Developing a Drug-Free Lifestyle to Maintain Abstinence

Developing a Drug-Free Lifestyle to Maintain Abstinence Addiction Coping and Recovery Overcoming Addiction Print Developing a Drug-Free Lifestyle to Maintain Abstinence By Buddy T facebook twitter Buddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Learn about our editorial policy Buddy T Updated on September 20, 2019 Maskot / Getty Images More in Addiction Coping and Recovery Overcoming Addiction Methods and Support Personal Stories Alcohol Use Addictive Behaviors Drug Use Nicotine Use If you are trying to maintain abstinence from alcohol or drugs over a long period of time, it is important to develop a drug-free lifestyle in all aspects of your lifeâ€"at home, at work and during your leisure hours. If you sought treatment from a professional rehab program for your alcohol or drug problem, one of the most important objectives of your continuing or follow-up care is to help you learn to replace your previous destructive behaviors with more healthy and productive alternatives. Supportive Friends and Family One of the first steps in developing a drug-free lifestyle is to avoid those people who were directly involved in your former drinking or drug-using lifestyleâ€"those who helped you get drugs, use drugs or were your drinking buddies. Many addicts find that in order to develop a substance-free lifestyle, they must develop new friendships, social patterns, and leisure activities. Your rehab counselor will try to help you identify drug-free supportive friends and family members and encourage you to improve those relationships and participate in recreational activities with them, to replace the time that you spent drug-seeking and using. If you do not have drug-free friends or loved ones, your counselor will encourage you to become involved in new social groups and make new, supportive friends. Developing a Structured Schedule Another important aspect of developing a drug-free lifestyle is to develop a structured daily schedule that you can consistently follow. Structure and organization in your life can be your best friends in recovery, while a chaotic and disorganized lifestyle can be your enemy. When you were in the early abstinence stage of your rehab program, your counselor probably worked with you then to establish daily and/or weekly schedule to help you begin to structure your time and to replace your drug-seeking and using activities with healthy alternatives. In the maintaining abstinence phase of your recovery, it is important not to abandon that structured schedule or deviate from it on a regular basis. Developing Larger, Expanded Goals While maintaining your sobriety remains a high priority in your life, in order to develop a long-term drug-free lifestyle, it is helpful to identify larger goals for your future. Now that you have achieved more than 90 days of abstinence, you will probably begin to develop larger, long-term goals such as going back to school, changing career paths or saving toward financial goals. Identifying other goals for your life and developing a plan to achieve those goals can play an important role in helping you develop and maintain a drug-free lifestyle. Your follow-up counselor will help you learn how to work toward these goals within the context of your new recovering lifestyle. Developing Spirituality If you have participated in a 12-step group as part of your rehab program, you have probably already been introduced to the concept of spirituality, which has nothing to do with religious practices or dogma. Spirituality, as it relates to recovery, means developing values in your life and having altruistic goalsâ€"reaching beyond yourself to find fulfillment and happiness. Spirituality can be an important factor in any successful recovery program. It involves connecting to a power that extends beyond the concerns of daily living. Your counselor will encourage you to become involved in efforts greater than yourself such as doing service work for your support group, becoming more involved in your religious organization, doing community service or volunteering for charity work. Your counselor will not try to define any higher power for youâ€"that will be left entirely up to you, but research has shown that developing a drug-free lifestyle can be enhanced by relating to a power that is transcendent and greater than yourself.

Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr. Biography

Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr., one of the first black astronauts, entered the corps in June 1967. He had a bright future ahead of him but never made it into space. He began his training and was putting his experience as a pilot and chemist to work as he also trained on  support aircraft. Several months after he began his astronaut training, Lawrence was a passenger on a training flight aboard an F104 Starfighter jet when it made a too-low approach and hit the ground. Lawrence died instantly during the December 8 mishap. It was a tragic loss to the country, and to his wife and young son. He was awarded a Purple Heart posthumously for his service to his country.   The Life and Times of Astronaut Lawrence Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr. was born October 2, 1935, in Chicago. He received an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Bradley University in 1956 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant into the U.S.  Air Force upon graduation at age 20. He took his flight training at Malden Air Force Base, and eventually ended up providing flight training. He logged more than 2,500 hours of flight time throughout his time in the Air Force and was instrumental in compiling flight maneuver data that was eventually used in the development of the space shuttles. Lawrence later earned a PhD. in physical chemistry in 1965 from Ohio State University. His interests ranged from nuclear chemistry to photochemistry, advanced inorganic chemistry, and thermodynamics. His instructors called him one of the most intelligent and hard-working students theyd ever seen. Once in the Air Force, Lawrence  distinguished himself as an exceptional test pilot and was among the first to be named to the USAF Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) program. That mission was a precursor to todays successful NASA space shuttle program. It was part of the manned spaceflight program the Air Force was developing. MOL was planned as an orbiting platform where astronauts could train and work for longer missions. The program was canceled in 1969 and declassified later on. Some of the astronauts assigned to MOL, such as Robert L. Crippen and Richard Truly, went on to join NASA and fly other missions. Although he applied twice to NASA and didnt make into the corps, after his experience with the MOL, Lawrence may well have made it in on a third try, had he not been killed in the flight accident in 1967. Memorial In 1997, thirty years after his  death, and after much lobbying by space historians and others, Lawrences name was the 17th added to the Astronauts Memorial Foundation Space Mirror. This memorial was dedicated in 1991 to honor all U.S. astronauts who lost their lives on space missions or in training for missions. Its located at the Astronauts Memorial Foundation at the Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida and is open to the public. The African-American  Members of the Astronaut Corps Dr. Lawrence was part of a vanguard of black Americans to join the space program. He came along early in the programs history and hoped to make a lasting contribution to the countrys space efforts. He was preceded by Ed Dwight, who selected as the first African-American astronaut in 1961. Unfortunately, he resigned due to government pressure.   The honor of being the first black  to actually fly in space was Guion Blufords. He flew four missions from 1983 to 1992. Others were Ronald McNair (killed in the space shuttle Challenger accident), Frederick D. Gregory, Charles F. Bolden, Jr. (who has served as NASA administrator), Mae Jemison (first African-American woman in space), Bernard Harris, Winston Scott, Robert Curbeam, Michael P. Anderson, Stephanie Wilson, Joan Higginbotham, B. Alvin Drew, Leland Melvin, and Robert Satcher.   Several others have served in the astronaut corps, but have not flown in space.   As the astronaut corps has grown, it has grown more diverse, including more women and astronauts with a wide range of ethnic backgrounds.

