For some, chapter 6 may come as a very touchy subject to some. I know speaking for myself, I have lost a great deal of friends because of addictions. In today’s world, the drug epidemic is tragically ending so many young adults lives and after every overdose we hear about, you will always hear “more change needs to happen”. I am not insinuating that no change has been taken but after reading this chapter, it’s just frustrating to know literally EVERY single drug and the impacts it has yet it still exists.

With that being said, chapter 6 does offer insight on each drug by giving factual information based on results. As I read through every chapter, I like to focus more on the topics that I can relate most to.

-The 1st section that caught my eye was Addictive Behaviors 6.2 Technology Addictions because in today’s society one of our major problems is our phones and not being able to go a certain amount of time without looking at it (I know i’m guilty of it). What I found interesting was what they call someone who is addicted to technology “if you can’t put your smartphone down, you may be nomophobic, the emerging name for a cell phone junkie.” and not that I am suggesting ANYTHING about addiction is funny but that did make me a laugh just a little because then I asked myself “oh god I hope i’m not one?”

-The 2nd section that caught my eye was Common Drugs of Abuse: Stimulants 6.5 Amphetamines I relate to this especially because I have suffered with ADHD since I was in 3rd grade and if you asked me today what it felt like the first time I took adderall I wouldn’t know how to answer it. I have been prescribed so many different types of adderall for reasons such as one didn’t work, my academic performance did not change, I would feel sick, I wouldn’t eat, a variety of different factors. After a while of noticing I had different types of issues with each kind I realized that I needed to get over some of the problems I had and deal with them. I do have problems with school and have my entire life and despite what bad things may be said about it, there really is nothing wrong with taking it as long as you do not abuse it.

–The 3rd section that I will end with is Common Drugs of Abuse: Marijuana/ Legalization of Marijuana and Medicinal “Legalizing Marijuana would result in more effective law enforcement and criminal justice, since police officers would have more time and money to pursue criminals for other, more serious crimes.” This is something very major to look at and a great way to view marijuana because it really does have some positive effects and in my opinion, far more than it does negative effects. I have insomnia and have for a very long time and every sleep aid I would try would cause me a lot of harm. Then I began to use weed and it really did make a change. Typically I prefer to use my “dab pen” because it really just helps me push out the anxiety at night, unnecessary thoughts and helps me fall asleep.

Update on my journey.. This week I am still a smoker, but again I am taking steps to quit my addiction. For example, I have been fighting certain urges and my boyfriend has a Juul so sometimes I substitute that whenever I get an urge to smoke one which I know is not the best but it does help me not smoke that one cigarette. ALSO, I recently just caught the head cold that is going on and my throat is so sore from it so I guess I can i’ll think of that as the bright side of me being sick.

Chapter 5 is focused on the topic of reproductive choices, for both males and females. The first thing that caught my attention was reading about the female condom, I never actually have seen the process of using one and the steps that are needed to take to make sure it is effective.

I found it very interesting but at the same time, it seems to look very uncomfortable (the before and after process) The chapter goes on to talk about the disadvantages of both the male and female condom which did not surprise me (irritation, STI transmission is still possible, the female condom is 79% effective)

I found myself very freaked out when reading “Other Barrier Methods” and not for any childish reasons but just being a female, it made me very uneasy. It is shocking to know how many different methods there are available. Jellies and creams, also a foam substance come in cans or tubes that are supplied with applicators for vaginal inesterion. These barriers are only effective if they are inserted far enough to cover the cervix and what this does is provides a chemical barrier that kills sperm and also a physical barrier that stops the sperm from continuing toward an egg. I was shocked to read about suppositories (which I did not know existed) these are capsules that are inserted into the vagina, where they melt. They are supposed to be inserted 10-20 minutes before intercourse but no more than an hour because then they lose their effectiveness. The vaginal contraceptive film, I was aware of this barrier but again not sure I would be a fan.. this barrier is a thin film infused with spermicidal gel and is inserted into the vagina so that it covers the cervix (seems similar to the jellies and creams) the film dissolves into a spermicidal gel and is effective for 3 hours. Of course all these barrier methods can be very messy and can easily cause an allergic reaction and irritation.

