Owning Our Energy....

Owning Our Energy

Learn to keep your energy inside.

—Women, Sex, and Addiction

Charlotte Davis Kasl, Ph.D.

For many reasons, we may have mastered the art of giving away our energy. We may have learned it when we were young because the feelings we had were too overwhelming to feel, and we did not know how to process them.

Much of our obsessing, our intense focus on others, is done to facilitate this “out-of-body” experience we call codependency.

We obsess, we babble, we become anxious. We try to control, caretake, and fuss over others. Our energy spills out of us on to whomever.

Our energy is our energy. Our feelings, thoughts, issues, love, sexuality; our mental, physical, spiritual, sexual, creative, and emotional energy is ours.

We can learn to have healthy boundaries—healthy parameters—around ourselves and our energy. We can learn to keep our energy within ourselves and deal with our issues.

If we are trying to escape from our body, if our energy is spilling out of us in unhealthy ways, we can ask ourselves what is going on, what is hurting us, what we are avoiding, what we need to face, what we need to deal with.

Then, we can do that. We can come back home to live—in ourselves.

Today, I will keep my energy in my body. I will stay focused and within my boundaries. God, help me let go of my need to escape myself. Help me face my issues so I am comfortable living in my body.

Quoted from the book Language of Letting Go by Melody Beattie.

Don't let first year be a $20,000 party!...

Welcome Back to School: How to Stay Sober in College 

By Zachary Siegel 08/26/15

“I felt that as a StepUP student I was not only safe and secure, but that I had an identity of which I could be proud and people respected [me] around campus.”

“Recovery comes first, because if I can’t maintain that, I won’t stand a chance at this whole college thing,” said Julian M., a young and sober freshman who is a member of the Collegiate Recovery Program (CRP) at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. 

“My first semester at U of M is coming to a close and I am really proud of my accomplishments. I made connections with professors, went to office hours, and took my studies seriously,” he said. 

The main thing that I would like to see is an attitude of respect towards recovery and perhaps some level of awareness that students can explore recovery.

READ THE ARTICLE HERE.... 

Great 'App' for meditating....check it out HEADSPACE

Just by signing up you've taken the first step towards a life of less stress, more sleep and better focus. We'll be popping in now and again to help make sure you're getting the most from Headspace Take10: your 10 x 10-minute sessions of gently and expertly guided meditation. Getting started To begin with we recommend that you try one session a day. Start by setting aside a little time when you'll be undisturbed. Just 10 minutes. The time it takes to get dressed, have a coffee, or change your shirt (if you spilled the coffee. Too bad.) Start Take10 Now Sometimes it's the little things that make the biggest difference As well as your Take10 sessions, your free trial also includes access to these super handy tools and features: Track your progress Keep an eye on how many days you've done, how often you meditate and how many rewards you've earnt. The Buddy System Give a little and get a little back. Helping you and a friend encourage each other in your meditation. Our free app Access your Headspace sessions anywhere, anytime. Download today.

Join our Community Find out how other Headspacers are getting on, and share your experiences together: Need a little help? Visit our FAQs area for everything you need to know to get started. Have you taken your 10 minutes yet? Start Take10 Now

FOLLOW US

You have received this email as a registered user of Headspace.com.

MY HEADSPACE | HOW IT WORKS | FAQs | Ts&Cs

Headspace Inc, 612-B Hampton Drive, Venice, CA 90291, United States. Company Number: 07094561

Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse - Adolescent Marijuana Use and Its Impact on the Developing Brain

                                                                         
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   Adolescent Marijuana Use and Its Impact on the Developing Brain

Toronto, June 17, 2015 — In the sixth report in its signature Substance Abuse in Canada series, the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) today released research shedding critical light on how using cannabis (also known as marijuana) affects the developing adolescent brain.

