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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2005)
TRIBAL PROGRAM NEWS Ask Raven Siletz Tribal Alcohol & Drug Programs 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 be answered here. If you want a confidential answer to a question, please leave an address and Raven will contact {'ou. n Dea'r Raven: I used to use white drugs and before that I drank a lot. Now I only use weed. It is natural and some people say it is a medicine. People who are sick can use it legally. But if I use this medicine, I get in trouble with the law or could be fired from my job. I think this is wrong. Signed, Unsigned Dear Unsigned: Many plants that grow are not healthy to eat or smoke. Marijuana is one of them. There are things you need to know about marijuana and its effects. Marijuana affects the brain and a person’s ability to solve problems and make decisions. Marijuana users may have a lifelong impairment in their abil ity to have healthy relationships and in their intellectual development. The results can mean that they have less ability to pursue a career, be an effective parent, and contribute equally as a marriage partner. People who develop a dependence on marijuana may have sleep disorders, de pression, and other mood disorders. When they try to stop using marijuana, they usu ally experience cravings for it. You mentioned that you used to use other drugs and alcohol. It’s common for people to stop using one drug and start using another, including alcohol. This is called “switching addictions." Participat ing in a treatment program, either outpa tient or residential, can help with this. Treatment will teach you how to live life free from all drugs (including alcohol). I encourage you to talk with a coun selor who can help you learn more about the effects of marijuana. The counselor will help you decide if you want to be drug free and if you do, will help you get the support you need. There may be tribes in some parts of the world where marijuana grows as a native plant and is used as a medicine. These cultures would have specially trained traditional doctors who know how to use these plants as medicine. They would not use marijuana for recreational purposes and to get high. Saying that marijuana is medicine is an excuse for abusive and addictive use. Please write to me again if you have more questions. Raven Prevention, Outpatient Treatment, and Women’s Transitional Siletz: 1 -800-600-5599 or 541 -444-8286 Eugene: 541-484-4234 • • • • • • • • Increased fetal blood pressure (in creased chance of miscarriage and placental separation, brain damage, or stroke) Agitated withdrawal, low birth weight, and potential neglect Sensitivity to stimuli (light, touch, etc.) Long-term serotonin problems. Sero tonin is one of the chemicals in the brain that takes messages to the brain. This group of chemicals is called neu rotransmitters. Serotonin's job is to help control and stabilize moods, including depression and anxiety, and stabilize appetite, sleep, and sexual drive. Hyperactivity ADHD - Attention Deficit Hyperac tive Disorder Learning disabilities Anger outbursts If you know someone who is preg nant and using any illegal drug, please encourage them to get help, or call and talk with a counselor who may be able to help you plan an intervention. Watch for more information on meth amphetamine in future issues. If you are looking for specific information, please put your questions in the “Ask Raven boxes that are located in all tribal offices. We still need adult male volunteers, even once a year, to chaperone a youth prevention activity. Please contact us if you have any interest! Dec. 7 - Noon Siletz Tribal Housing Department Conference Room The Meth Task Force is open to all community members - youth and adults. If you have questions or need more information, please call Janet or Delina at 54 J -444-8286 or 1 -800-600-5599. You can make a difference! Please join us! • Siletz News • Parents, if you think your child may be at risk for alcohol, tobacco, or other drug problems and/or juvenile delin quency behaviors, please call Delina John or Jenifer Metcalf at 1-800-600-5599 or 541-444-8286 December 2005 One of them will talk with you about risk factors and those things that help pro tect your child from developing those problems. They will help you make a pre vention plan that will support you as a parent and provide your child with sup port for making good choices. DeAnna Pearl, Jenifer Metcalf, and Delina John pass out red ribbons that say “It’s up to me to be drug free!’’ to start Red Ribbon Week activities at Siletz Valley School in October. Underage Drinking Awareness Youth and Alcohol: Know the Facts ...They’re Sobering! • • • Men! Meth Task Force Meeting 8 ATOD and Youth Delinquency Prevention Methamphetamine, Part 3 Effects of Meth on the Unborn More and more we are hearing about women who use meth during their preg nancies. And we hear about babies who are born and test positive for meth. The meth their mothers have taken has been transferred to the babies and is in their systems, just as if someone had injected them with a needle. We now are discovering some of the effects meth has on children whose moth ers used during pregnancy. Here is a list of some of those effects: Salem: 503-390-9494 Portland: 503-238-1512 • 45 percent of children who start drink ing before age 15 will become alco holics at some point in their lives. Delaying the use of alcohol until the legal age helps avoid many associated problems. If the onset of drinking is delayed by five years, a child’s risk of serious alcohol problems is cut in half. Parents’ drinking behaviors and fa vorable attitudes about drinking have been associated with adolescents' ini tiating and continuing alcohol use. Researchers suggest that children are less likely to drink when their par ents are involved in their lives and when both parents and children re port feeling close to each other. Adolescents drink less and have fewer alcohol-related problems when their parents discipline them consistently and set clear expectations about drinking. Families have a powerful influence over a young person’s decisions about whether or not to use alcohol. In tact, parents’ disapproval is the key reason children give for not using alcohol. Be a part of your child’s life. Ask questions. Give them the facts. Let your child know that you care! This Place Parents and community members should look for the upcoming underage drinking awareness film showing of This Place. It’s a 15-minute film on alcohol- related topics such as: • • • • • • • • Alcohol and the brain Adult role modeling Advertising/sponsorship Binge drinking Community environments Violence Youth access People creating change More details will follow regarding time and place of film showing. It’s very important that we as adults know the facts and become apart of the solution. Show them that you care! If you have any questions regarding underage drinking facts and awareness, call Delina John, prevention coordinator, at 1-800-600-5599 or 541-444-8267. Some Web sites for parents to check out are listed below: www.parentingisprevention.org www.health.org/nacoa www.theantidrug.com (AOL Keyword: Drug help)
