Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 2005)
TRIBAL PROGRAM NEWS TLC Attitudes of Gratitude by Lynn Whitlow Wow! It’s that time of year again - the end of 2005. It seems only yesterday that I was writing this column for Novem ber. Time just slips away into another year. How does it do that, anyway? So we are at that place where all the girls and boys try their darndest to be good, especially if they still believe! That seasonal “spirit man,” Santa, does work his magic for a few days anyway. The spirit of giving is in the air! Lights are bright, good smells are wafting around, and presents are coming out of hiding places to be wrapped (or if you’re like me, they are put away so well I can’t find them until March). Folks are going to parties, to church, to sing their hearts out at caroling. Then on the reverse side, often all the hustle and bustle, bad memories of Christ mas past, and fatigue can take the joy away. It’s hard to feel gratitude when you are feeling sad, tired, stressed. It’s so easy to snap at friends and fam ily members, to isolate ourselves, to fall into old familiar patterns that lead us to poor choices, so easy to find an excuse to relapse. So easy ... We need to make ourselves be aware of the triggers that set us off on the path we really don't want to be on. We need to keep life as simple as we can to avoid big stressors. We need to have personal ac tion plans for when unexpected crisis or stressors come our way. We just cannot know or control when that may happen. All we can do is be aware that the unwel come can happen. I know that from personal experience - and I still love the Christmas season! I don’t forget all the times that were wrecked by a drinking father. I just focus on the love that was evident from the other mem bers of my nuclear and extended family. I still get stressed and tired, but try not to let it last too long. I try to remem ber that I don’t have to do everything like it used to be done and remember that I’m only one person. It’s just OK to change some old traditions to fit today. Enjoy the holidays instead of resent ing what you can’t do, who you can’t see (or who you have to spend time with). Face the holidays with a heart and atti tude of gratitude. It might not change what happens to you, but it can change how you react. At TLC, we continue to find gratitude in the folks out there who share items with us and those who serve us with the gift of their time. We surely appreciated the lovely and colorful bunches of chrysan themums that Irene Huston of Logsden shared with us. The TLC house and the office downstairs benefited from that gift. Tamara Morrow blessed us with some very nice personal hygiene items. Doug Scott came up and isolated the area from whence comes a leak in our dishwasher. Those community members and our faithful overnight volunteers help keep things going up here. Elizabeth Kosydar, Jackie Ashley, Alice McCain, and Lisa Brown have laid their heads on the pil low several times this past month. Thank you to all of you! I plan to train some new volunteers in the very near future. If you have some time to serve, you would be so appreci ated. Please call me at 541-444-8238 or 1-800-922-1399, ext. 1238. A Merry and Healthy Christmas to all of you! Prevention Talk Inhalant Abuse Continues To Rise Written by Diane Hipp • Edited by Kris Gabrielsen and Jack Wilson • Issue Number 19 CSAP’S Western Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies • Julie Hogan, PH.D., Director Most parents are not aware of the pop ularity and dangers of inhalant abuse. In halants are the common household prod ucts that are among the most popular and deadly substances young people abuse. Young people are quick to discover that common household products are in expensive to obtain, easy to hide, and the easiest way to get high. According to re cent national surveys, inhaling dangerous products is becoming one of the most widespread problems in the country. 