My opinion: I think that women having so many different choices for barrier methods is great and shows us women that there are so many different options for us if needed and if a women does not or can’t take birth control, then she has all these different choices. Although I think that it is great, I also think that most of these methods look very uncomfortable and myself speaking; I would never use any of these methods.

Update on MY journey.. so still a smoker over here! but I do have some good news this week, I have found myself fighting urges I have to go and smoke whether i’m at the bar, out to eat, at work, etc. Everytime I want that cigarette I have found different ways to distract myself which gives me less time to go and smoke that cigarette and I have noticed that it is helping and sort of working. Again, I am still currently a smoker and as I keep saying in all my updates that I am nowhere close where I want to be with my goal BUT.. I am trying my best and every day I want to quit more than I did the day before.

I found chapter 4 to be very insightful and interesting, for anyone in a relationship or even for someone that is single. Myself speaking, I am currently in what I find to be, a very healthy relationship. My boyfriend and I have been together for about 9 months now, we have our struggles and our fights but our communication skills allow us to work through our problems and guide us to a resolution. As I read chapter 4, there was a section that stated “How do you know whether you’re in a healthy relationship? Answering some basic questions can help you determine whether a relationship is working.” So, I proceeded to answer the following questions regarding my current relationship.

• Do you love and care for yourself to the same extent that you did before the relationship? Can you be yourself in the relationship? Do you feel that you are equals in the relationship?
• Do you share interests, values, and opinions? is there a mutual respect for, and civil discussion of, differences?
• Are there genuine caring and goodwill? Are there mutual encouragement and emotional support?
• Do you trust each other? Are you honest with each other? Can you comfortably express feelings, needs, and desires?
• Is there room for growth as you both evolve and mature?

So, as I read each question and thought about my relationship for the most part I said yes. There were a few questions that I had to think about, for example my boyfriend and I share different opinions when it comes to our political views. When the topic comes up in conversation of course we disagree, but there is a respect level we have for one another allowing us to listen to one another and have a civil discussion. I wouldn’t say there isn’t room for growth in our relationship but what relationship doesn’t have it’s issues?

Which leads me to my next point…

Relationships and Social Media

This section in chapter 4 really stood out to me because if there is one problem I notice in my relationship it’s social media. Unlike my boyfriend, I tend to post a greater amount on social media and rely more on technology than he does. I notice that at times it can irritate him, yesterday I posted pictures of us for “national boyfriend day” and I was very upset that he only “liked” the pictures and did not write anything instead (I know very minor issue that really doesn’t matter) but to me it does because I find it to be showing affection and appreciation for me. I brought up the issue I was having and we discussed it, we went back and forth bickering at times but finally we came to a resolution. I am grateful for the high level of communication and respect we have for one another, because if we didn’t I am not sure what our fight could have possibly lead to or how far it would have gone.

“Be aware that your partner might not be as comfortable with posting information to social media as you are. Be mindful, and ask permission, before posting any pictures of you as a couple or information about your activities or whereabouts.” (pg. 76)

Update on quitting cigarettes

So, this week was actually a little bit better than last week but still nowhere close to where I want to be. My stress level from last week is definitely not as high, so that does help fight the urge of wanting a cigarette. Something great I can share with you all about the past week is that 2 out of the 7 days of the week I did not have a cigarette once! and for any of you that know what it is like to have a cigarette addiction or know someone that does, that is a BIG deal. As I said before, I’m nowhere close to where I want to be but I know that I am making progress and that this is something I really want to achieve. These may be little steps, but they are steps and I believe enough in myself and my will power that I will kick this nasty habit of mine.

Thanks for coming back to read more!

