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RUTH SKILLICORN'S DRUG AWARENESS SITE (2)
LADIES / GIRLS - WANT TO GET PREGNANT ? (CLICK HERE)- Before you take the first step, consider "ALCOHOL FETAL (FOETAL) SYNDROME" Alcohol, the No.1 killer drug, could be the death of your baby or he / she may turn out to be brain damaged. Shun alcohol like the plague, even before you think of having sex.
"FACING THE DRAGON"
Republished with the kind permission of -
THE WOMAN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION OF S.A.., Inc.,
145 Hutt Street, Adelaide, Australia. Phone / fax +61+8+8223+2723
SOME BASIC FACTS ABOUT HEROIN
There is nothing new about Heroin. . Heroin is an opiate and these drugs are amongst the earliest known to Man. They are derived from opium which is the sap of the white or purple poppy. Opium has always been valued for its ability to relieve pain and feared because of its addictive and destructive power. Morphine and Heroin are the results of Man's attempts to separate out the two sides of opium. Both have a greater ability to relieve pain but this has been achieved with an accompanying increase in addictive power.
The common street name for someone who abuses Heroin is a "Junkie". The drug is known by many names such as "junk", "smack", "H" or "scag". You may find that you are offered some under a different name, with the promise that "it will make you feel good". Perhaps a friend will give you some free. Most people start this way but soon find out that Heroin costs them a great deal. Addiction will make you desperate and an easy target for the pushers who sell the drug.
Using Heroin does relieve pain (for which it was designed) and will remove anxiety, fear and misery for a short time. A lot of people attracted to it tend to be those who need tender, loving care from fellow human beings rather than a chemical crutch. Sometimes it seems that users, whether they are rich or poor, would prefer to die stoned rather than face up to themselves and the world in which they live.
Junkies may admit that their lifestyle is grotesque, squalid and degrading. As they become addicted to Heroin, their 'high' all but goes away and the drug actually becomes a way to escape the pain of withdrawal. This is true, no matter how the drug is used. People who think that it is alright to smoke Heroin are just fooling themselves. Of course, it is dangerous to inject - with the added risk of AIDS, for those sharing needles - but it is a fact that the drug has exactly the same effect and the same dangers whatever method is used. You do not have to collapse your veins to be a junkie. You can do it just as effectively by collapsing the membranes of your nose by inhaling (snorting) it or cause your lungs to be ulcerated by smoking is - "CHASING THE DRAGON".
Of course, most people who are stuck on Heroin started off thinking that it would not do them any harm. Every junkie thinks that he or she can be the unique exception, the one able to use it without getting hooked. But a drug which is strong enough to conquer the pain of cancer is a drug strong enough to entrap anyone who uses it. You may be offered the drug free, maybe by a "friend". You may have a friend who is using the drug. If someone offers you Heroin, even if they say it is free, remember that they are offering you a one-way ticket to addiction, misery and possibly an early grave, so - NEVER START
WHAT DOES HEROIN LOOK LIKE? - It is a white or pink / beige powder which may be smoked, inhaled or injected. Heroin bought on the street is impure, often mixed with sugar or other drugs and sedatives, so overdosing is always a possibility.
IMMEDIATE EFFECTS :-Heroin is quickly absorbed into the blood. It is a depressant drug which quickly slows down the central nervous system.
EFFECTS MAY INCLUDE:- (1) Relief of pain. (2) a feeling of well-being which may last from 6 to 10 hours. (3) nausea and vomiting. (4) shrinkage of the pupils of the eyes. (5) shallow breathing which, with larger doses, can lead to death. (6) impaired motor skills, vision, speed of reaction and perception of sounds, time and space. (7) impaired thinking and decision-making ability.
LONG TERM EFFECTS MAY INCLUDE :- (1) those who inject may suffer from collapsed veins, HIV or hepatitis B and C. (2) abscesses. (3) constipation. (4) loss of sex drive and menstrual irregularity. (5) damage to heart, liver, lungs and brain, caused by impurities. (6) loss of appetite.
HOW ADDICTIVE IS HEROIN ? It is VERY addictive because of the feeling of joy and relief it gives. People very quickly become both physically and psychologically dependent on it. With continual use, more and more of the drug is needed to gain the same effect.
STAGES OF WITHDRAWAL:- When the drug is absent from the body or the body's demands are not met, withdrawal sets in. A few hours after the last fix, the user will experience anxiousness and a craving for the drug. 8 - 12 hours after, the eyes and nose run, pupils dilate, there is yawning and the flesh becomes cold and clammy, with "goose pimples", the muscles can twitch and the user's limbs will ache. Gradually, this leads to muscle cramps, nausea and considerable depression, with loss of appetite. Eventually, there is violent vomiting and diarrhoea, prostration, extreme distress and life becomes endangered. Withdrawal is PAINFUL AND VERY DISTRESSING. It can last for 2 - 10 days.
REFERENCES :- HOPE U.K., TREND - "Facing the Dragon", "Drugs and our Community" - Report of the Premier's Drug Advisory Council , March 1996. "Drugs - the facts, the risks, the reality" - State Govt. of Victoria.
A CHURCH MEMBER AND THE DRINK PROBLEM
By Bertha Rachel Palmer - republished by kind permission of the WCTU of S.A., (Inc.) 145 Hutt St., South Australia, Australia, 5000.
