Before I start this podcast I ask you to not play this around your children, it is a sensitive topic (a very sensitive topic for myself). I will be talking about a mature topic.
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In this podcast I will be talking about the effects of drugs, alcohol, & how it TRULY makes me feel like a victim & a watcher.
I have NEVER drunk alcohol OR did drugs as a teenager, yes in high school I was around for one school year around those who drank & smoked underage. They knew I would NEVER do anything to hurt my body & I let them know my standards.
This is the real first time I come out to the world what "drug" I did use, let me start at the beginning. I was 12 at the time & I was in Hawaii with my family on vacation & we stayed at the Marriott before they blocked porn out of their cable, I was going through the channels & found a show that was about showgirls somewhere in Vegas & it made me curious, not hooked yet.
The next time I was around it I was wanting to do something on the computer I am not sure if it was to play the Sims 3 or to do research for homework. I felt I needed to look at the history on the internet & I found out someone was looking at porn & I was sad that it happened, but I am glad that I listened to the Holy Spirit & saved this person from the bigger trap. I soon after got hooked in high school, I am not sure if it was at the end of junior year or at close to the end of senior year of high school.
Pornography is a type of drug, you get a high from watching & get sexual pleasure without a partner. The high wasn't enough & wanted more porn. I DID NOT watch child porn! That is a terrible crime to do that to such an innocent child who desires to play outside & be free!!! Porn WILL NEVER fill your satisfactory cup! I wanted more! I was lead by the Holy Spirit to stop (this was way before I went on a senior trip in Europe).
I read a LIFESAVING book called The Porn Trap: The Essential Guide to Overcoming Problems Caused by Pornography by Wendy & Larry Maltz & I also started following Fight the New Drug.
This is how porn works found in Fight the New Drug "...porn affects the brain in ways very similar to harmful substances, like tobacco. Studies have shown that porn stimulates the same areas of the brain as addictive drugs, making the brain release the same chemicals. And similarly to drugs, porn triggers pathways in the brain that cause craving, leading users back for more and more extreme “hits” to get high."
" ...consider how porn impacts relationships. A recent study tracked couples over a six-year period, from 2006 to 2012, to see what factors influenced the quality of their marriage and their satisfaction in intimacy. The researchers found that of all the factors considered, porn use was the second strongest indicator that marriage would suffer. And that’s just scratching the surface of the huge field of research on porn and relationships... Not only that—there is clear evidence that porn makes many consumers more likely to support violence against women, to believe that women secretly enjoy being raped, and to actually be sexually aggressive in real life."
How I got out of the porn trap:
- I told my mother about the problem
- I gave her my device I was watching the porn on
- I got involved in reading The Porn Trap: The Essential Guide to Overcoming Problems Caused by Pornography by Wendy & Larry Maltz
- I started doing indexing for the church
- I dug right into the gospel, by scripture study, prayer, fasting, etc.
- I leaned onto the savior Jesus Christ
- I had to change my thoughts
It was hard to get out of the trap, the nasty thoughts popped up lots at night & in any way it could. I had to pray, play hymns in my head, & watch things that did not have any porn. Porn can make you think of others as objects, as a tool. It made me more aggressive, gave me a false sense of how sex works, & it affected my relationships with others!
It takes 18 months, or a year and six months to be free of the "drug". I am still porn free for 5+ years!!! I am not proud that I did this! Now as a married woman my sex life has been a bit warped, it was even more when I was at the beginning of my marriage, but some of the kinks have straightened out.
If you are stuck in a trap like this find someone that will hold you accountable to get out of this, lean on the deity you believe, seek help from a counselor, etc. anyway you can get out the better!!!
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As of recent news, Utah has allowed the use of Marijuana. I think it's great that those who are using medicinal marijuana to ease their medical ailments like cancer, those with neuropathic pain physically, diaphragm spasms, epileptic seizures, & Dravet's Syndrome.
I know people who have abused marijuana & alcohol. I believe the reason for all drug use & drinking alcohol is to take away the sadness, pain, & misery of an event that has occurred. I have a saying I ALWAYS USE to remind myself because I am human. "We as humans need to feel emotions, if we don't we are numb, motionless robots." As I have said in many episodes, we are social beings!
