Final Blog

As I look back into blog posts I must admit they were rather fun but it is definitely not something I can see myself doing on a regular basis. The various topics I discussed were all topics that I felt personal about and wanted to state my opinion on, in my general life that is not what I do. I have reviewed several other blogs and seen how naturally it comes to others while sometimes I felt as if it was a bit of a struggle for me. Some topics discussed in our book I felt hit too close too home and did not want to post anything in order to not expose too much. In the future, I may follow someone's blog if it is something that generates my interest such as fashion, or music but not for sensitive subjects such as drug use and abuse. I think some people may feel a sense of empowerment if they are a recovering addict and they can blog about past experiences, in which case, two thumbs up and keep moving forward. As for now, this will be my last blog for a while. I wish everyone the best of luck in their future endeavors.

Medical Marijuana's Stigma

The other day I read an article on my CNN app and meant to blog about it. It is a case that has been coming up across our nations more often regarding medical marijuana and parenting. Recently a couple in Napa, CA had their child taken away by Child Protective Services because police were called to their home by a neighbor who heard them arguing. Upon entering the house, the police state their house smelled strongly of marijuana and there were marijuana cigarettes laying on a table that would be within easy reach to their 11 month old son that has now been removed from their home. What is disturbing to me about this is that in the state of CA plus 19 other states, provide medical marijuana cards by healthcare providers, yet the families and the children still have to go through something like this. I think the stigma does still exist that although marijuana may be acceptable to certain practitioners to treat conditions, people will look at a couple like this and assume they are bad parents. I think if children are at stake of being removed from their homes because of this, doctors should first ask and not grant the licenses because in the long run this will cause greater harm and trauma to the child, then the parents will really need to constantly smoke in order to cope with the ordeal. I do not agree that every parent that smokes marijuana is a bad parent and yes, there is still studies to be done to see if there is impairment of caring for your child while high, but in the mean time, no amount of marijuana or any feel good substance is worth the risk of losing your child. 

Story retrieved from:http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/12/health/medical-marijuana-parents/index.html?iref=allsearch

Women and Tobacco

An interesting conversation came up this weekend while at my friend's house. Her grandmother who is going on 90 in the next few months was nagging my friend about her smoking habit. She made some very valid points about how her not smoking has allowed her to live the age of 90 among other habits she chose to never take up. She grew up in an era where smoking was the norm and everyone did it everywhere and anywhere. She stated how girls at school thought it was cool to have a pack of cigarettes in their purse and guys to don a cigarette behind their ear. As she spoke I could very vividly picture those events in my head. Although that was so common back in her days without knowing all the effects cigarettes would cause she chose to live a smoke free life and states how one of her good friend died almost 30 years ago to lung cancer. She chuckles, "if she could see me now, 30 years later and I still feel and look how she last saw me those 30 years ago." I would not go that far, but for a woman her age, she is very independent with no major health problems. The picture I posted above is what I picture in my head of the girls in her times she went to school with smoking. I guess from educating myself more and talking to that charming lady, I feel as though we can maybe one day get through to my friend to kick her nasty habit.  

College rapes on the rise

While catching up on my news and reading articles on CNN I ran into an article there regarding a young woman who was recently brutally raped in front of others at a fraternity party. Alcohol consumption among college students has long been a problem but as Hart & Ksir state, "since 2002 there has been a slight increase among college students in the rate of binge drinking and of driving after drinking." (Hart & Ksir, 2013). Unfortunately even though most young adults know the consequences of driving while drinking and the effects of consuming so much alcohol, they still choose to make bad choices. I'm not sure what was so different about me growing up and choosing not to participate in those activities or maybe it was the fear of facing my parents for the consequences but I have never met nor seen anyone who has had to be a victim of rape at a college party. As a parent my heart breaks and I wonder how her parents are dealing with the ordeal since they send their daughter off to college and think she is going to be safe, then this happens. Having a child of my own makes me worry and wonder how different her college years will be from mine. The young girl Cabri Chamberlain states, "I can't even describe the pain of being raped, or how much it alters a life, and no other person should ever be forced to have that experience." I agree with this young woman 100%. No one should ever have to go through such a traumatizing and shameful experience. There is a website HAMS that is aimed at giving college students tips for when they do drink and although one would hope their children wouldn't, once unsupervised it is better for them to be as informed as possible, than sorry. HAMS aims to provide Harm reduction for alcohol and although most is common sense, you can never tell someone enough. 