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE BEGINNING OF OUR DRUG AWARENESS SITE
The aim of every member of the Church should be to aid in upholding the high purposes of the church, to assist men and women to rise above personal and social temptations, and to give their best talents and service to the church and community.
The church is concerned with the drink problem at the point of human personality. Jesus declared that the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost. Christianity endeavours to redeem men and women from enthralling habits and to make the realisation of their highest possibilities as children of God. This purpose puts the Christian religion in direct conflict with those elements in society which seek to exploit human weakness, to degrade or destroy personality, and to prevent the individual from achieving his / her highest spiritual development.
The modern scientific laboratory finds alcohol a narcotic, small amounts of which affect the highest mental and moral functions first - caution, judgement and self-control. These are the God-likeness attributes which, created in the image of God, make us different from and superior to the animals.
The two great impulses to drinking are prompted by the liquor traffic: the ubiquitous taverns and the colorful, ever-present advertising on billboards and in magazines. Both are paid for by the drinkers - not only by drunks, but by those who drink moderately, perhaps not enough yet to interfere with their business or occupation. The drunkards all know what drinking does for them and they curse it. But the moderate drinker, under the assumption that he can "let it alone when he wants to, vigorously protests his right to drink when he wants to - until, too often, he finds for himself and others that it is too late.
Example appeals to the desire to imitate - the example suggested by a poster, a magazine picture, a sound on the radio of T.V., the action of an associate - these can be resisted when there is a firm belief, based on definite knowledge, supported by habits fostered and strengthened by moral conviction in the home and church. Christianity is a moral religion. The Bible - given to us for doctrine, teaches us what is right and what is wrong. "You shall not consume wine or strong drink", "Woe to him who gives the bottle to his neighbour" are as positive and binding as though numbered among the Ten Commandments.
The "thou shalt not", thundered to Aaron and his sons was followed by Solomon's warning from his own experience, "Look not on the wine when it is red"(fermented). This means abstinence, not moderation.
Of our estimated 203 million population in 1970 (in the U.S.), 128,505,000 were members of 322,088 Religious bodies * (Statistical Abstract of the United States - 1971). [* A number of religious bodies do not submit reports.]
It has become obvious during these past few years that efforts to solve the drink problem must be based on some educational procedure influenced by deep social and spiritual concern. The legalisation of the manufacture, distribution and sale of alcoholic liquor has created conditions to which the church cannot be indifferent and still be true to its high purpose in the world. Direction and motivation are given to life in three primary social institutions of civilisation - the home, the church and the school. The duty of the church is to instruct its members who form more than half of those who live in the nation's homes and who control the schools. What the people demand, they have. The church members dare not shirk their responsibility in this which, more than any other thing, directly and indirectly devastates the homes of the land. To meet this responsibility, every church ought to formulate a carefully thought out program of alcohol education and action.
It is useless to speak of "moderation" in reference to a substance which affects the drinker's power to stop. Alcohol, in small amounts in beverages (or induced by flavour and odor in cooking) is potentially habit-forming and tends to lead to drinking more and more to produce the desired effect. Abstinence from narcotics in any form is the only stand for the Christian citizen, by personal example and expressed conviction to influence others, and by active participation in all movements to reduce the number of drinking places and so make safer for others the community in which he lives. Every church member can do these four things: (1) Be an abstainer. (2) Maintain a alcohol-free home; no beer, no wine, no cocktails nor any other alcoholic beverage. (3) Be in formed and ready to give the reason for the faith within. (4) Be eager, like the early apostles, to bring others into this new way of life.
The liquor industry would destroy the church, if it could. The Church could destroy the liquor traffic, if it would !
(By Bertha Rachel Palmer, with kind permission of the WCTU)
CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE - A MOTHER's NIGHTMARE - by Andrea Rohde
Reproduced with the kind permission of The Victim Support Service,
G.P.O. Box 112, Adelaide, 5001, Australia - Email:- victimsa@camtech.net.au
"It is estimated that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 9 boys are sexually abused as children. Usually the offender is known and trusted by the family and may be a partner, father, brother, teacher, coach or friend. Both men and women can abuse children, however, the abuser is usually male.
There are many myths about child sexual abuse. Some of these are :- (1) The mother must have known it was happening. (2) The mother must be a bad wife or mother. (3) The abuse does not really hurt the child. (4) All abusers were abused themselves. (5) Children often lie about being abused. These myths minimise the abuse, place the blame on the child or the mother, and excuse the offender from taking responsibility for his actions.
It can be very distressing for parents to learn that their child has been sexually abused. They often feel shock, denial, confusion, anger, guilt, isolation, fear, betrayal and depression. There are many services that help the children to cope with their trauma, but often parents report that they also need support for themselves. VICTIM SUPPORT SERVICE offers counselling for non-offending parents of children who have been sexually abused and also run a 10 week group called the "After Child Trauma Group". (Extract of report by Andrea Rohde)
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CONTINUATION
'AN IMPOSSIBLE DREAM' - our autobiography covering 31 years in in Asia
AUSTRALIA - THE LUCKY COUNTRY
THE PERFECT MENTOR FOR THOSE IN NEED OF COUNSELLING
INDIA - THE LAND OF OUR ADOPTION
INDEX OF ALL OUR PERSONAL WEB-SITES
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