The effects of marijuana on the victim from the CDC:
People who are addicted to marijuana may also be at a higher risk of other negative consequences of using the drug, such as problems with attention, memory, and learning. Some people who are addicted need to smoke more and more marijuana to get the same high. It is also important to be aware that the amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana (i.e., marijuana potency or strength) has increased over the past few decades. The higher the THC content, the stronger the effects on the brain.
Marijuana use directly affects the brain — specifically the parts of the brain responsible for memory, learning, attention, decision making, coordination, emotions, and reaction time.
Heavy users of marijuana can have short-term problems with attention, memory, and learning, which can affect relationships and mood.
Marijuana also affects brain development. When marijuana users begin using as teenagers, the drug may reduce attention, memory, and learning functions and affect how the brain builds connections between the areas necessary for these functions.
Marijuana’s effects on these abilities may last a long time or even be permanent. This means that someone who uses marijuana may not do as well in school and may have trouble remembering things.
Marijuana use, especially frequent (daily or near daily) use and use in high doses, can cause disorientation, and sometimes cause unpleasant thoughts or feelings of anxiety and paranoia.
The known health risks of secondhand exposure to cigarette smoke—to the heart or lungs, for instance—raise questions about whether secondhand exposure to marijuana smoke poses similar health risks. While there is very little data on the health consequences of breathing secondhand marijuana smoke, there is concern that it could cause harmful health effects, including among children.
Recent studies have found strong associations between those who said there was someone in the home who used marijuana or a caretaker who used marijuana and the child having detectable levels of THC — the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Children exposed to the psychoactive compounds in marijuana are potentially at risk for negative health effects, including developmental problems for babies whose mothers used marijuana while pregnant. Other research shows that marijuana use during adolescence can impact the developing teenage brain and cause problems with attention, motivation, and memory.
Marijuana users are significantly more likely than non-users to develop temporary psychosis (not knowing what is real, hallucinations, and paranoia) and long-lasting mental disorders, including schizophrenia (a type of mental illness where people might see or hear things that aren’t really there).
Marijuana use has also been linked to depression and anxiety, and suicide among teens. However, it is not known whether this is a causal relationship or simply an association.
Edibles, or food and drink products infused with marijuana and eaten, have some different risks than smoking marijuana, including a greater risk of poisoning. Unlike smoked marijuana, edibles can:
Take from 30 minutes to 2 hours to take effect. So some people eat too much, which can lead to poisoning and/or serious injury.
Cause effects that last longer than expected depending on the amount, the last food eaten, and medications or alcohol used at the same time.
The amount of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, is very difficult to measure and is often unknown in edible products. Many users can be caught off-guard by the strength and long-lasting effects of edibles.
It is also important to remember that marijuana affects children differently than adults. Since marijuana has become legal in some states, children have accidentally eaten marijuana products that looked like candy and treats, which made them sick enough to need emergency medical care.
Honestly I don't think it is OK to drink or smoke in front of children, the effects that marijuana secondhand smoke around children!
Here is evidence of secondhand marijuana smoke affecting non-smokers & children from the National Institute on Drug Abuse:
"People often ask about the possible psychoactive effect of exposure to secondhand marijuana smoke and whether a person who has inhaled secondhand marijuana smoke could fail a drug test. Researchers measured the amount of THC in the blood of people who do not smoke marijuana and had spent 3 hours in a well-ventilated space with people casually smoking marijuana; THC was present in the blood of the nonsmoking participants, but the amount was well below the level needed to fail a drug test. Another study that varied the levels of ventilation and the potency of the marijuana found that some nonsmoking participants exposed for an hour to high-THC marijuana (11.3 percent THC concentration) in an un-ventilated room showed positive urine assays in the hours directly following exposure; a follow-up study showed that nonsmoking people in a confined space with people smoking high-THC marijuana reported mild subjective effects of the drug—a "contact high"—and displayed mild impairments on performance in motor tasks.