1 If your teen is “dusting,” they may not be helping clean the house. A new trend in inhalant abuse is called “dusting.” The abuser inserts the straw into the com puter dusting aerosol can and sprays it directly into his or her mouth. The result can be tragic, including sudden death due to cardiac arrest. Parents and caregivers need to arm themselves with current trends in inhal ant abuse and talk with their teen(s). Young people must understand the consequences of their choices to experiment with and use these potentially deadly toxins. Inhalants fall into three categories: • • • Solvents (paint thinner, glues, gasoline) Gases (butane lighters, helium, propane) Aerosols (hair spray, whipping cream, computer dusting spray, spray paint) Inhalant abusers use the following meth ods to get high: • “Huff’ fumes from an inhalant- soaked rag stuffed into the mouth Sniff fumes sprayed into a paper or plastic bag. • Sniff or snort fumes from containers Spray aerosols directly into the nose or mouth Toxic chemicals can damage parts of the brain that control learning, move ment, vision and hearing.3 Action Steps Remember • 1 in 5 young people reports using inhalants by eighth grade.1 • Inhalants give the user a quick high that lasts only a few minutes. Conse quently, abusers often inhale repeatedly over several hours, potentially causing unconsciousness and even death. Other health hazards linked to inhalant abuse are brain damage, bone marrow damage, hearing loss, suffocation, and heart failure.3 Early recognition of inhalant abuse can make the difference between life and death for the abuser. Inhalant abusers of ten have chapped lips and faces, runny noses, bloodshot eyes, complaints of a numb tongue, chemical odors on their breath or clothes, paint stains on the skin or clothes, slurred speech, lack of appe tite, lack of concentration, nausea, and a disoriented appearance.4 There is a com mon link between inhalant abuse and problems in school - failing grades, chronic absences, and general apathy.5 Think About • • • • • • Young people state they abuse inhalants because they are cheap and available. Inhalants are popular substances of abuse with potential tragic outcomes. Inhalants are poison toxins. This is a mes sage young people can comprehend. 2 • • Educate yourself about the dangers of inhalant abuse and monitor the in halants in your home. Talk with your teen. Give him or her facts about the effects of inhalant abuse and communicate your expectations. Pass this information on to other parents. Visit www.inhalants.org for more information. For more information Sources ISubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2003). Results from the 2003 national survey on drug use and health: National findings. Retrieved July 27, 2005, from http://www.oas.samhsa.gov /nhsda/2k3nsduh/2k3Results.htm#toc 2Office of National Drug Control Policy. (2002, October). Facts about inhalants. Retrieved July 27, 2005, from http://www. whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/ factsht/inhalants/index.html 3Mathias, R. (2002, November). Chronic sol vent abusers have more brain abnormali ties and cognitive impairments than co caine abusers. NIDA Notes, 17(4), 1-3. 4Partnership for a Drug-Free America. (2005, February). Drug guide. Retrieved July 2005, from http://www.drugfree.org/Por- tal/drug_guide/lnhalants 5American Family Physician. (2003). Is your child abusing inhalants? Retrieved July 25, 2005 from http://www.aafp.org/afp/ 2003090 l/876ph.html December USDA Distribution Dates by Joyce Retherford Siletz 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 9 a.nj. - 3 p.m. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 9 a.^. - 3 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5 Tuesday, Dec. 6 Wednesday, Dec. 7 Thursday, Dec. 8 Friday, Dec. 9 Salem Monday, Dec. 19 Tuesday, Dec. 20 Wednesday, Dec. 21 1:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. 9 a.m. - 7 p.m. 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. With winter setting in and the holi day season in full swing, please take it easy on the highways. If you are not able to make it to your scheduled appointment, please call and if necessary, we can make arrangements for you to pick up your food at another time. Also, with gas prices so high. I know many of you are not able to make the trip to the warehouse. We hate to see anybody go without their food, so maybe you can make arrangements to carpool. Happy Holidays and Happy Meals! See you next month! Are You Really Enrolled? Not fully, if you haven’t submit ted all of the required paperwork. The Tribal Enrollment Depart ment must have a copy of your or your child's official Social Security card or a completed W-9 for the en rollment file to be complete. Help us ensure that you will re ceive future per capita distributions by submitting this information for yourself or your child if you have not already done so. If your family has been blessed with new babies, take care of their full enrollment right away. For more information on obtain ing or updating a Social Security card, contact your local Social Se curity office or visit www.ssa.gov/ online/ss-5.html. For enrollment questions, please contact Loraine Butler or Shelley Upchurch in the Enrollment Depart ment at 1-800-922-1399, ext. 1258, or 541-444-8258. December 2005 • Siletz News • 9
