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18 Must-Have Life Skills For Every Adult
Being an adult is all about stepping into the real world, figuring out how to live our lives peacefully, and focusing correctly. Tons of life skills will help you become a respected person for yourself, your loved ones, and society.
Most of the life skills you need to master are related to housekeeping, general hygiene, personal grooming, social skills, survival, and self-awareness. But that’s not all. There’s plenty more you can learn every day to become a better human being.
Not all life skills for adults are ones everyone should know about. You might need to pick up a few extra skills based on your way of living and profession. However, certain skills are required to live a decent life. And there are catered programs available to help you garner those habits, bit by bit, every day.
18 Essential Life Skills You Must Learn
If you are determined about self-improvement but not sure where to begin then here are 18 essential life skills that everyone should learn.
1.Cooking and Cleaning
Cooking is a must-have skill that should be in your repertoire as an adult. Whether you’re living in a dorm, your apartment, or maybe you like eating outside; the ability to whip up some quick meals is a life-saving skill that will help you a lot.
Cleaning is also an essential life skill that every mature adult should be able to do. Basic housekeeping skills include doing your laundry, keeping your room clean, and making your bed for the night.
Everyone, from teenagers to adults, needs to learn to keep their house tidy. Learning to keep your stuff organized is the most precious gift you can give yourself.
2.Repair Works
Do it yourself, or DIY, is the new buzz in town. If you just learn some basic skills, DIY will save you a lot of effort and money.
We’re not telling you to become a professional electrician or plumber. But having a few skills will save you a lot of cash on fixing minor household issues. Moreover, nothing feels better than repairing your stuff and feeling proud of doing so.
3.Using Kitchen Appliances
Learning how to clean your refrigerator properly and learning about the proper usage of all your kitchen appliances will save you a lot of hassles. If there’s something in your kitchen that you find too complicated to use, invest some time in learning to take advantage of the tool.
It’s a tool, and it’s supposed to make your life easier, not the other way around! Understanding the settings for your blender, microwave, food processor, etc., can remove a lot of clutter from your kitchen.
4.Cleaning your Toilet
Many people are not interested in learning how to unclog their toilet or clean it properly. But believe us, there will be some time when you will thank yourself for investing your time in learning the skill.
You can find a plethora of videos on the internet about how to unclog a toilet or clean up a bathroom. Learning to use a plunger is never a bad thing. You never know when an emergency strikes!
5.Maintaining your Hygiene
No one wants to be near a person who looks and smells gross. It lowers your overall confidence and makes you undesirable to many.
Learning how to clean yourself, iron your clothes properly, which perfume to use, which type of watch will suit you, will take you a long way in social acceptance.
6.Washing your Clothes
No one will wash your clothes better than you. Once you realize that, there’s no going back to giving clothes to laundries.
You also waste a lot of money washing your clothes in the laundry, which you can save by spending a little time and effort by yourself. Besides, it will make you feel a lot better to wear clean clothes every day.
7.Tying your Tie
The difference between a man and a boy is that the man knows how to tie his tie. So get your hands grooving and learn how to make that knot.
And if you’re a woman, it won’t hurt you to have the skill in your repertoire. Who knows, you might just surprise your husband or boyfriend one day!
8.Staying Up to Date on Vaccinations
There are a lot of viruses, bacteria, and other disease-spreading organisms flying around in the atmosphere. Many of the vaccinations can be taken as an adult. This is especially true owing to the worldwide pandemic that we just came across.
If you want to save yourself the medical cost and the hassle of going to the hospital too often, staying up to date with vaccinations is a good idea.
9.Persuading Others
It’s an essential skill to learn how to get people to say ‘yes’ to your request. There are a few principles that you can follow.
Get people to respect you and consider your requests whenever you need something from them. Stuff like commitment, authority, reciprocity, and consistency will help you persuade people more effectively.
10. Conscious Listening
Conscious listening includes hearing what other people have to say. Make an active effort to understand where that person is coming from and their motives.
You can apply the teaching of RASA to your listening to improve it dramatically. RASA stands for the following:
●Receive: Pay proper attention to what the other person has to say.
●Appreciate: Make a conscious effort to make sure to let the other person know that you’re listening to their words.
●Summarize: Summarize your thinking to the other person.
●Ask: After the other person has stopped talking, you present your questions to further understand what they have to say.
11. Network Efficiently
Networking is one of the cornerstones of success. You need to have a strong network of contacts, ranging from purely professional to heartfelt friends. As humans are social beings, you need people to rely on, people you know that you can trust and who can help you with your work.
Around 29% of people worldwide are connected to everyone by six degrees of separation, and your goal will become one of them.
12. Basic First Aiding
Do you have any idea about what to do when someone you know has cut themselves? What do you do when someone around you has broken bones and needs emergency help?
Picking up an essential first aid book and learning that stitching or holding a broken bone is never a bad idea. Instead of panicking in emergencies, you can help yourself and others by using first aid kits.
13. Reading a Map
In this day and age of GPS and the World Wide Web, maps are becoming obsolete day by day. But if you’re looking forward to having some ideas about geography and directions, learning to read a map is a great skill.
You can also learn to identify stars to navigate and know exactly where you’re heading at night!
14. Budgeting
Being a financially responsible adult and having the ability to budget correctly is an essential life skill. Proper budgeting is the first step towards achieving what you can say is financial peace and stability.
