https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9ho0pdQEDk
First of all today I took a phone call offering me a meeting with my local MP Mark Pawsey, who represents the current governing body the Conservatives. I will be meeting him on Friday 25th September to discuss addiction, UK National Recovery Month, My E Petition https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/108268/sponsors/uCYvrR4AJPZMuf6M99z to get the minimum unit pricing law and how alcohol is advertised reviewed and also to discuss the social venue idea.
Speaking of MP’s its also come to my notice (how could it not with all the ho ha around it) that the Labour party has a new leader and possible prime minister contender Mr Jeremy Corbyn. Over the next day or so I intend to fully research this guy and his policy and attempt to find a way to contact him regarding minimum unit pricing and how alcohol is advertised.
Also I want to get a fundraising event off the ground, a coffee and cake morning followed by a quiz and raffle, Im going to send an email to a venue today to see about hiring it and build the roots from there.
I then took a phone call from Alistair Sinclair of UKRF and have took away the following thought bits.
British Dictionary definitions for addiction Expand
addiction
/əˈdɪkʃən/
noun
1.
the condition of being abnormally dependent on some habit, esp compulsive dependency on narcotic drugs
Word Origin and History for addiction Expand
n.
c.1600, "tendency," of habits, pursuits, etc.; 1640s as "state of being self-addicted," from Latin addictionem (nominative addictio) "an awarding, a devoting," noun of action from past participle stem of addicere (see addict ). Earliest sense was less severe: "inclination, penchant," but this has become obsolete. In main modern sense it is first attested 1906, in reference to opium (there is an isolated instance from 1779, with reference to tobacco).
addiction in Medicine Expand
addiction ad·dic·tion (ə-dĭk'shən)
n.
Habitual psychological and physiological dependence on a substance or practice beyond one's voluntary control.
addiction in Science Expand
addiction
(ə-dĭk'shən)
A physical or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, such as a drug or alcohol. In physical addiction, the body adapts to the substance being used and gradually requires increased amounts to reproduce the effects originally produced by smaller doses. See more at withdrawal.
A habitual or compulsive involvement in an activity, such as gambling.
So looking at the above, the word addiction wasn’t used in reference to substances until 1909. It also got me thinking following a telephone call with Alistair Sinclair of UKRF, addiction is not just being hooked on a substance it is the lifestyle and behaviours that come along with it as well and when we enter recovery it is all of that we need to recover from. Addiction is a very limited/narrow way of living, for example getting up to have a drink, not washing, only leaving the house to get drink and then sitting on the sofa for the rest of the day drinking until you pass out, going into recovery is breaking out of that. Recovery is a value based way of living. Alistair also mentioned ABCD which is Asset-based community development (ABCD) is a methodology for the sustainable development of communities based on their strengths and potentials. It involves assessing the resources, skills, and experience available in a community; organising the community around issues that move its members into action; and then determining and taking appropriate action. Asset-based community development (ABCD) differs from needs-based community development in that it focuses primarily on honing and leveraging existing strengths within a community rather than bolstering community deficiencies. Related to tenets of empowerment, it postulates that solutions to community problems already exist within a community’s assets. Principles that guide ABCD include:
1. Everyone has gifts: each person in a community has something to contribute
2. Relationships build a community: people must be connected in order for sustainable community development to take place
3. Citizens at the centre: citizens should be viewed as actors—not recipients—in development
4. Leaders involve others: community development is strongest when it involves a broad base of community action
5. People care: challenge notions of "apathy" by listening to people's interests
7. Listen: decisions should come from conversations where people are heard
8. Ask: asking for ideas is more sustainable than giving solutions
The ABCD approach utilises several tools to assess and mobilise communities.
The Capacity Inventory
1. Skills Information: lists the many skills that a person has gained at home, work, in the community, or elsewhere. Examples of these skills can include internet knowledge, hair-cutting, listening, wallpapering, carpentry, sewing, babysitting, etc.
2. Community Skills: lists the community work in which a person has participated to determine future work they may be interested in.
