Category Archives: Personal Development

Learning to cope with various situations with friends, family and society and over all self-improvement.

Conversations to teach Civic Engagement

February 14, 2014Personal Developmentan informal cornr, civic responsibilities, intellectual growth, parent child conversations, power-to-the-people, social norms, social skills, society and familyGinsense

‘It’s amazing how one little conversation can change things forever.‘

Conversation is the ‘exchange of thoughts through informal talking‘, together, but there is also the other quote, ‘talking to oneself‘.

Speaking about ‘civic engagement‘ refers to talking and working as a group (use of collective power) to bring about change in public issues of concern.

Either way, it’s to examine or share, a topic of interest. Discussing a specific topic can lead to learning various outcomes and who’s best for what task.

Discussing Civics with your Family

Meeting at the table has been a favored gathering point and event for family and friends. Conversation can be considered the ‘toast of the party’! Would you agree?

Civics refers to the duties, rights and privileges of citizens. Parents can introduce this topic during evening dinner meals, and discuss with their children, just what is and what isn’t allowed since society has it’s norms, rules and laws, along with the consequences.

Children can learn from these discussions and hopefully, avoid glamorizing or considering, criminal behaviors or acts. It’s preferable to begin with asking questions, to measure the amount of knowledge and starting point versus entering preach or lecture mode.

Learning gets Shared

Parents take on many roles for their children, and one is, as a teacher. Helping children understand their place in society, will help towards developing the child’s personal and intellectual growth.

In turn, they will be able to pass on these lessons learned at home, to their friends. They will also be learning the beginning steps of civic ‘engagement‘. The ability to discuss, as individuals yet act as a collective group, to achieve or address, public concerns.

Parent and child conversations can help develop a child’s intellect and learning to use reason, gain understanding and separate, real from the imaginary, and ground the ego. After all, society works together to uphold their norms, rules, regulations and laws, to function as a nation, and remain in a state of peace, with each other. A child learning this knowledge and skills can develop into a socially well -adjusted adult.

Short on Energy or Time

A few parents may find, they do not spend or make for, any quality time with their children other than giving directions and reinforcing rules. This can be detrimental for both parent and child along with making for a bad day.

Socially maladjusted children can usually be observed as those with behaviors and values that conflict with society norms. Abuse and neglect can have lifelong consequences on a child, which can easily be observed by trained education, and mental health professionals. Local laws may require any suspicions of child abuse and neglect, to be reported.

The idea of teaching a child about rights and responsibilities of adults, and children may be daunting for parents. This can be resolved by taking time, to research the subject online, or visiting the library.

Importance of Open minds, Patience and a Safe environment

A conversation with our child is a two or more person orchestra vs a one-sided conversation, allow for all to contribute. It takes skill to shape and guide a conversation to create meaning, learning and thinking. We can’t forget a dose of humor can lighten a conversation and add fun.

A meaningful conversation in a family can take place when trust and safety exists. Let your next dinner conversation be a learning experience for your children. There are many topics to choose but one should first start with their place in society. One may be influencing a future leader.

Learning in Motion

Extra Learning Resources

Civic Responsibility – A Paper

National Traffic Safety Institute

World Learning Education

I hope you found this article informative. Please feel free to leave your comments and share with your friends and family . Use my ‘Ask a Question‘ form if you have a request on a topic of interest, a guest post, or to say Hello! I hope you visit again.

What’s the Alcohol Doing to You?

January 3, 2014Educationaddiction, alcohol, alcohol abuse, alcohol abuse help, alcohol addiction, alcohol dependence, alcohol testing, alcoholic, alcoholism, am i an alcoholic, drinking problemGinsense

A 2012 survey revealed that alcohol is consumed by 75% of Canadians. So, what is the alcohol doing to you?

Alcohol is considered as a drug. Alcoholism is a term used to signal the variety of conditions involved with alcohol abuse or dependence.

Alcoholism is considered to be one of the major drug problems in Western society even though it’s been in society for thousands of years for some societies.

Types of Alcoholics

We must also realize that not every alcoholic is the same. Another landmark study (2007), done by The National Institute on Alcoholic Abuse and Alcoholism, created categories on the sub-types of the alcoholic such as, Young Adult, Young Anti-Social, Functional, Familial (mental illness), Chronic Severe but also includes the ‘high functioning‘ alcoholics, those able to function within their responsibilities, lead a double life.

A few addictions experts are suggesting that 75% -90% are high functioning alcoholics. Shall we learn the the effects of alcohol?