This skill should be cultivated from a very young age and built upon throughout your life as you become an adult.
15. Balancing Bank Accounts
Keeping a fair idea of the amount of money you have in your bank is a good move as an adult. Maintain a detailed record of where and how you spend. It will save you from tremendous hassles.
Having the ability to record your finances and expenses is an essential life skill. It will keep your finances secure and your plans running smoothly.
16. Effective Negotiation
Spending some time and effort to learn how to make a compelling offer and be comfortable asking for a better deal can save you a lot of money.
Never shy away from the aspect of bargaining when you have that in your hand. Not only can you save your money, but you can also gain valuable social insights from it.
17. Apologizing Sincerely
As human beings, mistakes are bound to happen. But making a sincere apology will save a lot of relationships and make people understand your value even more. The strategy for successfully saying you’re sorry is:
●Acting quickly
●Explaining in detail
●Talking about ways to avoid it in the future
●Apologizing in person
●Making restitution
18. Respectfully Saying ‘No’
Learning to say ‘no’ at the perfect time can save you from feeling confused, guilty, stressed, and many other things.
Many of us are afraid to say no to people because we feel like it will let us down deeply. Saying no in perfect times will make people respect you a lot more. Setting up your boundaries is a lot more important than you think!
Final Words
Being an adult means taking responsibility for your actions, doing whatever is necessary, and learning to steadily set up your life to go towards your goal. Not every life skill mentioned here will help you do that. But you need to master them all for your own good if you want to become a genuinely responsible adult.
And if you need help along the way, there are specialized programs to assist you in your wellness journey. For more about improving yourself contact us or check out our other blogs. Motivate yourself to take the first step towards becoming a real human being today. Stay healthy and stay happy!
March 15, 2022
We cannot emphasize enough the importance of motivational speeches and motivational books in lifting up the spirits of those who are feeling down and depressed. No one is an exception when it comes to experiencing the ups and downs of life. Not everyone is equally strong resilient to go through the difficult phases of life. This is where good Christian motivational speakers could help. They will be able to make people get back on track.
A good motivational speaker with strong Christian background will draw from the belief ‘Christ our life’ and it will not merely be a pep talk with fancy ideas. Christian motivational speakers will be rooted on the scriptures and the Word of God is the most powerful motivating force than the words of all the motivational speakers in the world put together. The motivational speaker acts as a powerful tool in the hands of God and it is not the intelligence of the speaker that helps people but the power of God through the words of the motivational speaker, touches people and their lives.
If you are organizing an event to help people deal with the most difficult times that the entire world is facing, it is important that you look for a seasoned motivational speaker who is guided by the Spirit and not someone who just relies on one’s own intelligence and strength. What people need is a permanent support system and not just a temporary fix. If the motivational speaker just relies in his or her own talents and skills then the audience will just get temporary fixes but on the other hand if the speaker draws from the Christian wisdom then the results will be amazing.
The motivational speaker that you select should have an impressive profile too because that is what will make people to get interested in what the speaker has to say. Someone who has delivered several speeches and with good stage dynamics will be able to get better results than a dull and inexperienced speaker. What you need therefore is a dynamic speaker who is moved by the Spirit.
Are you wondering where to find such speakers? Do not worry, you will be able to find such speakers by making an online search. A number of good Christian speakers are eager to help people. Such speakers would have also written motivational books to read so that they continue reaching out to more people.
Do not rush to pick your motivational speakers. Take your time to review the profiles of the speakers and their history. The personal life of the speaker too could speak powerfully. You will need someone that people could easily identify with. Someone that has gone through the difficult challenges that each one of us is going through.
The honesty and genuineness of the motivational speaker will cut deep and you need to look around for such speakers to address your audience so that people could be really helped at a deeper level.
No matter how strong one is, sometime or the other all of us feel that we have come to the dead-end nowhere to turn. We feel helpless and feel stuck; no one knows when life would deal such complicated cards. Life has to continue even during such tough times and we cannot simply run away from our responsibilities and commitments.
You need to make use of various tools and strategies to face the difficult episodes of life with courage. You could pick up the best motivational books to read or listen to powerful motivational speakers. Thousands of people are helped by these motivational books and motivational speeches. However some do doubt the effectiveness of these approaches and they say motivational books or motivational speeches do no good as they do not change your life situation in any way. Yes, it may be true that motivational speeches and motivational books do not change your life but they certainly go a long way in changing the way you look at your own life and the toughest challenges that you come across.
You do not have to take our word for it but try listening to the top motivational speaker and you would know the difference. Life will never be the same even though nothing in your life has changed; you would go through the same challenges and you would experience the same limitations but the only difference now would be that you will not despair no matter how bleak the situation appears. If you talk to people who have personally experienced this, you they will be able to tell you more.
No one is too old for a word or encouragement and no one is too strong for a motivational word. When you are going through the most difficult patches of your life, all of us would certainly appreciate the support and encouragement from someone that is genuinely keen on helping us. This is where motivational speeches and motivational books of a person who has already walked these roads can help as they will be talking from their personal experience and not preach to you some fancy theories on self-confidence.
