JANUARY IS NATIONAL BIRTH DEFECTS PREVENTION MONTH
The March of Dimes Birth Defects Prevention Month is observed in January. Many factors lead to birth defects. Some are caused by genetic factors while some can be caused by drug use during pregnancy, some medications and other chemicals. Some premature births and birth defects may be avoided with a healthy lifestyle before and during pregnancy.
There is no known safe amount of alcohol to drink while pregnant. There is also no safe time during pregnancy to drink and no safe kind of alcohol. Pregnant women are urged not to drink alcohol any time during pregnancy.
Women also should not drink alcohol if they are planning to become pregnant or are sexually active and do not use effective birth control. This is because a woman could become pregnant and not know for several weeks or more. Half of the pregnancies in the United States are unplanned.
For more information, visit www.cdc.gov or www.marchofdimes.com
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National Children of Alcoholics Week 2011
February 12 – 18, 2012
Children of Alcoholics Week – is celebrated internationally each year during the week in which Valentine's Day falls, to raise awareness of children affected by parental alcohol problems, and the many difficulties faced by these children.
With an estimated 25 percent of all children in the United States, 27.8 million, affected or exposed to a family alcohol problem, the National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACOA) each year promotes Children of Alcoholics Week. Growing up with a problem drinker in the family can have a lasting effect on the family as a whole.
Children of Alcoholics are at increased risk of a range of problems, including physical illness, emotional disturbances, behavior problems, lower educational performance, and susceptibility to alcoholism or other addiction later in life, according to NACOA. Their needs often go unaddressed for a variety of reasons – some emotional, some financial, and all very persistent. It doesn't have to be that way!
Children living with addiction in their family need to know that it is not their fault that a parent is alcoholic or drug addicted. They need to hear the message, "It's a disease, it is not your fault, and there are safe people who can help."
For more information on this subject, and to get ideas on how to help these children, visit www.nacoa.org
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Poison Prevention Week
Poison Prevention Week is celebrated from March 13-19, 2011. This year one of the themes is Children Act Fast – So Do Poisons. It's important to remember what young kids see and reach, they usually put in their mouths and as their mobility and capabilities increase, they can reach medicines and household products wherever they're stored.
Always Keep the Number for the Poison Control Center Handy.
It's important to keep the number for the poison control center handy. By calling 1-800-222-1222 you will reach professionals that offer fast and free confidential help in English and Spanish. Most poisonings are resolved over the phone. The number works from anywhere in the United States, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. However, if your child isn't breathing or has collapsed, call 911 immediately.
Top Poison Prevention Tips
- Store potentially poisonous household products and medications locked out of your child's sight and reach.
- Learn the toll-free nationwide poison control center number (1-800-222-1222) or keep it near every phone.
- Store medications out of child's sight and reach and be safe when administering medicines to your children.
- Make sure your child does not have access to peeling paint or chewable surfaces painted with lead-based paint.
- Install a CO alarm outside every sleeping area and on every level of your home.
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April is Alcohol Awareness Month
To recognize the serious problems of alcohol abuse, April is designated "Alcohol Awareness Month".
How Can I Recognize An Alcohol Problem?
- Drinking to calm nerves, forget worries or to boost a sad mood.
- Guilt about drinking.
- Unsuccessful attempts to cut down/stop drinking.
- Lying about or hiding drink habits.
- Causing harm to oneself or someone else as a result of drinking.
- Needing to drink increasingly greater amounts in order to achieve desired effect.
- Feeling irritable, resentful or unreasonable when not drinking.
- Medical, social, family, or financial problems caused by drinking.
If you, or someone you know, have been drinking heavily, there is a risk of developing serious health problems, and because these problems can be treated, it is important to see a doctor for help.
"Alcohol Awareness Month"provides an opportunity to think about the realities of alcohol. For more information, visit The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependency web site at
www.ncadd.org
May 8 – 14, 2011 is
Alcohol and Other Drug-Related Birth Defects Week
The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence has designated May 8 – 14, 2011, as Alcohol and Other Drug-Related Birth Defects Awareness Week. This week is a reminder that alcohol and drug use during pregnancy can be detrimental to a mother and her child. Prenatal alcohol use can result in a spectrum of adverse conditions. One of the most severe outcomes is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), which includes facial malformations, growth deficits, and central nervous system problems.