Progression of Alcoholism

Alcoholism progresses the same for every alcoholic and will reveal itself, at different rates. After all, as said earlier, no alcoholic is the same. Alcohol crosses the ‘blood-brain‘ barrier and changes brain cells affecting the central nervous system (CNS) and see or hear the following indications;

the brain slows the body down (depressant), prolonged alcohol abuse can permanently impair brain and nerve function
altered speech
foggy memory
hazy thinking
slurred speaking
impaired co-ordination
affects the heart, leads to hypertension, heart disease, heart failure and stroke
breathing patterns will slow or stop
cirrhosis of the liver, scarring the tissue leads to impaired function
damage to organs, heart, brain, liver, stomach
reduced resistance to infection
lower reproductive function and/or impotence/infertility
mixing alcohol with other drugs and medications can be fatal

Behaviors of Alcoholism

The behaviors of an alcoholic will depend on the stage of their addiction. There are different definitions for the stages of alcoholism but most will contain the following qualifying criteria:

Social drinker, one or two drinks a day, enough for euphoria
Non-Social drinker, to reduce stress, first sign of dependency, urge to drink at stressful events
Frequent Relief, to escape, stress, feelings, guilt, seek to diminish senses, may steal alcohol
Daily Routine, memory blackouts, hidden drinking (mix beverage with alcohol), tolerance to alcohol effects rises
Full Dependence, find reasons to drink (opportunist), defensive to offers of help, unpredictable mood and behavior changes, loses control over responsibilities, lies, manipulative, avoidance behaviors, tremors,
End Stage, alcohol obsession, deteriorating health, eats less, resents interference, emotionally unpredictable, seizures, tremors, cirrhosis of the liver, dementia
Death

Differences in Effects of Alcohol for Gender

Differences in body and weight will create differences in tolerance. One person with low body fat will feel effects of alcohol less than a person with higher body fat. A woman has less of the enzyme dehydrogenase (an enzyme that moves a substance to a hydrogen acceptor for break-down), in their stomach.

Also, women tend to have higher body fat and lower water content in their body. Over all, the less you weigh, the more quicker one feels the effects of alcohol. Our bodies can only break down one alcoholic drink per hour.

Personality Changes of Alcoholism

The stages of alcoholism brings personality changes that can range from mild to outright dangerous with the loss of inhibitions.

Negative emotions are intensified and responses are apparent with knee-jerk reactions.

Paranoia, delusions and hallucinations can lead to endangering self and others. This is due to reduced blood flow to regions in the brain.

Aging organs, including the brain, decrease their ability to withstand the effects of alcohol.

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome can develop with the prolonged, high- intake of alcohol.

Medical treatment and neurogenesis may help to resolve these effects but further study is needed.

Long term alcohol abuse can still lead to varying degrees of lasting brain damage and/or eventual death.

Recovery from alcohol abuse also has a place and begins with first admitting, a problem exists.

Recovery from Alcoholism

A visit to your doctor can helps towards repairing the physical effects. Visiting an alcohol treatment centre and/or Addictions professional, can help towards further understanding your addiction cycle and triggers helps toward learning and applying the available options, to change your life.

Lasting friendships and support can be found through joining Alcoholics Anonymous, AA. One just has to be aware that even if alcohol is removed, one may still exhibit ‘dry drunk‘ behaviors.

The purpose of AA is set up as a ‘self-help‘ group of recovering alcoholics (remove and abstain from alcohol from their daily life) who help support each other, and new members. They help you understand and overcome your dependence and abuse.

Serenity Prayer - AA — Serenity Prayer – AA

Gaslighting – Lies and Truth of Reputation

People have said some bad things about AA but being a member myself, I’ll just say this, you will meet the right people who are ‘strong‘, and with years of sobriety. You’ll have the best down-to-earth, ‘real‘ people for friends. True friends.

They are not a ‘cult‘ but fear drives people to run away, and ‘demonize‘ others even if in reality, they are good people. AA members ‘know‘ that ‘place‘ too.

People do run away from ones who have ‘emotions‘. Sometimes, too much gentleness and kindness breaks down psychological ‘walls‘ we hide behind especially after years of abuse. Alcoholism is known to be accompanied with a mental illness.

Relapse and Forgiveness

Over all, recovery is a choice available to everyone and which can lead, to helping others step out of their own alcohol addiction. You may become strong, and asked to become a ‘Sponsor‘. A chosen ‘Mentor’ to help one through learning to walk the Path of Sobriety.

One last note, people do have relapses and drink again. Some will return, and others move away. Those who are strongest with years of sobriety will help teach, encourage to learn, forgiveness.

Friends will forgive the relapse and welcome you back but most of all, you will learn to forgive yourself, and not be ashamed. Nobody is perfect, it doesn’t exist.