Having said these, we should also admit that not all of public speakers and motivational speakers are equally effective. You will have to find a motivational speaker that you find authentic so that you feel more open to his or her words. When you find such a person, you will find his or her words helpful. You should not think that motivational books and motivational speeches are not really helpful. If it were not to be helpful then millions of people across the globe will not be listening to motivational speeches from top motivational speakers. There is no harm reaching out for help; listening to motivational speeches or reading motivational books will certainly not harm you in any way. You will find the best help that you could possibly get so that you do not have to fight it out all by yourself.
Anyone can become a criminal with the influence of a specific environment or background. How a society treats its criminals depends on its moral standards and sense of civility. Most countries, including the USA, have adopted criminal rehabilitation programs. But does criminal rehabilitation work in the USA?
There are several criminal rehabilitation programs in the USA to get a convict back into the mainstream of society. Unfortunately, those programs are not successful in reducing crime in the country. The ratio of people getting involved in criminal activities after their release from prison is also very high in the USA.
In this article, we have tried to analyze the effectiveness of the criminal rehabilitation programs of the US government. By reading this article, you will learn about different ongoing criminal rehabilitation programs in US prisons. I've also included some suggestions to make the rehabilitation programs more effective in the latter part of the article.
How Effective Is Criminal Rehabilitation?
Compared to many other countries, like Germany and the Netherlands, the criminal rehabilitation programs in the US are not very successful.
According to the social organization VERA, despite spending billions of dollars on prisons and correction centers, the US government could not bring down the number of prisoners in the country. VERA blames different wrong policies of the authorities for the failure.
Imprisonment or Rehabilitation?
The number of inmates in US prisons has increased by 700% in the last 40 years, indicating an increase in crime. However, most states still focus on punishment to reduce crime. Civil society and activists think that the situation will deteriorate if the authorities do not emphasize rehabilitation programs.
In the USA, punishment for petty crimes like theft or drug abuse is very stern. Sometimes, offenders get life imprisonment for their crimes. But statistics show convictions failed to lower the crime rate. That is why social activists think the authorities should make changes in their policy and focus more on the rehabilitation of convicts.
The Prison Environment
The overall environment of a typical US prison does not reflect modern ideas of justice. Since the system focuses more on punishing the inmates, the activities in the prisons are very oppressive to the prisoners. The inmates have to sleep, eat, and do other activities according to the schedule of the prison authorities. They always have to wear prison uniforms with numbers.
This strict lifestyle makes the prisoners mentally dependent on the authorities. It acts as an obstruction on their way to rehabilitation in society. After a while, they forget how to make decisions and eventually forget how to mix with the outside world.
Experts believe the prison should teach the inmates to make better decisions than they did earlier. They should learn to live better than they did in their previous lives.
Another inhuman treatment, solitary confinement, takes away the confidence and self-esteem of the inmates. In many cases, prisoners forget how to deal with society after being in solitary confinement for a long time, which is the opposite of rehabilitation.
What Are The Common Criminal Rehabilitation Programs?
At present, there are different types of rehabilitation programs in US prisons to help criminals find a proper way of life. The nature of these programs varies from state to state. Some of the correctional programs are listed here.
Education: Lack of access to education has always been a reason for the rise of crime. That is why US prisons facilitate the inmates with educational programs. For illiterate prisoners, there is an Adult Basic Education program. Apart from that, General Education Development certification programs, high school diploma programs, and many other college programs are available to rehabilitate the inmates.
Vocational Education: There are various Career Technical Education programs to get prisoners ready for a legitimate career after prison. These programs include job training for different professions like masonry, auto repair, and carpentry.
Behavioral Therapy: Inmates can also avail themselves of cognitive behavioral therapy programs in prisons to change their patterns of behavior. In many cases, the habituated behaviors of the prisoners get them back into crimes. In these programs, prisoners learn anger management and new thinking methods to avoid crimes.
Employment Skill Development: Many prisons offer Employment Preparation Programs to inmates. The aim is to provide job-oriented skills to them. This program teaches the inmates to search for jobs and be mentally prepared for a job. The program mainly targets those inmates who will be released within six months.
Substance Use Disorder Treatment: Substance Use Disorder Treatment helps those prisoners who have drug abuse-related problems. The program aims to help the inmates avoid relapse and get better. Prisoners do not take part in this program voluntarily. It only includes inmates who were caught with drugs or who have an alcohol problem.
Arts‑in‑Corrections: The Arts-in-Corrections program uses different forms of art to change the thought processes of prisoners. It gets the inmates involved in creative activities like writing and theatrical performances. The program relies on the idea that the superior values of art and culture will make the convicts better people.
How To Make Criminal Rehabilitation Work?
First of all, the government should sensitize all the officials of the rehabilitation program to make the programs effective. Moreover, they should be empathetic towards criminals. Above all, the system should earn the trust of the inmates. Without the active participation of the inmates, no rehabilitation program can work.
Change of Approach
If the system and the officials believe that people are genetically bad, no rehabilitation program can work properly. The first step towards effective rehabilitation should be to create an environment of trust between the inmates and the officials.
Authorities should plan and create program content to elaborate on the effects of poverty, bad influence, wrong parenting, and early childhood abuse on the mind of a criminal. Along with the prisoners, the officials should also go through their contents.
Controlling the Sources of Drugs
Most of the crimes involve different drugs. Enforcing strict laws against the abuse of drugs cannot prevent social vice if drugs are adequately available. Furthermore, if a drug-addicted inmate has easy access to them, his chances of relapsing are always high.
