31 Mar Tips for Living a Sober Life – Beginning to End

Due to the changing views of marijuana in our generation, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has found an increase in illicit drug use among teenagers.  Along with the increase use of marijuana, prescription and OTC medications there has been positive indicators that alcohol use has decreased as well as nicotine, heroin, and inhalants.

According to the NIDA survey, it is important to provide teens with information to help them identify their own reasons to stay away from drugs and alcohol. A key factor in decreasing teen substance abuse lies in the power of helping them identify their motivation to be drug and alcohol free.  Listed below are some dos and don’ts to help guide you:

Preventing Substance Abuse in Teens

• DO:
  • Discover a passion or hobby
  • Find many ways to keep busy
  • Choose friends wisely
  • Always communicate your feelings
  • Pay close attention to how you feel and why

• DON’T:
  • Think you are untouchable
  • Ignore the signs (of drug/alcohol use)
  • Avoid having any responsibilities
  • Expect anyone to change for you
  • Go through life thinking you are alone

We are human beings and thrive with interaction from others. It is very important to find some things you enjoy doing. These things could be sports, reading, or anything else. The people you make friends with should have good morals and enjoy doing what is asked of them. It is also important to speak about your feelings, whether happy, sad, or mad. When you communicate your feelings you will learn how to identify why you may be feeling a certain way. Once you think that nothing bad can happen to you, you will begin living life thinking there will never be any consequences. Always take on as much responsibility as you can handle, this will help you build character and self-esteem. If you go through life thinking you can change people you will be sadly disappointed. Remember you can only ever change yourself. Find people you can look up to. You will always find you are never alone.

The tips given above are just a few beginning reasons that could help guide you on the path for success. There are many factors that come into the equation of addiction but ultimately any young adult who has enough reasons to never pick up and use drugs or alcohol in the first place has a 100% chance not to become addicted to them. Research indicates that if a person uses drugs or alcohol for the first time later on in life, they have less chance of becoming addicted.