20 Quotes About How to Give and Get Respect

How often have you heard employees complaining about the lack of respect in the workplace? According to  an  HBR  survey  conducted by Christine Porath, associate professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business,  and  Tony Schwartz, founder of  The Energy Project, business leaders need to demonstrate respect to their employees if they want better commitment and engagement in the workplace. The survey results, as quoted in  HBR in the November 2014  states: Those that get respect from their leaders reported 56% better health and well-being, 1.72 times more trust and safety, 89% greater enjoyment and satisfaction with their jobs, 92% greater focus and prioritization, and 1.26 times more meaning and significance. Those that feel respected by their leaders were also 1.1 times more likely to stay with their organizations than those that didn’t. Building Employee Value Every employee needs to feel valued. That is at the core of every human interaction. It does not matter what rank, or office the person holds. It does not matter how important is the employees role in the organization. Each individual needs to feel respected and valued. Managers who recognize and empathize with this basic human need will become great business leaders. Tom Peters The simple act of paying positive attention to people has a great deal to do with productivity. Frank Barron Never take a persons dignity: it is worth everything to them, and nothing to you. Stephen R. Covey Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers. Cary Grant Probably no greater honor can come to any man than the respect of his colleagues. Rana Junaid Mustafa Gohar It is not grey hair that makes one respectable but character. Ayn Rand If one doesnt respect oneself one can have neither love nor respect for others. R. G. Risch Respect is a two-way street, if you want to get it, youve got to give it. Albert Einstein I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university. Alfred Nobel It is not sufficient to be worthy of respect in order to be respected.   Julia Cameron In limits, there is freedom. Creativity thrives within structure. Creating safe havens where our children are allowed to dream, play, make a mess and, yes, clean it up, we teach them respect for themselves and others. Criss Jami When I look at a person, I see a person - not a rank, not a class, not a title. Mark Clement Leaders who win the respect of others are the ones who deliver more than they promise, not the ones who promise more than they can deliver. Muhammad Tariq Majeed Respect at the cost of others is disrespect in effect. Ralph Waldo Emerson Men are respectable only as they respect. Cesar Chavez Preservation of ones own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures. Shannon L. Alder A true gentleman is one that apologizes anyways, even though he has not offended a lady intentionally. He is in a class all of his own because he knows the value of a womans heart. Carlos Wallace From the moment I could even understand what respect was I knew it was not a choice but the only option. Robert Schuller As we grow as unique persons, we learn to respect the uniqueness of others. John Hume Difference is of the essence of humanity. Difference is an accident of birth and it should therefore never be the source of hatred or conflict. The answer to difference is to respect it. Therein lies a most fundamental principle of peace - respect for diversity. John Wooden Respect a man, and he will do all the more. How Management Can Convey Respect to Employees The culture of respect should be religiously adhered to by every person in the organization. It has to percolate from the higher management to the last person down the structure. Respect has to be proactively demonstrated, in letter and spirit. Various forms of communication and engaging social interactions can build an environment of respect for employees. One business manager used an innovative idea to make his team feel valued. He would send out a message on their group chat every week or two on what his targets and achievements were for the week. He would also welcome suggestions and feedback on the same. This made his team sense a greater level of responsibility towards their  work and would feel that their contribution had a direct bearing  on  their employers success. Another employer of a mid-size business organization would invest an hour of the day meeting up with each employee personally over lunch. In doing so, the business manager not just learned important aspects of his own organization, but he also communicated his trust and respect to each employee.

Christopher Columbus a Hero Free Essays

In the 1500’s, people were curious about the world and wanted to advance so they explored, the explorers who discovered different things were regarded as hero’s but even though Christopher Columbus found America, he was no hero. Christopher Columbus unintentionally discovered America, when he landed in the Caribbean Islands, while looking for a direct sea route to Asia. Columbus was a selfish and untrustworthy man but was given honor. We will write a custom essay sample on Christopher Columbus a Hero? or any similar topic only for you Order Now He was the cause of slavery, oppression, and mass genocide in the Americas and Africa. Obviously, Columbus was not a hero but the exact opposite. The first fact about Columbus being a villain is that he deculturalized people. When Columbus met the Tainos in North America, he wanted to make them just like Europeans, he was trying to make them all Christian. He forced them to find gold where there was none, and if they did not find any Columbus would kill them. Columbus also forced the natives to become slaves, most of the natives died on their way to Spain. Columbus and his men threw natives corpses over the side of the boat and into the ocean. The natives that did not become slaves worked on plantations or mines where they too would die from the hard working conditions. After they greeted the Europeans to their land with open arms, they were thrown aside like animals. Another important fact that makes Columbus not a hero is lying. Columbus lied to the queen about the explored island, He said that there’s a lot of gold and spices, and people there would share anything with anyone. Columbus also lied that he reached Asia, which was his destination spot and then insisted that he discovered this land when the Taino were found their. He said all those things to make the queen believe that he’s a good man and to save himself from the death. This doesn’t only make him a liar but it also makes him selfish, he even took the prize of reaching the Bahamas from one of his crew mates in order to pay off a debt. The worst thing that Columbus did to gain a â€Å"bad character† name is genocide. When Columbus went to America second time, he brought a lot of Indians back with him to make them slaves to work for his queen. A lot of people died on the way to Columbus’s country, and others were dying because they worked hard as slaves in mines and fields, which were hard and dangerous, or they wee sick with a disease, but he wasn’t the cause of not just one genocide but two. The African Americans were mistreated just as much if not worse, his reason for this was a shortage of Indian slaves. He enslaved these people after they were betrayed by their own and trade for guns. There were many deaths and the lives of the Africans were beyond comprehension and this was all thank to Christopher Columbus. Without a doubt, Columbus was a terrible man and doesn’t deserve the recognition of a hero but a villain. An entire culture was ruined when it has been alive for maybe hundreds of years before Columbus arrived. Columbus betrayed his crew and the native after they were being kind and generous to him, just to cover for the lies he told. The Natives and Africans were killed, raped, and enslaved all because Columbus. Many men and women are thought of as hero and they do this by accomplishing something for the greater good of people but this is the opposite of what he has done. How to cite Christopher Columbus a Hero?, Papers

