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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2005)
TRIBAL PROGRAM NEWS Siletz Tribal Alcohol & Drug Programs Prevention, Outpatient Treatment, and Women’s Transitional Siletz: 1-800-600-5599 or 541 -444-8286 Eugene: 541-484-4234 Salem: 503-390-9494 Portland: 503-238-1512 TLC Attitudes of Gratitude As I write, spring (well, almost spring) sunshine is streaming through the window. A bouquet of daffodils and for sythia, a burst of gold, is on the dining room table. So easy to smile and be grate ful on a day like this! I am so looking forward to May and June to see if any of those rhododendrons that we planted in the heat of summer, with the assistance of the summer em ployment youth, will bloom. Thus far, they have all survived and the big old ones we transplanted from Newport look like they have been growing here for years! Hope, hope they all bloom! Thanks again to those youth who did all that back- breaking hole digging and day-after-day watering. You were and are awesome! We continue to recognize our faith ful overnight volunteers for the invaluable service that they provide. The feeling of security is so important for emotional well-being. Since last writing, those volunteers I'd like to recognize are Alice McCain, Joan Hartung, Denise Riding In, Carrie White, Jenifer Metcalf, Jackie Ashley, Lisa Brown, and Crista Whittington. Some of them are once-a-week volun teers, some once every other week, and others are on call as needed. We truly do need a few more good women to commit a few nights a month to help. Volunteer today! The training program is brief and virtually painless. The good you do is immeasurable! For more information and to sign up, please call Lynn at 541-444-8238 or 1-800-922-1399, ext. 1238. I’ll train one or three or 10 and any in between. Receiving donations from folks in the community at large (from here to eter nity!) truly helps the resident operations fund and the residents’ limited budgets. We had some good citizens pass on some items this past month that have been put to good use. Sunshine Keck provided us with two 12-count rolls of toilet tissue, and Tamara Morrow and Selina Kissinger both do nated a variety of toiletries for resident use. If you would like to help, some items we could put to good use include A A bat teries; aluminum foil; laundry soap; some good cookware - pots and pans with lids, including a large one; and fresh or frozen meat (wild game is welcome). For those of you who care, help, and donate, we’re grateful! Have a lovely spring! Youth Center Hours 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday (closed Sundays) 541-444-8395 or 1-800-922-1399, ext. 1395 April Activities Ask Raven Raven will answer your questions about problems associated with alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Look for boxes in tribal offices with Raven's picture. You can leave your questions for Raven in these boxes. Those questions suitable for Siletz News will he answered here. If you want a confidential answer to a question, please leave an address and Raven will contact you. Dear Raven: I heard there’s a drug that people can take that will make them not want to drink alcohol any more. Is there such a drug? Where can I get it? Should quit Dear Should quit: Yes, there is a drug called Naltrexone that has helped alco holics reduce or stop drinking. Naltrex one, which is not addictive, is considered an option as a short-term treatment method for alcoholism. The results of studies of the use of Naltrexone show a 36 percent reduction of relapse to heavy drinking in the first three months of treatment. Naltrexone blocks the brain’s recep tors for natural painkillers, known as opio ids, which normally create the feeling of well-being associated with drinking. Advice from an old Raven is this - “Be aware of all the options available and find the best one for you. See someone, stay in treatment, and over time you're going to get better." Raven Dear Raven: Can you help me un derstand why my mother gambles so much? Anonymous Dear Anonymous: People gamble for many reasons. You may be surprised to know that in Oregon, women with gam bling problems outnumber men. Of all the women in gambling treat ment programs in the last year, 39 percent had committed illegal acts, 56 percent had lost a marriage or other sig nificant relationship, 25 percent had job problems, and 12 percent had experienced suicidal thoughts. With 37 percent of these gamblers having a child at home, many children have been affected. And the average gambling-related debt of women was equal to a year’s household income. The good news is this - a study of the effectiveness of Oregon's gambling treatment programs found that 79 percent of clients were successful in eliminating or significantly reducing their gambling. Let your mother know in a caring way that you are concerned. Give her informa tion about where she can go for help. Most tribal, county, and private mental health and addiction programs work with people who have problems with gambling. Casinos have information about gam bling problems and where to get help. And there’s a toll-free gambling help line - 1-877-2-STOP-NOW. There, certified gambling counselors provide information and assist callers with choosing a resource to help them quit or reduce their gambling. If you would like to talk with some one about your own feelings about what is going on in your mother’s life, I en courage you to see a counselor. And please let me know how you are doing. Raven Announcements If you think your child may be at risk for alcohol, tobacco, or other drug problems and/or juvenile delinquency behaviors, please call Delina or Crista at 1-800-600-5599 or 541-444-8286. One of them will talk with you about risk factors and those things that help pro tect your child from developing these problems. They will help you develop a prevention plan that will support you as a parent and provide your child with sup port for making good choices. Meth Task Force Meeting April 6, 2005 - Noon Siletz Tribal Housing Department Conference Room April 4: Youth Center Committee meet ing, 6 p.m. April 6: Craft Night. 5-7 p.m. April 9: Litter Patrol, I-3 p.m. - must have signed permission slip to attend Male Volunteers Needed April 23: Group Hiking, 12-3 p.m. - must have signed permission slip to attend April 27: Craft Night, 5-7 p.m. We still need adult male volunteers, even once a year, to chaperone a youth prevention activity. Please contact us if you have any interest. Area Office Services We have a new counselor in the Eu gene area office. Please call Nora Moore if you need A&D services in the Eugene area. A vacancy still exists in Portland and Conrad is going there once a week. Hope fully, there will be a counselor there soon. If you have any questions about ser vices, please call the Siletz office at 1 -8(M)-600-5599 or 541-444-8286. 6 • Siletz News • April 2005