Approximately one in every 100 children born nation-wide is adversely affected by prenatal alcohol exposure. This includes children with the full fetal alcohol syndrome, as well as children who may not have all of the external features of the syndrome, but whose brains have been injured.
There is no known "safe" dose of alcohol during pregnancy. It is recommended that all women who are pregnant or who may become pregnant refrain from drinking any alcohol. Once alcohol damages the developing brain, that damage cannot be reversed. For this reason, the emphasis is on prevention. All cases of fetal alcohol syndrome are potentially preventable.
For more information, please visit the website of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. at www.ncadd.org
Prescription Drug Dependence and Addiction
Dependence and addiction are two different things. Dependence usually refers to physical dependence on a drug, where a person's body becomes used to the effects of a drug and higher doses are needed to achieve the original effects of the drug. With dependence, withdrawal symptoms typically occur when drug use ends. Addiction refers to a repeated and compulsive need to continue using a drug despite adverse social, psychological, or physical consequences. A person can be dependent on a prescription drug, yet not addicted to it. A person who is addicted to a drug is often, but not always, physically dependent on the drug.
Overdose
A drug overdose is the accidental or intentional use of a drug in an amount that is higher than is normally used. A drug overdose does not have to be of the same drug, it can also occur when one drug interacts with another. For example, a person may take their prescribed dose of a sedative and then overdose when they drink alcohol (another depressant drug) in combination with the sedative. If you see any of the overdose symptoms listed below, seek medical treatment immediately. Don't think you can just let someone "sleep it off." Respiratory depression from depressant and pain reliever overdose can cause brain damage or death if not treated promptly by a medical professional.
MARIJUANA:
SOME INFORMATION PARENTS SHOULD KNOW
Research shows that nearly 50 percent of teenagers try marijuana before they graduate from high school.
Some of the signs a parent might be able to see if a child is high on marijuana. He or she might:
- Seem dizzy and have trouble walking;
- Seem silly and giggle;
- Have very red, bloodshot eyes; and
- Have a hard time remembering things that just happened.
When the early effects fade, the user can become very sleepy.
Parents should be aware of changes in their child's behavior, although this may be difficult with teenagers. Parents should look for withdrawal, depression, fatigue, carelessness with grooming, hostility, and deteriorating relationships with family members and friends. In addition, changes in academic performance, increased absenteeism or truancy, lost interest in sports or other favorite activities, and changes in eating or sleeping habits could be related to drug use.
Tips for Parents: Be a good listener. Give clear no-use messages about drugs and alcohol. Help your child deal with peer pressure to use drugs. Get to know your child's friends and parents. Monitor your child's whereabouts. Supervise teen activities. Maintain an open and honest dialogue with your child.
Preventing Drug Use Among Children and Adolescents
Research has shown that the key risk periods for drug abuse occur during major transitions in children's lives. These transitions include significant changes in physical development (for example, puberty) or social situations (such as moving or parents divorcing) when children experience heightened vulnerability for problem behavior.
Parents are the most important role models in the children's lives. What they say and do about drugs matter a lot when it comes to choices children make. Parents should set a positive example and get involved in their children's lives; get involved in their activities, know their friends, know where they are going and what they are doing.
Talk to your kids early and often about drugs; discuss the consequences of drug use, and show that they care about what choices children make.
Also, grandparents can help raise drug-free children. They play a special part in a child's life and, unlike parents, grandparents have had years to prepare for their role. They, as well as other extended family members, can serve as stable, mature role models, especially if they need to step in to assume some of the responsibilities of the child's parents.
For more information on this subject visit www.drugabuse.gov
September is Recovery Month
Recovery Month promotes the societal benefits of treatment and substance use and mental disorders, celebrates people in recovery, lauds the contributions of treatment providers, and promotes the message that recovery in all its forms is possible. Recovery Month spreads the positive message that behavioral health is essential to overall heath, that prevention works, treatment is effective and people can and do recover.
