Recently, on Facebook, a friend posted that she was approaching 100 days without alcohol and feeling thankful to have stopped drinking and started living.I was surprised at her post because I’ve known her for more than 15 years, she’s always been extremely responsible in every area of her personal and professional life, and even with…
I am a parent of two college students that grew up in Howard County. Thinking back to their middle school years, opportunities for exposure to life skill building outside of the home environment would have provided an excellent opportunity for additional growth. Such experiences were rare to non-existent in Howard County Public School System (HCPSS)…
I heard an uplifting story on the radio this morning. The DJ was talking about today being the last day of 2020 and asked what one word would describe this year to his listeners? He shared how his daughter used chicken wire and lights to create a sign in their front yard that greeted him…
HC DrugFree’s Guiding Good Choices class has exceeded expectations and we are only 2 classes in. The range of topics covered has been very helpful. While I assumed that it would be a class about telling our kids not to drink alcohol or take drugs, it is much more than that. The class teaches us…
Volunteering at HC DrugFree’s drive-thru Take Back Event during a pandemic was a positive experience. Not only were the staff and other volunteers warm and welcoming, they took the proper precautions to ensure the environment was COVID safe. There were volunteers there doing many different tasks. Students and parents were holding signs and arrows pointing traffic towards…
I just read an excellent article that very clearly lays out the aspects of an adolescent’s life that can lead to minor or major depression and the hope and help available. In my teen years I was fortunate to escape anxiety and depression, but I have danced with both as an adult and I feel…
My recovery journey began about 32 years ago. My 14-year-old son led me into action. He was skipping school and not obeying the rules of our home. I was reacting like a crazed mother. Mainly, I was worried sick about his actions and knowing that he was using substances. I was afraid for his life.…
Not my kid, not my kid. How many times have I said that in my head and out loud. When the truth was, it is my kid. I am a daughter, a sister, a wife, a friend, a nurse and a mother of a heroin addict. This journey was fast and furious starting with marijuana at age…
Last night I attended my first Senior Week: Staying Safe in OC program. When it concluded, all I could think about was that every family that goes near a beach needs to hear this valuable information! While the focus is to keep high school seniors safe as they celebrate their “rite of passage,” there were…
Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 91 Americans die from an opioid-related overdose every day. Now, that average has increased to 115 Americans a day. This is a national crisis that has serious, lasting effects on our society’s public health, as well as our social and economic welfare. To combat…
