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About Siletz news / (Siletz, OR) 199?-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 1, 2007)
TRIBAL PROGRAM NEWS • • • • • • Ask Raven Raven will answer your questions about problems associated with alco hol, tobacco, and other drugs. You can call in your questions to the numbers below or mail them to: • • • • Raven P.O. Box 549 Siletz, OR 97380-0549 Dear Raven: It seems like there are a lot of people who are using pain medication. Some of them sell their pills and some people are knocking on doors trying to get them. What can be done about this? I am very con cerned about youth having access to these pills. Unsigned My friend: Many people share your concerns about the abuse of pain medications. I know that doctors are becoming more aware that they can contribute to addiction problems in the community unless they are very careful and only prescribe within guidelines for pain management. Even with that, there are people who are going to find a way to get these drugs. Here is some information about prescription drug abuse. Most pain medications that are abused are opiates or opioids. Opiates are extracted from poppies. Opioids are synthetic opiates. Opiates and opioids include mor phine, codeine, hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (Percodan), methadone, and heroin. They were developed to treat acute pain. People who have addiction prob lems take them to experience the high, or euphoric effects; to avoid emotional and physical pain; and for withdrawal symptoms. Our bodies have their own natural opiate painkillers called endorphins and enkephalins. When these natural painkillers relieve pain or give a surge of pleasure, the brain sends out a sig nal that says “mission accomplished.” Powerful drugs, including opiates, disrupt the brain’s ability to send out those messages and in fact will rein force the desire to continue the drug use. Opioids affect almost every part of the body - heart, lungs, brain, eyes, voice box, muscles, cough and nausea centers, reproductive system, digestive system, excretory system, and the im mune system. Major side effects include: • • Inability to sense the body’s pain messages, which can keep a user from getting treatment for ailments Lowered blood pressure Lowered pulse and respiration rate Confusion Eyelids droop and head nods forward Speech becomes slurred Slowed walk and coordination Pupils become pinpoint and do not respond to light Skin dries out and itching increases Chronic constipation Delayed menstrual cycle Reduced sexual desire Withdrawal from opioids is difficult. I will tell you more in the next issue. Like the problems associated with all drugs of addiction, it takes a whole community to do something about it. Here are some things you can do: CEDARR Community Efforts Demonstrating the Ability to Rebuild and Restore Jan. 3*5:30 p.m. Siletz Community Health Clinic Everyone is urged to attend! Prevention Don’t Drink and Drive Let your doctor know you are con cerned. If you know of illegal use of prescription dregs, let your doctor know. Encourage schools to educate our children about drugs. If you are a parent, make sure your children learn about drugs and how to avoid getting involved in drug taking and underage drinking. Ask your church to become in volved in community coalitions that are intended to prevent drug abuse. Be aware of the homes where your children spend time. When adults have these prescriptions in medi cine cabinets, it can be tempting for youth to try them. by Delina John Hopefully our community mem bers had a safe holiday season on the highways. I would like to encourage us all to make 2(X)7 the best year. Here is some information about drinking and driving prevention. Drunk or drug-impaired driving is a common but preventable cause of traffic crashes. Alcohol is involved in more than l/3 of all fatal crashes in the United States, making alcohol-related traffic deaths the single largest com ponent of all traffic fatalities. In spite of progress in reducing alcohol-impaired crashes, the drunk driving problem will not be solved until people change their attitudes toward drinking and driving. Thank you for writing. I share your concerns and want to do what I can to help. Raven Avoid driving if you've been drinking. Even a small amount of al • • • • • cohol in your system can impair your ability to operate a vehicle safely. Don't let your friends drive if they’ve had too much to drink. Some TLC Attitudes of Gratitude by Lynn Whitlow If you are reading this, you have something to be grateful for already this year: You woke up this morning! Happy New Year 2007! That is something most all of us would like to see for ourselves, the ones we love, and the world in general! So many of us make New Year's resolutions — some with real determi nation and sincere desire, others with rote, annual promises of “I'm going to lose 20 (or 30 or 50) pounds this year” or “I'm going to exercise an hour a day and get into shape by June” - that get forgotten by Jan. 10. Some of us have stopped making resolutions and just try to make the world about us better on a daily basis. A TLC resident says her resolution this year is to stop smoking! That is a hard one to do. Anyone who tries to quit and recover from nicotine addic tion needs all the support and encour agement they can get. I am very grateful I quit years ago when I was a “lightweight” smoker and already felt ill effects on my breathing capacity. I empathize with those who are trying to quit, but encourage them to tough it out. We are grateful to many folks and departments. A big “thank you” to Natural Resources for the perfect Christmas tree, to Maintenance for their continued “fix its," to George for his volunteer work, to the clinic for their good care and programs that help our residents. Likewise, Fleet for keeping us on the move, Accounting for promptly taking SiletzTribal 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 care of our financial paperwork, and to Jason in Security for his night patrols. We especially are appreciative of our volunteers, Trish Morningstar, Alice McCain. Levi Simmons, and Denise Riding In. Thanks also to Laurel Johnson for helping out a few nights. We are looking forward to welcoming a couple of new volunteers to our ranks. Hope fully we can share more next month. We rue the loss of our weekend staff person at the end of December. When grant monies run out, that is the end of a position, no matter how wonderful the staff was. This is the case here. Trish Morningstar was a phenom enal force and a great asset to the TLC in terms of the energy and enthusiasm she brought with her and the life skills she taught residents. Luckily, we retain her as a volunteer one night per week. We would love to welcome and retain you as a volunteer it you are a woman 21 years or older, clean and sober for a minimum of six months, and have a heart for recovering women and their issues. Please call me at 541-444-8238 or 1-800-922-1399, ext. 1238. one who gets behind the wheel after drinking is in danger of harming them selves or others. Plan ahead. If you plan to be drink ing, your evening out will be safer and more enjoyable if you decide ahead of time how you will get home safely and who will drive. It’s best to designate a driver who won't be drinking. / x Parents ... If you think your child may be at risk for alcohol, tobacco, or other drug problems and/or delinquency be haviors. please call Delina or Jenifer at I-800-600-5599 or 541-444-8267. One of them will talk with you about risk factors and those things that help protect your child from developing those problems. They will help you make a prevention plan that will support you as a parent and provide your child with the tools to make good choices. January 2007 • Siletz News • 7