October 4th, 2018

Hey guys, I’m sure after reading my title for this blog you may have an idea of what you’re about to read…

So, for the past few days I have been reading through chapter 3 doing my homework and I just can’t help but relate so much to this chapter especially when it comes to me quitting. I’m thinking to myself “wow, I can’t believe how much actual harm I am causing to my body from stressing myself out all the time AND from smoking” I mean think about it, if stressed more frequently then not aka prolonged stress that can lead to long term side effects causing damage to your health overall. As I was reading I tried to see which sections of chapter 3 I related to the most.

Heres what I came up with..

• Stress and Sleep problems- Having insomnia has taken a major toll on me the past few years and it is something that I deal with constantly. It affects mostly my relationships and time management which results in stress.
• What Is stress?- Distress is what caught my attention, lately I have realized that is a lot more common for me. More focused on the fincial aspect.

When I think of myself reading throughout the chapter, of course I think about the process of me quitting cigarettes. I’m not going to sit here and lie to you guys because the point of this blog is to take you along the journey and let you know exactly where i’m at and how i’m doing. Unfortunatley, I am not where I would like to be because the past week I have nothing but stressed with almost everything in my life. Once I read chapter 3 I realized that when I smoke cigarettes to relieve stress, it’s called “determintal stress” but it all made sense to me. Whenever I light that cigarette just because I am stressed out, immeditaly I realize that infact I am only stressing myself out more. I’m not sure what really pushed me over the edge this past week but I found myself always craving one and caving in. When I last wrote to everyone I told you guys that I smoked a pack a day, in the beginning of the week that did not change.. I am slowly but surley smoking less each day. I have found that if I distract myself then thats one less cigarette I would’ve smoked in that hour. I hope that my next blog entry will be different and less dissapointing.

Thank you all for your encouraging words on my blog posts, I see them. Reading comments that are supportive from people I have never met, is very uplifting and really do help me with this journey.

Here’s me with a pack of my cigarettes 😦

Blog post created on Thursday September 27th, 2018

Hello Everyone,

Thank you for coming back to read about the struggle I have been facing as I try to quit cigarettes. Every second of everyday, I think about how great it would be to go back in time and tell my 17 year old self NOT to light that cigarette, but I know that’s not happening. The first time I was handed a cigarette I was a freshman in highschool. I was uneasy about taking my first drag because I knew the cause and effects they brought to the human body but just like everyone else, I wanted to “fit in” so I tried one. At first, I won’t lie I got light headed and wanted to vomit which resulted in me never wanting another one again. Junior year something changed, I hung out with the wrong crowd and with no fault of my own got myself addicted to cigarettes.

Five years later, here I am trying to figure out how I am possibly going to kick this habit. I have decided that the first step is for me to be honest with you all and most importantly myself. The first question I knew I needed to ask myself was “Lizzy, how many cigarettes do you smoke in a day?” and my answer honestly repulses me; a pack a day. I just can’t believe that at the age of 22 I am smoking a pack every day. The problem is I never took a second to think about it, never thought about what I am doing to my body. I can’t begin to tell you the amount of times my friends who do not smoke or family members that do not smoke ask me “why lizzy? what do you get out of it? it’s so gross” yeah of course it is, I know everything that is in a cigarette but yet I make the choice to smoke it and the reason is, because these cigarettes have me hooked.

Cigarettes have a power of me that I can’t seem to shake off. As I am writing this right now, I’m craving one so badly. I know it sounds dramatic because I’m not talking about being addicted to drugs, alcohol, etc. but an addiction is an addiction (which can be seen as an opinion) At this point in my life I know it is time to make healthier choices and I know I may sound like a broken record but it starts here with ending this ugly habit I have developed.

GOAL FOR THE WEEK:

• My goal for this week is going to cut back each day, so instead of the whole pack I will only smoke half the pack which may not seem like progress but trust me, it is.

I would appreciate if anyone has any questions about this, I am very open to discuss it and if anyone has any suggestions/feedback for me during this process I would love more than anything to hear them. 

Thank you! 🙂