A mass-awareness program against drugs can help the society stand against drugs. Besides, a strict stance against the production and distribution of drugs is necessary to create a supportive environment for rehabilitating prisoners with drug problems.
Enhancing the Social Safety Net
Poverty and lack of opportunities for a legitimate income will make an inmate return to their criminal activities after finishing their sentence. So, the government has to enhance the social safety-net programs to make the rehabilitation programs meaningful.
There should be separate safety net programs for newly released prisoners. Most criminals return to their previous lives because they do not have enough opportunities to obtain legitimate employment.
Ethical Education
Enriching convicts with higher moral values is a great way to permanently rehabilitate them. For some, religious teaching can play a positive role in preventing crimes for good.
Providing online courses on understanding the teachings of the Holy Bible for the inmates can be very fruitful. Since faith in religion can make an inmate against any crime prohibited in the holy books.
Recovery Courses for Addicts
Motivational courses can also be helpful for prisoners with drug abuse problems. These courses help people learn to hate their destructive habits.
Authorities can provide such online courses for the inmates that can guide them to find ways to get rid of the negative influences of drugs.
Good Parenting
It is crucial to ensure proper parenting while rehabilitating minor or juvenile criminals. Otherwise, correctional facilities will not be able to change the situations that bring the criminals out of innocent souls.
Authorities should educate and enlighten the parents of minor criminals to understand how to behave with their children. Foster families are also a good idea for rehabilitating juvenile criminals if the parents of the juvenile are bad influences on the minor. The government should enhance the program further for more minor criminals when they finish their sentences.
Addressing Mental Issues
Mental health is often ignored as an issue to address when people talk about rehabilitating criminals. However, many mental diseases will always bring an inmate back to his criminal track.
Authorities should check the mental health of all the inmates and treat those who need special attention. No rehabilitation program will work for a person if he gets involved in a crime due to mental conditions. The only solution is to facilitate proper treatment for him.
Bottom Line
If a nation continues to negate its people with criminal records, it will only hinder the progress of society. How can a country move forward if it leaves a large part of its population to commit crimes?
The government should ask the question, does criminal rehabilitation work? It should restructure its policy on convicts and involve other non-government entities to ensure the complete rehabilitation of most prisoners. If you or someone your love needs rehabilitative help, please contact us and we can begin the process of reintegrating you back into society.
Our Second Blog Entry
February 14, 2022
Getting out of substance addiction is not an easy journey. Even if the person who is addicted genuinely wants to get out of the habit, it is not possible so easily because the body would have developed a dependency on the substance that they have been using. A multi-pronged approach has to be taken. Individuals suffering from substance addiction should get medical attention, psychological help, and spiritual food.
When one is keen on overcoming their addiction, one of the strongest feelings that they experience is guilt. This could psychologically kill them and prevent them from taking positive steps towards recovery. They could certainly use some help from an experienced motivational speaker who knows what this journey means. They just need someone to tell them, Christ our life is their everything and with the power of God it is possible for them to overcome their trials and tribulations. This will boost their morale and help them fight better.
If they are going to rely only on their personal strength, then they are likely to succumb to the pressure of biological craving and regress to their original addicted state. They should therefore first feel loved and there could be nothing more powerful than the love of God. They need to hear it from someone that shares from the page of life book and not based on some fancy statistics.
When it comes to helping people struggling to get out of substance addiction, it is important that the motivational speaker does not take a moralistic stand but takes a compassionate approach. Someone who has made this journey to recovery will be able to connect better with the challenges and difficulties of the person suffering from these issues. If you are in the process of selecting a motivational speaker to strengthen people who face challenges with the substance abuse recovery process, then you will have to make careful choices.
The motivational speaker should understand that these victims are genuinely trying and that they are not just trying to have a good time but it is there body that is demanding the regular dose of the substance. With careful search, you will be able to find the right people to help those suffering from addictions. If the motivational speaker you select is also able to help these victims realize the compassion and the healing power of God, it would be all the more effective.
Substance abuse has become a curse for today's generation. There is no single aspect of life that abuse of drugs can't hamper! Addiction and abuse ultimately destroy a person, often leading to death. It is a deadly game to play with one's own life. You might be thinking about how substance abuse can affect the quality of life? Read this article to learn about it!
Basically, substance abuse can have an impact on your personal, family, and social life. It can cause deadly effects on your personal health and every system in your body. Mostly, it affects the brain.
If you are a victim of substance abuse, you are not alone. There are millions out there thriving to escape the wrath of abuse. The journey isn't smooth. But you can always get some help from our services at Minor Adjustments. Besides, you must first understand how substance abuse is affecting our lives.
The Impact Of Substance Abuse On Your Life
Actually, substance abuse has become a common problem in our modern world. We have lost so many precious lives in the flames of substance disorder! Even most celebrities are also deadly victims of this!
Basically, quality of life refers to the combination of physical, mental, social, and spiritual wellbeing. When a person is in good coordination of physical, mental, and social health, he will have a good quality of life.
To be fair, the first thing to understand here is that misuse or overuse of anything that affects your day-to-day life is "abuse." Generally, it can be anything. For instance, it can be drugs, cyber-related problems, abuse of prescription medications, etc.