References:

Ferrigno, L. (2014, March 16). Wesleyan University student alleges rape, sues fraternity,                   members, other student. CNN. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from                                               http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/14/justice/wesleyan-university-rape-lawsuit/index.html?               hpt=ju_c2

Hart, C. L., & Ksir, C. (2013). Drugs, society & human behavior (15th ed.). New York, NY:                 McGraw-Hill.

ADHD, are we over-medicating our children?

In the most recent chapters that we have been reading for this course it includes the topic of ADHD and the prescriptions that are prescribed to treat this condition. ADHD is a problem that hits close to home as my nephew has been diagnosed with such condition. Inaba and Cohen explain ADHD(Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) "displays impulsivity, which means they fidget, leave their seats, run about excessively, have difficulty playing quietly, act as if driven, and talk excessively. Hyperactivity shows up as blurted-out answers, difficulty awaiting turn, and interrupting others." (Inaba and Cohen, 2011). I think one of my biggest concerns about this is that all those characteristics to me would seem normal for a 3 year old child since this is when the problem began with my nephew. He is now 11 years old and continues to be on medications for the condition. At 3 years old he was enrolled in school and it was more of a daycare but the teacher would complain about his lack of attention, disrupting the class and being able to sit still. His parents were not that involved in his school so would not take the time to go actually sit in and see the behavior for themselves but rather took the teacher's word for it. My biggest problem with that is that those behaviors were not displayed at home. I now have a 5 year old child of my own and constantly would get the same complaints from her pre-school teacher last year. The only difference is that I would go and sit in during class and observe her. While I was there she was an an angel and had the capability to control herself. While my nephew now has been held back from school for one year and has been placed in special ed classes, my daughter entered kinder and is doing great academically. Sure, she displays behaviors from time to time that I need to be told about, but my question to her teacher is, "Is she the only one, or do you see a trend in the classroom?" Most of the time she will agree that she is just mimicking another child's behavior and other times she states my daughter shows no interest in the school work. During her annual physical I always mention the concerns to my daughter's pediatrician who is not pro medicating children and always has more natural remedies. One of the things that she found with my daughter is that she enjoys a challenge. As she stated and proved to be true with my daughter is that if she is not being challenged at school she will find a way to self entertain and it's usually when she stirs up trouble. Right before posting this blog I found an article that was just published by Kate Henderson and she reports, "In this century alone cases of American children with ADHD have gone up by 40 percent. Yet does it even exist?  A doctor from Chicago, Richard Saul, argues it does not. In his controversial new book ADHD Does Not Exist, he puts forward the case that not one single individual anywhere, is afflicted by this so-called disorder. Saul has now determined “There is no such thing as ADHD.” Inaba and Cohen state, "It is estimated that 750,000 to 1 million schoolchildren and a number of adults are receiving more than 2 million prescriptions per year for ADHD medications, and the figure is growing." (Inaba & Cohen, 2011). By reading and learning about the various effects drugs can have on a person's health, I can't imagine the problems being on constant medication will cause children so young in the long run. For now I look for ways to entertain my daughter and offer her small rewards such as a trip to the park or a new notebook for her good behavior during the school week. Meanwhile I look at my nephew and wonder if this is who he is supposed to be or has the medication already changed him so much to make his parents believe he is a special needs student. The CDC provides the following link for an interactive checklist to see if a child has ADHD: Signs & Symptoms 

References:
Henderson, K. (2014, March 15). ADHD Mass Misdiagnosis and Children Drugged for No                          Reason. Guardian Liberty Voice. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from                                              http://guardianlv.com/2014/03/adhd-mass-misdiagnosis-and-children-drugged-for-                     no-reason/

Inaba, D., & Cohen, W. E. (2011).Uppers, downers, all arounders: physical and mental effects of          psychoactive drugs(7th ed.). Ashland, Or.: CNS Publications.