Canadian youth have the highest rate of marijuana use in the developed world, and marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug among Canadians aged 15 to 24 years. Today’s report confirms that early and frequent marijuana use among this age group involves a greater risk of cognitive and behavioural impairment than marijuana use among adults.

Compiled by several well-known and respected experts in the field of marijuana research, The Effects of Cannabis Use during Adolescence provides a high-level, broad overview of the latest research on the issue. It gives valuable and useful evidence to teachers, healthcare providers and policy makers to help them develop and employ more effective youth drug use prevention and intervention programs. It will also help increase knowledge and understanding among parents, communities and people working with youth about the effects that marijuana use, particularly regular use, can have in adolescence and beyond.

CCSA sought to answer the following questions in the report:

•   What is the impact of marijuana on the brains and behaviour of young people?
  
•   Is there a link between marijuana use and mental illness?
  
•   Is marijuana addictive?
  
  The report answers these questions with evidence that marijuana is not a benign substance. Early and frequent use can seriously limit a young person’s educational, occupational and social development, and some of these adverse effects may be irreversible. Marijuana is also linked to mental illness, it is addictive, and it produces cognitive and motor function impairment that can present a safety hazard for drivers. Furthermore, previous CCSA research has shown that youth do not perceive marijuana to be a harmful substance, and there is evidence showing that as perceptions of risk decrease, rates of use increase.
  CCSA makes recommendations on what further steps should be taken, including:
  

•   Early identification and more effective treatment of problematic marijuana use;
  
•   Expanded prevention and intervention programs targeted at youth; and
  
•   More Canadian-based research and better data to inform policy, practice and programs.
  For more information on the report’s findings and recommendations, please consult the Backgrounder, Report in Short and full Technical Report.
  For over a quarter century, CCSA has lead the national dialogue on how to reduce the harms of alcohol and other drugs, including the release of national strategies on alcohol and prescription drug abuse. As part of this mandate, CCSA launched the Substance Abuse in Canada series in 2005 to draw attention to key substance abuse issues and highlight areas for action in both policy and practice. The organization is committed to ensuring that the millions of Canadians with substance use disorders have access to timely, high-quality treatment, and that recovery from this chronic health issue is an attainable and sustainable reality.
  500-75 rue Albert Street, Ottawa ON K1P 5E7 • Tel./Tél. : 613-235-4048 • Fax/Téléc. : 613-235-8101
  www.ccsa.ca • www.cclt.ca
  

Adolescent Marijuana Use and Its Impact on the Developing Brain

Quotes
“There is a significant debate in the public arena today about the place of marijuana in Canadian society. As Canada’s only national organization with a mandate to present best evidence on the harms of drugs and alcohol in our society, CCSA initiated this report on the effects of adolescent marijuana use at a critical time to contribute to greater public awareness and a more informed dialogue. The report is a timely review looking at what developmental, cognitive and mental health harms can arise from early and frequent use among youth, who are the future of our country. Canadian youth must understand and acknowledge that marijuana is not a harmless drug. CCSA believes that only a sustained, national and collaborative effort will be successful in addressing this issue.”
Rita Notarandrea
Chief Executive Officer (interim) Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse
“The new report released by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse is an important contribution to the ongoing global debates about the effects of cannabis use on health, and its focus on youth — the future of every nation — once again reminds us that cannabis use in adolescence can have a negative impact on psychosocial development, and prevention of cannabis and other substance use among young people should be a public health priority for contemporary societies.”
Dr. Vladimir Poznyak
Coordinator, Management of Substance Abuse World Health Organization
“CCSA’s report gives a solid summary of the latest research around the effects of cannabis use during adolescence, and provides professionals with information that is based in evidence — rather than myth or hype — that will be useful to parents and youth. The report is particularly important during this time of increasing public debate about the place of marijuana within Canadian society to better inform this discourse.”
Diane Buhler Executive Director Parent Action on Drugs
“As the science continues to evolve in this area, it is important to be proactive and use the latest evidence to guide our present policies and practices. The latest Substance Abuse in Canada report provides useful information and advice to those interested in working in the field.”
Dr. Franco Vaccarino
President and Professor of Psychology, University of Guelph Chair, CCSA Scientific Advisory Council
- 30 -
Media contact: media@ccsa.ca Twitter: @CCSACanada
500-75 rue Albert Street, Ottawa ON K1P 5E7 • Tel./Tél. : 613-235-4048 • Fax/Téléc. : 613-235-8101
www.ccsa.ca • www.cclt.ca 