Mostly, the commonly abused drugs are alcohol, methamphetamines, cocaine, hallucinogens, LSD, barbiturates, nicotine, opioids, etc. The easy availability and illegal trafficking have led to an increased incidence of drug abuse. Basically, the lack of proper implementation of law and order is to be blamed here.
Effect Of Drugs On Personal Health
Drug abuse is a chronic medical condition. It doesn't develop in a single day. The brain falls the greatest victim to drugs! Certain chemical changes occur in the body, which can cause short-term and long-term effects.
Actually, there is no single system in our body that is not affected by the abuse of drugs. It can damage your heart, your organs that breathe, your liver, kidneys, and all the other organs you can think of!
●Effect On Heart: Drugs like cocaine and alcohol can damage your heart and blood vessels. It often causes problems like- coronary artery diseases, arrhythmia, Myocardial Infarction (heart attack), etc. The chemicals in the drugs slowly poison your cardiovascular system, which ultimately causes these diseases!
●Effects On Lungs: Chronic smoking or chain-smoking is a kind of substance abuse. Smokers don't have a good prognosis in the long run—eventually, lung cancers of deadly variants, COPD, etc., develop. Even inhalation of drugs can cause toxic effects on your body. High doses of opioids can also lead to respiratory paralysis!
●Effects On The Liver: All kinds of drugs and poisons are mostly metabolized in the liver. It is the major metabolic organ in our body. Chronic alcoholics often die of liver cirrhosis, which has no cure in the long run except for liver transplantation. It is an expensive, risky and difficult procedure. You can hardly match a donor for transplantation!
●Effects On Kidneys: Basically, the toxic wastes produced from the abuse of drugs are excreted by the kidneys. When you take bolus doses of these harmful substances, at one point, the kidneys fail to eliminate them. Ultimately, it leads to chronic kidney disease or even renal failure. Life expectancy diminishes to a great extent!
●Transmissible Diseases: Through shared needles, many diseases are transmitted. The common diseases among drug abusers are AIDS, Hepatitis C, Malaria, Syphilis, etc. AIDS and Hepatitis C have the worst prognosis, and in most cases, they often lead to death.
Effects Of Drugs On The Brain
Because the brain is the organ that receives the most insults from drug abuse, this needs to be discussed separately. The first system that is affected by drug abuse is the central nervous system. The chemicals in drugs and poisons release mostly dopamine.
Dopamine is an indigenous hormone in our body. But when it is oversaturated in the blood, it starts to show toxic effects. And when it persists chronically, the dangerous effects of drug abuse begin to show! High levels of Dopamine can impact the prefrontal cortex, Amygdala, and basal ganglia of our brain.
The prefrontal cortex is mostly responsible for conscious thinking and decision-making. It keeps you alert in situations and helps you interact. When you start taking drugs habitually, the functions of the cortex are badly hampered. When you are inebriated, you are unable to make informed decisions and think clearly!
The Amygdala controls our emotions. When a person takes drugs for a few days and then decides to quit, he becomes stressed and anxious. The withdrawal of the drugs makes him frustrated. He can't decide to do anything other than take drugs to relieve his stress. The withdrawal causes the Amygdala to produce emotional changes that lead to taking more drugs.
Moreover, the Basal Ganglia is a producer of dopamine. Overuse of drugs causes overproduction of dopamine in the body. Dopamine helps to feel pleasure or happiness. But when the levels are spiked, the user feels a state of "high" when he can't feel the happiness or pleasure from anything else. He will depend on a greater intake of drugs to increase his pleasure.
Effect Of Substance Abuse On Family And Social Life
The abuse of drugs leads to dysfunctional families, domestic violence, broken families, etc. Many kids suffer from depression at an early age due to the bad effects of drugs on their families.
The Facebook celebrity Laura Clery talks openly about how drugs have damaged every aspect of her life. Luckily, she overcame it, and she has written about her journey proudly in her books. However, a drug abuser slowly starts to fade away from society. He has no family or social life to look back on.
How To Understand If You Are Abusing Drugs?
A number of symptoms can be observed among the abusers. Even if you are no expert, you can tell by these symptoms that a person is abusing drugs.
There are some obvious changes, and some changes require a physician to justify. Below are some common symptoms-
●Dry mouth
●Increased sense of happiness
●Palpitations
●Insomnia or somnolence
●Difficulty in breathing
●Paranoia
●Changes in sleeping patterns
●Sudden seizure
●Stroke
●Hallucinations
●High blood pressure
●Changes in appetite
●Mood swings
●Increased sexual urge
●Inability to control one's emotions or urges
●State of confusion
●Tremors
●Loss of pain perception
●Depression
●Anxiety
●Schizophrenia
Which Generation Is Affected Most By Substance Abuse?
If one generation is to be named, it is definitely the young. Adolescents and young adults, typically aged 18–29, are the most commonly affected individuals. Due to various factors, teens often fall victim to substance abuse.
Basically, it starts with an urge to try out drugs. Teenagers, often from peer pressure, try to indulge in the abuse of drugs. They take drugs illegally from their mates and sell them. It is often a source of pocket money and a way to show off as the cool guy. Mostly, high school boys and girls fall victim to this trend.
Some boys and girls learn self-control and realise the damaging effects before it's too late. But for some, it turns into a very serious addiction and lasts a lifetime! Many celebrities even start taking drugs in their teen years. Many precious lives have ultimately faded into thin air because of this heinous practice.