3. Enterprising Interests and Experience: lists past experience in business and determines interest in starting a business.
4. Personal Information: lists minimum information for follow-up.
Asset Mapping
There are five key assets in any given community: individuals, associations, institutions, physical assets, and connections. These assets are broken down into three categories: Gifts of individuals, Citizens’ Associations, and Local Institutions. Asset maps are used in lieu of needs maps which focus solely on negative aspects of communities. Asset maps, on the other hand, focus on community assets, abilities, skills, and strengths in order to build its future.
Time Banks
Time banks are an example of using community assets to connect individuals' assets to one another. Neighbours share skills with one another and earn ‘credits’ in the process, allowing an hour of child care to equal an hour of home repair or tax preparation.
Ethics
Because ABCD relies on existing community assets to create change, it has been criticised for implying that disadvantaged communities have all the resources they need to solve community problems. According the ABCD Institute, however, ABCD methodology recognises that systemic injustice may require disadvantaged communities to seek assistance from outside the community. ABCD maintains that interventions from exterior sources will be most effective when a community’s assets are leveraged at full capacity. ABCD is described as a more sustainable model of community development than needs-based community development, because needs-based approaches may perpetuate community problems by emphasising deficiencies and the necessity for reliance on outside assistance. By contrast, ABCD aims to build capacity within communities by expanding their social capital.
Another thing Alistair told me about is something I had heard of, the 5 ways to wellbeing, this was something the government studied and researched in 2008 and I will be digging into further but its concepts are;
Five ways to wellbeing
The following steps have been researched and developed by the New Economics Foundation.
Connect
There is strong evidence that indicates that feeling close to, and valued by, other people is a fundamental human need and one that contributes to functioning well in the world.
It’s clear that social relationships are critical for promoting wellbeing and for acting as a buffer against mental ill health for people of all ages.
With this in mind, try to do something different today and make a connection.
Talk to someone instead of sending an email
Speak to someone new
Ask how someone’s weekend was and really listen when they tell you
Put five minutes aside to find out how someone really is
Give a colleague a lift to work or share the journey home with them.
Be active
Regular physical activity is associated with lower rates of depression and anxiety across all age groups.
Exercise is essential for slowing age-related cognitive decline and for promoting well-being.
But it doesn’t need to be particularly intense for you to feel good - slower-paced activities, such as walking, can have the benefit of encouraging social interactions as well providing some level of exercise.
Today, why not get physical? Here are a few ideas:
Take the stairs not the lift
Go for a walk at lunchtime
Walk into work - perhaps with a colleague – so you can ‘connect’ as well
Get off the bus one stop earlier than usual and walk the final part of your journey to work
Organise a work sporting activity
Have a kick-about in a local park
Do some ‘easy exercise’, like stretching, before you leave for work in the morning
Walk to someone’s desk instead of calling or emailing.
Take notice
Reminding yourself to ‘take notice’ can strengthen and broaden awareness.
Studies have shown that being aware of what is taking place in the present directly enhances your well-being and savouring ‘the moment’ can help to reaffirm your life priorities.
Heightened awareness also enhances your self-understanding and allows you to make positive choices based on your own values and motivations.
Take some time to enjoy the moment and the environment around you. Here are a few ideas:
Get a plant for your workspace
Have a ‘clear the clutter’ day
Take notice of how your colleagues are feeling or acting
Take a different route on your journey to or from work
Visit a new place for lunch.
Learn
Continued learning through life enhances self-esteem and encourages social interaction and a more active life.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the opportunity to engage in work or educational activities particularly helps to lift older people out of depression.
The practice of setting goals, which is related to adult learning in particular, has been strongly associated with higher levels of wellbeing.
Why not learn something new today? Here are a few more ideas:
Find out something about your colleagues
Sign up for a class
Read the news or a book
Set up a book club
Do a crossword or Sudoku
Research something you’ve always wondered about
Learn a new word.
Give
Anticipation in social and community life has attracted a lot of attention in the field of wellbeing research.