Recreational Pot Smokers Change Their Brains, Too

Recreational Pot Smokers Change Their Brains, Too

A letter to Debra and Jeff Jay Interventionists:

We’ve just found out that our daughter and son, both away at college, are smoking pot. We learned this through their younger sister, who decided we should know. We talked to both of our children to express our disapproval and inform them that they needed to stop using this drug immediately. My husband and I were shocked at their responses. They didn’t care what we had to say, but rather vehemently defended marijuana as a harmless drug that is being legalized and also used as a beneficial medication. They are both certain that smoking this drug a couple times a week is perfectly safe and say they plan to continue smoking it recreationally. My husband blew up at their disrespectful attitude and the conversation devolved into a screaming match.

Neither my husband nor I drink. It is a decision we made when our children were little. Alcoholism runs in both of our families, and we decided not to tempt fate. We have raised our kids to understand that addiction is a genetic disease and that they could have inherited it. We consider ourselves informed, communicative parents who prepared our children to make smart decisions around drinking and drugs. But these two kids steamrolled us with arguments on why this drug is harmless. They are obviously getting a lot of pro-marijuana information, which is usurping our parental guidance and authority. We are at our wit’s end.

-Mom and Dad

Dear Mom and Dad:

A widespread belief that recreational marijuana use – smoking it a couple times a week – is perfectly safe is being challenged by a new study in the Journal of Neuroscience. Researchers from Harvard and Northwestern studied the brains of recreational pot smokers, ages 18 to 25, and compared them with non-marijuana smokers in the same age group.

Recreational Pot Smokers Change Their Brains, Too

In the areas of the brain that control emotions and motivation, recreational pot smokers showed significant abnormalities. “This is a part of the brain that you absolutely never ever want to touch,” said Hans Breiter, one of the researchers. These areas of the brain largely determine what we find pleasurable in life and how we gauge benefit and loss. Even those who only smoke once a week showed noticeable abnormalities. Smoking more often causes an increase in significant variations.

Breiter goes on to say, “People think a little marijuana shouldn’t cause a problem if someone is doing OK with work or school. Our data directly says this is not so.”

We don’t yet know exactly in what form these alterations to the brain change a person’s quality of life, but the emotional brain is a determining factor in our capacity to engage in healthy relationships, find a sense of happiness in life and have the ability to make good decisions. Memory is also exceedingly important in our capacity to make decisions.

Since the brain is in a rapid development phase during the teen years throughout the mid-twenties, introducing any drugs can alter this growth process and, according to neuroscientists, possibly cause permanent changes. When a brain’s ability to access emotions, process rewards, and make decisions is altered by marijuana, it should be taken seriously, according to researchers.

Additionally, by altering one’s mood with substances whenever socializing, social maturity is slowed or blocked. When we depend on a drug to do the work for us, we don’t develop socially in the same manner as we do when we’re sober.

We suggest you present this information to your children and pair it with a behavioral expectation that they stop using marijuana. If understanding how marijuana compromises their brains does not lead to an immediate end to their relationship with the drug, you have a bigger problem than recreational use. Kids value their brains. If they are willing to sacrifice their brain’s ability to function at its best possible level for the benefit of a high, seek professional help from a therapist who specializes in young adults and substance abuse. As parents, have a detailed conversation with the therapist before including your children to assess whether or not the therapist shares your values and expectations. 

Oct 9, 2014