Also, family plays a great role here. Many kids develop the habit of taking alcohol from a very young age, learning from their parents. Although it may seem like an innocent act of entertainment initially, later it develops into a bad habit. It becomes hard to get rid of these addictions. So, parents and peers need to be educated well about this.
Many teens and adolescents start acting out. They even indulge in crimes and delinquencies. Rape, murder, suicide, homicide, thievery, robbery, trafficking, etc., are some of the most common crimes. Drugs can totally destroy a person. So, you need to be careful what your younger ones are indulging in!
Can Drugs Affect Your Mental Health?
Yes, drugs have this severe problem that ultimately ruins your mental peace and health. A person may become severely depressed and suffer from many psychiatric disorders as a result of substance abuse. Actually, substance abuse disorder is itself a mental health hazard!
Many people start taking alcohol in moderation. But you never realise when it turns into an addiction! Alcohol is the worst drug to affect your mental health. When you try to withdraw from this habit, you become anxious and depressed. The cravings set in, and you can find nothing in the world to satisfy your needs but alcohol!
Also, the chemical changes produced in the body by these drugs cause altered chemistry in the brain. Your neurological functions do not work in the same way as before. Depression, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, obsessions, compulsions, etc., are very common in substance abusers.
Can You Cure Drug Addiction?
Curing any disease is not an easy task. Drug abuse is one of the deadliest diseases in the world right now. Over 7-8 million people are victims of this condition. If you are diagnosed early and receive proper treatment, it may be possible to cure addiction. Besides, our services are always there to help you out!
Our services can help you on your path to salvation. If you are anxious that you can't overcome this phase of your life, then we are here to show you the right direction. Addiction isn't easy, and the journey to sobriety takes a great deal of patience, love, and care. It isn't easy for anyone alone to get rid of this in a day or two.
It would be beneficial if you could communicate with others who are suffering from the same condition. You need to learn from others' experiences. You can receive help from our Minor Adjustment Programs. Check out the website to see some samples of these programs. It might be helpful for you. Click on this link to see the website!
Besides, behavioural therapy, cognitive therapy, problem-solving techniques, group therapy, etc., are really necessary. Medications can help you, but what you need most is support from your friends and family. At this stage, it can be hard to find help from them. Our support group can help you reincarnate from this life and live better.
Conclusion
Drugs are the worst enemies of humanity. Although designed originally to save lives, the overuse/abuse of these substances for our own pleasure has led to many dangers. It has cost us many valuable lives! So, if anybody asks you now how substance abuse can affect quality of life, you know what to tell them.
It's never too late to seek help. You need to help yourself first. Contact us to get in touch with a professional. We hope this article helped you learn more in-depth about substance abuse. Thank you for reading the entire article with patience. Stay safe and healthy!
Life is becoming increasingly challenging for all of us regardless of one’s background. For some people making a living is challenging and for others having a peaceful family life or being in a healthy relationship is challenging and for others, their health poses a great challenge. Everyone is tested and tried in one way or the other. These challenges constantly rock the boat making life difficult.
You too would be no exception to these challenges and you cannot run away from these difficult phases of life. However, it is important that one does not give up succumbing to these pressures of life. Some of us have the required inner strength but not everyone is equipped with such inner strength. How to cope with these challenges and continue leading a happy life?
There are number of ways you could keep yourself afloat no matter what happens in life. One of the important tips to remember is that you should not hesitate to get help if required. There is nothing wrong in getting help from a life book or from the motivational speeches.
From time to time, you should get input from seasoned motivational speakers and from the books from black Christian authors that you find easy to connect with. There are many motivational speakers but we may not be able to feel that personal connect with everyone. There is nothing wrong in that and just because you are not able to feel that personal connect it does not make that speaker or the author in effective. He or she may be touching thousands of lives in their own way and it is just that you do not feel that personal connect. You will probably find that connect from a different author or speaker. Listen to seasoned public speakers with good Christian background so that you are well anchored to the most important values of life even when you are feeling really challenged in your life. Regardless of how difficult life gets you cannot compromise on the Christian values and that is why you need to look for a speaker and author with strong Christian convictions.
You could listen to more than one motivational speaker and you could read good books from a number of good authors. The more you expose yourself to the positive thoughts that are grounded in the scriptures the better equipped you will be regardless of the motions of life that you go through.
It is possible to stay strong when you remain motivated and make use of all the help that you could get. There are a number of motivational speakers that you could consider and there are a number of motivational books to read. Life is a journey and not a destination. You will have to therefore make continual efforts to stay strong. There will be moments that you feel high a nd exuberant and there will be moments that you feel challenged and low. When you have external help that you could rely upon it is easy to travel.
When you become obsessed with something beyond logic, it becomes an addiction for you. You cannot resist the fascination of repeating the behavior, even after knowing that it is harmful. You may have an addiction to food, sex, drugs, or many other things. But is getting over an addiction hard?
Getting over an addiction can be very hard since it has painful physical and mental phases. It can be even tougher with bad influences, misinformation, and false justifications. But if you have strong willpower, you can overcome it. Apart from mental strength, you may also need medications, therapies, recovery programs, and social support to overcome your addiction.
In this article, we have elaborately discussed the reasons for recovering from addictions so hard. Here we’ve also explained ways to win over any addiction. In the last part of the article, you will find suggestions on what to do when someone experiences a relapse.