What does Political Science mean to me an Example by

What does Political Science mean to me? A simple definition of political science would be the study of the process of governance and the relations between the government and the populace. It is the study of politics and the description of the various political happenings and behaviors. To understand this held view of political science as a field of study, it is important to look at what it centers mostly on; politics. A proper definition of politics revolves around the allocation of power and resources. A common held view of politics is the process of making the key decision of who gets what and when. Politics is all about power. Need essay sample on "What does Political Science mean to me?" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Max Weber defined power as the chance of a man or a number of men to realize their own will in a communal action even against the resistance of others who are participating in the action (Bealey et al 14) .My understanding of power would also have a similar undertone. It is the ability to do what one wants in a particular situation even when faced with insurmountable opposition from a section of the populace. The ability to carry out a decision, however popular or unpopular it maybe could be a proper indicator of power. The allocation of this power and the decision of how this power is to be shared out or the general decision of who is to be the ruler is politics.The study of this process of allocation of power between the ruler and the ruled is the broad subject of political science. The study of politics and the various processes would also include taking a closer look at the various forms of governments, concepts such as democracy, sovereignty and legitimacy. These are related concepts that shed a light on politics and the various factors that would impede on power allocation. Political science hence is the study of all these processes of power allocation between the government and its citizenry. It also involves an analyses and description of the various political events and behaviors Work Cited Frank Bealey, Richard A. Chapman, Michael Sheehan. Elements in Political Science. Edinburgh University Press. 1999; 14

Blade Runner Directors Cut essays

Blade Runner Director's Cut essays What theme or themes have you found in a feature film you have studied this year, which are relevant to a modern audience? The film, Blade Runner: Directors Cut, (BRDC) directed by Ridley Scott, explores a major theme that is relevant to us as a modern audience. The main theme is the questioning of humanity. This film forces the viewer to really wonder what humanity actually is, and how human we are. It forces us as the viewer to question our values, and to ponder over the difference between human and inferior beings. In, BRDC, the main theme is the question of what is humanity? One of the ways we wonder this, is through the replicants. Replicants are genetically engineered beings, or clones that are illegal on Earth. A number of rebel replicants have escaped from their off-world colony to Earth, where they wish to seek more life from their creator. They are only given a four-year life span. The film follows Deckard (Harrison Ford) as he is given the task of finding the replicants and retiring or killing them. This forces us as the viewer to question the humanity issues of this. We wonder if it is right to kill something that will only last four years. For example, the replicants appear to be human as is seen at the beginning, when the replicant Leon cares so much about his mother that he shoots another man for trying to talk about her. In fact, replicants do not have a mother but are implanted with the memory of one. The fact that the subject of his mother provoked such an emotional response from Leon, shows that he does possess human qualities, despite claims from the creator Tyrell that replicants can not experience human emotion. Leon shows in this scene that he does possess emotions, and while the viewer questions his humanity as he kills another man, they are also forced to question the humanity issues of killing them. They appear to be normal human beings, yet they m ...

