is no exception. That's why you've got to make sure he knows that any time he spends off the drug is good time. Keep up with his progress, and praise him for any success he has. Comment on how good he looks, how much happier he seems, and how things are really going well for him,even if these are blatant lies. Don't patronize, but be ridiculously positive. Another thing to remember is that recovering addicts tend to find life extremely boring once they start living life without the drug. Refer back to Step 3; you've got to be the no-drugs fun person who convinces your friend that a sober life is worth living. This might be tough on you, because your friend might actually be kind of boring while she tries to adjust. Be a good friend and stick with her. With your help, your friend could go on to be rich and successful, and then you can borrow money from her. And isn't that what being a friend is all about?
We wish the best of luck to you and anyone who is affected by substance abuse.
Have a specific question?
Share your thoughts and get answers to your questions!
later
in the mean...
grow your own...
In a pot, in your closet/drobe (lined with aluminum foil or white reflective paint). With a great overhead light with a very good trusty lightbulb, at least 6-12 inches away from the top of the plant. To make it taste good or add more nutrients put like banana peels, or a compost pile. It's like growing any other plant. A dehumidifier would be good, and a fan blowing against it. Light schedual to make it grow faster would be light 24/7 for a while then right before fruitation time you put it on 12 hours light 12 hours no light. Theres loads of great websites out there for growing pot plants. Just go to google.com and type in grow pot.
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