How Hard Is It To Get Over Addiction?
Getting over an addiction is hard because you need to fight several physical, mental, emotional, and social obstacles at the same time. It is easy for an addicted person to give in to their physical and mental demands for the substance of addiction. Sometimes, the social environment encourages him to derail from the recovery track.
The Science Of Addiction
The part of your brain that gets affected by addiction is the frontal cortex. In this part of the brain, people determine their judgments and impulses for fascination. Addiction alters the rewarding method of your brain to make you crave the subject of addiction.
When that happens, you start getting crazy about your addiction, even when you consciously know it is not suitable for you. That is why getting rid of an addiction is so hard.
Fighting the Withdrawal Symptoms
When an addicted person starts to quit the obsession, he faces several physical and psychological challenges. His body and mind demand the substances of addiction. It is called withdrawal syndrome, the most critical phase of quitting the obsession.
Some experience muscle aches, changes in appetite, nausea, and many other physical symptoms in the early days of quitting addictions. While getting rid of an obsession, one may also feel irritability, depression, irregularity in sleep, anxiety, mood swings, and many other psychological symptoms.
Fighting these physical and mental challenges is not easy. They can make getting over an addiction very hard. Experts say, on average, the physical symptoms last for a week, and the mental symptoms can continue for a longer period.
Threat of Justifications
After the initial phase of quitting an addiction, there is a time when people get mentally vulnerable. Then they start making excuses to use the substance of obsession again. A part of their mind starts to justify the addiction to spoil the resistance against addiction. As a result, getting over the addiction becomes really hard.
The addicted person starts to believe that there is no harm in taking the substance in a small portion. Smokers try to find examples of other smokers who did not get sick. Some others would think living dangerously with addictions is better than quitting an obsession.
Misinformation
Another major hurdle to quitting addiction is misinformation. In this era of social media, it is easy to get confused with the wrong information. Most of the time, people do not care if scientists have validated the data or not.
Some may share a post on social media saying cancer is a genetic disease and there is no connection between cancer and cigarettes, which may lead them to start smoking again. Some also live under the impression that smoking marijuana is like taking medicine because it has medicinal values.
Bad Influence
Sometimes it becomes impossible to quit an addiction because the quitter cannot break free from his previous companions, who are still in the spell of the obsession.
Whenever old acquaintances get in touch with the person in a healing process, they insist and encourage him to get back to the bad habit. It is hard to say no to a friend if the quitter does not possess a strong personality.
How To Get Over Addiction Quickly?
Strong willpower is the first and most important weapon in the war on addiction. Apart from mental strength, a person may need medicinal support, group therapy, and social support to quit an obsession.
Firm Decision
The first step to getting over an addiction is a firm commitment to self. One should self-assess the addiction scenario and decide if they must quit the obsession. If the decision to get rid of the addiction does not come from the inside, he will never succeed. An imposed decision to quit has little chance of staying.
While deciding to quit an addiction, one should thoroughly analyze the consequences of the decision. One should be mentally prepared to accept all the odd withdrawal symptoms and still be firm to get over the obsession.
Concrete Strategy
One must come up with a concrete plan to eradicate the bad habit after deciding to quit the addiction. Depending on his willpower, he can adopt a befitting quitting strategy.
He may kick the bad habit once and for all. Only a person with firm willpower can stick to such a radical plan. Another recovery strategy can be to give up some particular substances while keeping others. Some may also get rid of the addiction in some ways. We recommend taking things easy at the beginning and starting to work hard at the final part of quitting.
Join a Recovery Program
Many effective recovery programs can help you get over your addiction. If you can choose the right program for you, your recovery from addiction can be smooth, easy, and quick.
Some great recovery programs are also available online. You will be amazed at how helpful they can be in quitting an addiction. Another great way to fight your obsession is to get deep into religious teachings. Making yourself spiritually rich is a sure way to get over an addiction.
Medical Assistance
You may need medical assistance to cope with the withdrawal syndrome of quitting an addiction. Remember that there is no shame in trying to quit an obsession. On the contrary, it is a real shame if you continue to submit to addiction even after knowing it is hazardous.
For muscle aches, nausea, or changes in appetite while quitting your addiction, you can have certain medicines after visiting a doctor. Do not hesitate to consult a clinical psychologist for depression, irritability, mood swings, or any other psychological symptoms.
Fighting Misinformation
When you see a piece of information on social media that justifies any of your addictions, doubt its authenticity. Do some research and see what experts and scientists say on the subject.
Sometimes, misinformation to support addiction may come from close ones. No matter how much you trust that person, do not believe any information without cross-checking. Learn to be suspicious of any information that justifies obsessions.
Learn to Say ‘No’
Your old partners in addiction will not easily let you go. They will try to keep you in their circle of addiction by any means. Nobody wants to lose a partner-in-crime.
It is time to show those friends some personality. Start saying "No" to those who do not want you to quit the addiction. Ask yourself if they are your well-wishers or not.
What To Do After A Relapse?
First of all, make it clear to yourself that relapse is not the end of the world. You may have lost a battle, but you still have a war to win. After a relapse, your first step should be to determine the cause of the temporary failure. Knowing the reason for the relapse will help you fight better in your next attempt to get over the addiction.
