TRIBAL PROGRAM NEWS
CEDARR
Community Efforts Demonstrating the Ability
to Rebuild and Restore
June 4, Noon
Siletz Community Health Clinic
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
at right or mail them to:
Raven
P.O. Box 549
Siletz, OR 97380-0549
Dear Raven: How do alcohol or
other drugs affect your brain? I was
at school and some people came in
and talked about “loss of potential"
to the brain. Confused Brain
Dear CB: Wow! You remembered
the term “loss of potential!" I was out the
window listening to that and I learned
a lot too. You obviously listened well.
In the last few years, scientists have
found out even more about the brain
and how it works. They have discov
ered exactly how drugs, including al
cohol and tobacco, affect the brain.
Basically, when you are learning
something, brain cells are hooking up
to make a connection to memory. This
is called a synapse. If someone has any
alcohol, tobacco or other drugs in their
system, it changes how the brain re
members the connection when they go
back to use that memory. If the brain
doesn't recognize the connection, it
will get rid of the cells at certain times
in the lifetime of a person.
Scientists also have discovered that
between ages 11 to 17, people's brains
are making as many connections as if
they were 1 and 2 years old. If kids are
abusing drugs during this huge time of
brain development, they have a greater
chance of losing potential memory and
skill capacity. They have to relearn -
all over again - as an adult, delaying
college, finding a career and even
parenting children well.
There is a lot more we are all learn
ing about the brain right now. 1 hope
you have learned enough to want to
stay away from alcohol and other
drugs, including tobacco.
Take good care and have a great
summer!
Raven
Dear Family and Friends: I want
to talk with you all about summer. I know
spring has been a bit cold - with snow
even! We will eventually get some warmth
to our bones and that will feel great.
It’s a time with school being out that
can be great fun and a time when chil
dren have more time to explore. It’s a
time when all of us as adults need to
be aware that young people can get into
trouble and need our time and involve
ment in their lives. Adult supervision
is very important.
I know young people want to go
off on their own, camping and spend
ing time with each other without adults
around. Please go with them anyway!
Give them lots of space to have their
time to talk with each other when they
want to, but do be close by to make
sure they are safe from outside danger
and from making choices that can be
harmful to them.
Underage drinking and other drug
use increase by a lot in the summer
time. Below you will find a list of some
of the things that the Prevention team
is hoping to provide for youth this sum
mer. Please do call one ot the people
listed on the team if you or your child
are interested in participating. And
have a great summer!
Watch for me flying around, re
minding you to be sate and have tun!
Raven
Summer
Prevention
Activities
by De Anna Pearl,
Prevention Coordinator
Young Kids Hour (ages 3-5)
Bully Free Bowling
Day at Ona Beach
Bicycle Rodeo
Family Bingo
Swimming
Roller Skating
Housing Beautification and Bus
Shelter Art
River Floats
Honey Do’s for Elders
Youth Golfing
Street Dance “Summer Luau”
Whitewater Rafting
Ropes Course Activities
Run to the Rogue Youth Team
Family Game Night
Much More!
Prevention Team Members: Tribal
Education, Housing, Community
Health, Healthy Families and SSP. Ju
venile Crime Prevention, Mental
Health. Diabetes, Physical Education,
and ATOD Prevention.
For more information, please con
tact me at 541-444-8267 or 800-600-
5599.
For more information, call 541-444-8286.
We hope to see you there!
Siletz Tribal A&D Programs
Prevention, Outpatient Treatment and Women’s Transitional
Siletz: 800-600-5599 or 541 -444-8286
Eugene: 541 -484-4234
Salem: 503-390-9494
Portland: 503-238-1512
TLC Attitudes of Gratitude
by Lynn Whitlow
Family, friends and reconnections
can be an important part of the healing
in recovery. In fact, those connections
arc vital to our recovery.
As human beings, most of us need
social connections to feel a part of
something beyond ourselves, prefer
ably close, positive connections.
When we are in our addiction, we
may have social connections that are
significant to us. but may not be good
for our well-being. Often, as we exam
ine the wreckage of our past, we real
ize we have lost connections with some
friends and/or family members who
were very important to us.
Some of these might be folks who
just could not stick around to watch our
self-destruction, who felt powerless to
stop what they could not bear to watch.
Others we may have pushed aside be
cause their goals no longer meshed
with what we wanted in our life - an
other drink, another fix, another high.
As we travel the recovery road and
look at the losses we have sustained,
we might desire to reconnect with some
of those folks who got left behind. We,
sometimes, are fortunate enough to
reconnect with past dear ones who want
to work at rebuilding relationships.
Facing trust, abandonment and past
abuse issues is hard work - very hard
work. Forgiveness, love and hard work
can forge a relationship even stronger
than that left behind so long ago. The
flip side, however, is that no matter
what we might want, some of our
“bridge burning’’ might never be re
pairable. Some folks may not be will
ing to attempt any connection with us.
What we can be grateful for are
those friends we do have who are will
ing to accept us for who we are now.
who we are becoming in our recovery
and who are there to support us. As we
grow and thrive, we can hope to wel
come back into our circle some of those
past losses with joy and gratitude.
TLC residents are grateful for the
friendships forged with each other, lor
the new dishwasher and for our
monthly Women’s Talking Circle.
We are appreciative of our volunteers,
who play a vital role in the operation of
the TLC. Alice McCain, Lisa Brown,
Denise Riding In and Vanessa Jackson,
we thank you very much for all you do.
We extend an invitation to all
women to come participate in our
monthly Women’s Talking Circle.
Please call me if you are interested in
joining us. We hold a potluck dinner
immediately before for those who want
to get together to socialize. Call 541 -
444-8238 or 800-600-5599. The same
number can be called if you would like
to volunteer at the TLC.
Narcotics Anonymous Meetings
Monday - 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Atonement Lutheran Church
2315 N Coast Highway (101), Newport
Friday - 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Atonement Lutheran Church
2315 N Coast Highway (101), Newport
Tuesday - 7:30-8:30 p.m.
TLC - A&D Building
565 Old River Road, Siletz
Saturday - 6-7 p.m.
Siletz VFW
143 SE Eggbert St., Siletz
Tuesday - 7:30-8:30 p.m.
St. Peter the Fisherman Lutheran Church
1226 SW 13,h St., Lincoln City
Saturday - 6:30-7:30 p.m.
St. James Episcopal Church
2490 NE Hwy 101. Lincoln City
Thursday - 8-9 p.m.
St. Peter the Fisherman Lutheran Church
1226 SW I3,h St.. Lincoln City
Toll-Free Help Line - 877-233-4287
June 2008
•
Siletz News
•
9