How to Make a Desiccant Container

How to Make a Desiccant Container A desiccator or desiccant container is a chamber that removes water from chemicals or items. It is extremely easy to make a desiccator yourself using materials you probably have on hand. Have you ever wondered why so many products come with little packets that say Do Not Eat? The packets contain  silica gel beads, which absorb water vapor and keep the product dry. Including packets in packaging is an easy way of preventing mold and mildew from taking their toll. Other items would absorb water unevenly (e.g., parts of a wooden musical instrument), causing them to warp. You can use the silica packets or another desiccant to keep special items dry or to keep water from hydrating chemicals. All you need is a hygroscopic (water-absorbing) chemical and a way to seal your container. Key Takeaways: How to Make a Desiccator A desiccator is a container used to maintain a low-humidity environment.Dessicators are simple to make. Basically, a dry desiccant chemical is sealed within a closed container. Objects stored within the container will not become damaged from moisture or humidity. To some extent, a desiccator can absorb water already stored within an object.Many desiccants are available, but they vary widely in terms of safety and cost. The safest chemicals to use include silica gel beads, calcium chloride, and activated charcoal.Desiccant chemicals can be recharged by heating in order to drive off the water. Common Desiccant Chemicals Silica gel is the most widely available desiccant, but other compounds work, too. These include: Silica gel (the beads in those little packets)Sodium hydroxide (sometimes sold as a solid drain cleaner)Calcium chloride (sold as a solid laundry bleach or a road salt)Activated charcoalCalcium sulfate (gypsum or plaster of Paris)ZeoliteRice However, some of these chemicals are more effective and safer than others. Rice, for example, is extremely safe. It is often added to salt shakers as a desiccant to prevent water absorption, allowing the seasoning to flow through the shaker. Yet, rice has a limited ability to absorb water. Sodium hydroxide and calcium chloride are extremely effective, but sodium hydroxide is a caustic compound capable of producing chemical burns. Both sodium hydroxide and calcium chloride eventually dissolve in the water they absorb, potentially contaminating objects stored within a desiccator. Sodium hydroxide and calcium sulfate evolve considerable heat as they absorb water. If a lot of water is absorbed within a short amount of time, the temperature within the desiccator may spike dramatically. In summary, for a basic home or lab desiccator, silica gel and activated charcoal may be the two best choices. Both are inexpensive and non-toxic and dont degrade upon use. Make a Desiccator This is extremely simple. Just place a small amount of one of the desiccant chemicals into a shallow dish. Enclose an open container of the item or chemical you wish to dehydrate with the container of desiccant. A large plastic bag works well for this purpose, but you could use a jar or any airtight container. The desiccant will need to be replaced after it has absorbed all of the water that it can hold. Some chemicals will liquefy when this occurs so that you will know they need to be replaced (e.g., sodium hydroxide). Otherwise, youll just need to switch out the desiccant when it starts to lose its effectiveness. How to Recharge a Desiccator Over time, desiccants become saturated with water from humid air and lose their effectiveness. They can be recharged by heating in a warm oven to drive off the water. The dry desiccant should be stored in a sealed container until use. Its best to expel all of the air out of the container, since it contains some water. Plastic bags are ideal containers because its easy to squeeze out the excess air. Sources Chai, Christina Li Lin; Armarego, W. L. F. (2003). Purification of Laboratory Chemicals. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 978-0-7506-7571-0.Flà ¶rke, Otto W., et al. (2008) Silica in Ullmanns Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a23_583.pub3Lavan, Z.; Monnier, Jean-Baptiste; Worek, W. M. (1982). Second Law Analysis of Desiccant Cooling Systems. Journal of Solar Energy Engineering. 104 (3): 229–236. doi:10.1115/1.3266307Williams, D. B. G.; Lawton, M. (2010). Drying of Organic Solvents: Quantitative Evaluation of the Efficiency of Several Desiccants. The Journal of Organic Chemistry 2010, vol. 75, 8351. doi: 10.1021/jo101589h