RPT: You will be glad to know about a scientifically formulated strategy called Relapse Prevention Therapy- RPT to address relapse. You can use the method to put up a good fight against addiction. RPT includes three main focuses: lifestyle change, cognitive therapy, and coping skill training.
Pretension: Sometimes, a sudden striking event can cause a relapse, like hearing shockingly sad news or knowing about a surprisingly happy event. In that type of temporary relapse, it is wise to pretend nothing has happened and continue with the previous recovery plan.
Change of Strategy: Sometimes, relapse means a loophole in the recovery program. So, it is wise to stop being stubborn and recognize the reality. Reassess your addiction situation and formulate a new recovery strategy for your addiction.
Final Remarks
Getting over an addiction is hard if you are unsure of why you should quit it. So, start by knowing in detail the negative impacts of your addiction. If possible, meet some people face-to-face who have reached the apex point of the obsession that you also share.
Carefully observe the result of continuing the addiction. Remember that it is up to you to shape your future. You should try to quit addiction as a part of your social responsibility. If you are having trouble getting over addiction contact us now and we can begin to help you start your healing journey.
Good books can enrich our lives in multiple ways. Motivational books in particular have played an important role in the lives of millions of people across the globe to get back on their feet after going through the toughest phases of life. Do you also benefit from these motivational books regularly? If yes, then you do not know what effective support system that you have with you to get through life regardless of the storms that you need to sail through.
Many people say that they do not have reading habit and if you do not have reading habit, you can always cultivate this habit like any other habit that you have developed in the past. At times, you will feel down and depressed, you would not know whom to talk to and where to seek solace. During such times, motivational books could prove to be very useful.
You will find motivational books written by authors from various backgrounds and experiences including black Christian authors who have journeyed through the toughest storms of life. When you read their work, they will serve as a beacon of hope; if they have made it through and if they are able to lead a happy and peaceful life, so could you.
As far as motivational books are concerned, a book that shares from the personal pages of one’s life is likely to be more effective than a book that presents clever data and the most impressive quotes. When you are going through difficult times in life, you do not need wise cracks but what you need are compassionate words, words that will give you hope and words that will tell you, it is possible for you too have a successful normal life.
For most people it is not easy to get back on feet on their own after a setback in life. They look towards external help and this is where motivational books could turn out to be such a great resource. The best part is that even if we are not going through rough patches in our life, reading motivational books will give us an extra boost in our life and we would start feeling that we could face anything in life without fear. Motivational books will help us achieve more and help us get the maximum out of our life regardless of the changing life situations.I'm a paragraph. Click once to begin entering your own content. You can change my font, size, line height, color and more by highlighting part of me and selecting the options from the toolbar.
You will feel inspired when you listen to the top motivational speaker who has a wealth of personal experiences going through the most challenging phases of life. Listening to the top motivational speaker could change your life.
Excellent motivational books
You will be helped greatly by excellent motivational books written by the most experienced motivational speaker, preacher and author. You will find these motivational books very uplifting. They have the potential to get you through all life’s challenges.
Top rated Black Christian authors
The most popular Black Christian authors share their life with people like you so that you do not think that you are a victim or that you are alone. The personal experiences of these authors will teach you how to face your life with confidence.
Uplifting motivational books to read
Choose the most uplifting motivational books to read and travel with hope regardless of what you come across in life. You will be able to face all the challenges in life and you just have to learn to hope.
Christ our life and strength
When you listen to the most seasoned Christian motivational speakers they could help you see the hand of Christ our life and strength in your life too. You will never have to feel lonely and scared.
Are you looking for a top motivational speaker for your flock or for your youth group? When you are selecting your motivational speaker, you need to screen very carefully the profiles of the speakers so that you could bring about a transformation and a shift in the lives of the people.
A true motivational speaker is not someone that will make you feel good just for a couple of days and after which you fall back into your old lifestyle. A good motivational speaker is the one who touches the lives of the people and bring about more permanent and lasting shifts. You will be able to see that the speaker has addressed a variety of groups and met thousands of people through his or her speaking assignments. You need a person who speaks with authority and that is what is likely to bring about a total change in the lives of the people.
Where does the speaker draw his or her resources from and what is the background of the motivational speaker? You need someone that has personally gone through the change he or she is talking about so that the speaker is not talking over the heads of the people but talking to the hearts of the people.
It is even better if the speaker you are considering has also authored motivational books. This adds to the credit of the speaker and the audience will be better disposed to someone like that. When it comes to the willingness of the audience to listen to the speaker comes not just based on how interesting the speaker is but also based on how accomplished the speaker is in his or her life. Authoring books is considered to be one such accomplishment that gives a special boost to the speaker’s profile.
Personal conviction is another important quality to take into account when you are screening your motivational speakers. If the person lacks this personal conviction, his or her speeches will not carry any weightage. It will be nothing but empty words. When you invite a motivational speaker to address hundreds of people, you would want someone with conviction and authority so that audience find the speech inspiring.
The ability of the speaker to connect with the audience is yet another quality to be taken into account. A good motivational speaker is not a person that just says clever things but a person that genuinely wants to help people and reach out to people.
The next time you are in search of your motivational speaker, keep all these factors in mind so that you know you are picking the most reputed public speaker that your audience would appreciate. You need to consider the history of the motivational speaker and the path that he or she has travelled. You will need a compassionate motivational speaker that is ready to help people. With careful screening and review, you will be able to find most popular motivational speakers.