Recovery Month, now in its 22nd year, highlights individuals who have reclaimed their lives and are living happy and healthy lives in long-term recovery and also honors the treatment and recovery service providers who make recovery possible.
Celebrated during the month of September, Recovery Month began in 1989 as TreatmentWorks! Month, honoring the work of the treatment and recovery professionals in the field. The observance evolved to National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month(Recovery Month) in 1998, when the observance expanded to include celebrating the accomplishment of individuals in recovery from substance use disorders. The observance is evolving once again in 2011, to include all aspects of behavioral health and will now be known as National Recovery Month (Recovery Month).
The 2011 Recovery Month observance aims to educate the public on the positive changes that national health care reform will have on access to needed recovery services for substance use and mental disorders. Recovery Month, officially celebrated each September, has become a year-round initiative that supports educational outreach and celebratory events throughout the year.
For more information on this subject visit www.recoverymonth.org
RED RIBBON WEEK
OCTOBER 22—30, 2011
Red Ribbon Week, the nation's oldest and largest drug prevention campaign, takes place the last full week of October each year. This year Red Ribbon Week will be celebrated October 22—30, 2011.
Established to commemorate the life, mission, and sacrifice of DEA special agent, Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, who lost his life fighting in the war against drugs, Red Ribbon Week brings awareness to the growing drug problem in the United States and presents an opportunity for schools, local organizations, families, and individuals, to make a unified effort to create drug free communities. Each year millions of people participate in activities that call attention to the dangers related to the use of tobacco, alcohol, and drug abuse and that reaffirms their pledge to remain drug free.
Today, Red Ribbon Week is nationally recognized and celebrated, helping to preserve Special Agent Camarena's memory and further the cause for which he gave his life. The Red Ribbon Campaign also became a symbol of support for the DEA's efforts to reduce demand for drugs through prevention and education programs.
The Month of November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month And Thursday, November 17 is
The Great American Smokeout
Lung Cancer, the Number One Cancer Killer Each year nearly 200,000 people in the United States are told they have lung cancer and more than 90,000 people die from this disease. Deaths from lung cancer represent about one out of every six deaths from cancer in the U.S.
Risk Factors:
- Smoking.
- Secondhand smoke from other people's cigarettes.
- Radon gas in the home.
- Medical exposure to radiation to the chest.
- Chronic lung disease such as emphysema or chronic bronchitis.
- Increased age.
Prevention:
You can reduce your risk of developing lung cancer by:
- Not smoking. If you do, please quit now.
- Avoid secondhand smoke.
- Avoid unnecessary medical tests that involve x-ray images of the chest.
- Have your home tested for radon, and take corrective actions if found in home
Great American Smokeout
The American Cancer Society is marking the 36th Great American Smokeout on November 17 by encouraging smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day. By doing so, smokers will be taking an important step towards a healthier life
DECEMBER IS NATIONAL DRUNK and Drugged Driving Prevention Month
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has designated December as National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month (aka 3D month).
The holidays are celebratory times. Unfortunately, a little holiday cheer can sometimes go a long way. We all enjoy the holiday saying of "eat, drink, and be merry," but when partying affects the driver, it can turn a happy time into a nightmare. Impaired drivers don´t plan ahead and wind up causing unsafe roads to everyone.
During this holiday season and year-round, take steps to make sure that you and everyone with whom you celebrate avoid driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
- Plan ahead. Always designate a sober driver before any holiday party or celebration begins, or take a taxi to/from a party if you plan to drink alcohol.
- Take the keys. Do not let a friend drive impaired.
- Be a helpful host. Remind your guests to plan ahead and designate a sober driver, always offer alcohol-free beverages, and make sure all of your guests leave with a sober driver.
- Mind your meds. Heed the warning labels on prescription medicine bottles because even legal drugs can affect your ability to safely operate a motor vehicle.
- Immediately report an impaired driver.
Nobody wants a DUI arrest or accident, especially this time of the year. Adhere to the above tips and promote safe driving not only this month, but year round.