Individuals who report a greater interest in helping others are more likely to rate themselves as happy.
Research into actions for promoting happiness has shown that committing an act of kindness once a week over a six-week period is associated with an increase in wellbeing.
These are concepts that can in theory be applied to any type of recovery be in addiction, mental health or anything to aid recovery.
Alistair also advised me to look up a guy by the name of Bruce Alexander. Bruce K. Alexander (born 20 December 1939) a psychologist and professor emeritus from Vancouver, BC, Canada. He has taught and conducted research on the psychology of addiction at Simon Fraser University since 1970. He retired from active teaching in 2005. Alexander and SFU colleagues conducted a series of experiments into drug addiction known as the Rat Park experiments. He has written two books: Peaceful Measures: Canada’s Way Out of the War on Drugs (1990) and The Globalization of Addiction: A Study in Poverty of the Spirit (2008). Alexander is famed also for the Rat Park work he did, which I will be researching further over the next day or 2. The Rat Park experiments, published in psychopharmacology journals in the late 1970s and early 1980s, flatly contradicted the dominant view of addiction in their day. They quickly disappeared from view, having evoked only negative responses in the mainstream press and journals. Lauren Slater’s controversial psychology book, Opening Skinner’s Box: Great Psychological Experiments of the Twentieth Century helped to bring them back to public attention in 2005. These experiments are now widely known and cited.
The Rat Park experiments were among the first to show the error in the once dominant myth that certain drugs, particularly the opiates, convert all or most users into drug addicts. In the 1970s, this myth was said to be demonstrated by the high consumption of opiates and stimulants of rats isolated in specially modified Skinner Boxes that allowed drug self-administration. Alexander and his colleagues demonstrated experimentally that rats isolated in cages of about the same size as Skinner Boxes consume far more morphine than rats that are socially housed in Rat Park. Subsequent research has confirmed that social housing reduces drug intake in rats and that the dominant myth was wrong both for rats and for human beings. Nonetheless, the myth is still embedded in popular culture.
Here is a poem i stumbled across about substances and addiction etc
I destroy homes, tear families apart,take your children, and that's just the start.I'm more costly than diamonds, more costly than gold,the sorrow I bring is a sight to behold,and if you need me, remember I'm easily found.I live all around you, in schools and in town.I live with the rich, I live with the poor,I live down the street, and maybe next door.My power is awesome; try me you'll see,but if you do, you may never break free.Just try me once and I might let you go,but try me twice, and I'll own your soul.When I possess you, you'll steal and you'll lie.You do what you have to just to get high.The crimes you'll commit, for my narcotic charm will be worth the pleasure you'll feel in your arms.You'll lie to your mother; you'll steal from your dad When you see their tears, you should feel sad.But you'll forget your morals and how you were raised,I'll be your conscience, I'll teach you my ways.I take kids from parents, and parents from kids,I turn people from God, and separate from friends.I'll take everything from you, your looks and your pride,I'll be with you always, right by your side.You'll give up everything your family, your home,your friends, your money, then you'll be alone.I'll take and take, till you have nothing more to give.When I'm finished with you you'll be lucky to live.If you try me be warned this is no game.If given the chance, I'll drive you insane.I'll ravish your body; I'll control your mind.I'll own you completely; your soul will be mine.The nightmares I'll give you while lying in bed,the voices you'll hear from inside your head,the sweats, the shakes, the visions you'll see;I want you to know, these are all gifts from me,But then it's too late, and you'll know in your heart,that you are mine, and we shall not part.You'll regret that you tried me, they always do,but you came to me, not I to you.You knew this would happen. Many times you were told,but you challenged my power, and chose to be bold.You could have said no, and just walked away,If you could live that day over, now what would you say?I'll be your master; you will be my slave,I'll even go with you, when you go to your grave.Now that you have met me, what will you do?Will you try me or not? Its all up to you.I can bring you more misery than words can tell.Come take my hand, let me lead you to hell
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