The known health risks of secondhand exposure to cigarette smoke—to the heart or lungs, for instance—raise questions about whether secondhand exposure to marijuana smoke poses similar health risks. At this point, very little research on this question has been conducted. A 2016 study in rats found that secondhand exposure to marijuana smoke affected a measure of blood vessel function as much as secondhand tobacco smoke, and the effects lasted longer. One minute of exposure to secondhand marijuana smoke impaired flow-mediated dilation (the extent to which arteries enlarge in response to increased blood flow) of the femoral artery that lasted for at least 90 minutes; impairment from 1 minute of secondhand tobacco exposure was recovered within 30 minutes. The effects of marijuana smoke were independent of THC concentration; i.e., when THC was removed, the impairment was still present. This research has not yet been conducted with human subjects, but the toxins and tar levels are known to be present in marijuana smoke (see “What are marijuana’s effects on lung health?”) raise concerns about exposure among vulnerable populations, such as children and people with asthma."
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My maternal grandfather & uncle were alcoholics. My grandfather served in the military during WW 1/2 & as a way to cope with the awful scenes with PTSD they would drink alcohol, which was prescribed by a doctor or they self-medicated. My grandfather was also a closet alcoholic who was sick for most of his life. My uncle, well he's had a hard life. He did drugs & alcohol & suffers from those effect years after he stopped his consumption.
I don't remember anyone drinking alcohol heavily around me like at parties extended family members were holding. I used to be curious about what it would be like to drink alcohol, but ever since I took my medical anatomy class & others around me trying it I've never wanted to try it.
In medical anatomy I was taught that the liver breaks down by the alcohol & can become Steatosis, or fatty liver & I did not want to have medical ailments that I could prevent in the future.
Here is the evidence that supports my thinking from the National Institute of Alcohol abuse & Alcoholism:
Drinking too much – on a single occasion or over time – can take a serious toll on your health. Here’s how alcohol can effects the body:
Alcohol interferes with the brain’s communication pathways and can affect the way the brain looks and works. These disruptions can change mood and behavior, and make it harder to think clearly and move with coordination.
Drinking a lot over a long time or too much on a single occasion can damage the heart, causing problems including:
Cardiomyopathy – Stretching and drooping of heart muscle
Arrhythmias – Irregular heart beat
Stroke
High blood pressure
Heavy drinking takes a toll on the liver and can lead to a variety of problems and liver inflammations including:
Steatosis, or fatty liver
Alcoholic hepatitis
Fibrosis
Cirrhosis
Alcohol causes the pancreas to produce toxic substances that can eventually lead to pancreatitis, a dangerous inflammation and swelling of the blood vessels in the pancreas that prevents proper digestion.
Based on extensive reviews of research studies, there is a strong scientific consensus of an association between alcohol drinking and several types of cancer. In its Report on Carcinogens, the National Toxicology Program of the US Department of Health and Human Services lists consumption of alcoholic beverages as a known human carcinogen. The research evidence indicates that the more alcohol a person drinks—particularly the more alcohol a person drinks regularly over time—the higher his or her risk of developing alcohol-associated cancer. Based on data from 2009, an estimated 3.5 percent of all cancer deaths in the United States (about 19,500 deaths) were alcohol-related.
Clear patterns have emerged between alcohol consumption and the development of the following types of cancer:
Head and neck cancer: Alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for certain head and neck cancers, particularly cancers of the oral cavity (excluding the lips), pharynx (throat), and larynx (voice box). People who consume 50 or more grams of alcohol per day (approximately 3.5 or more drinks per day) have at least a two to three times greater risk of developing these cancers than nondrinkers. Moreover, the risks of these cancers are substantially higher among persons who consume this amount of alcohol and also use tobacco.
Esophageal cancer: Alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for a particular type of esophageal cancer called esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. In addition, people who inherit a deficiency in an enzyme that metabolizes alcohol have been found to have substantially increased risks of alcohol-related esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
Alcohol consumption is an independent risk factor for, and a primary cause of, liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma). (Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus are the other major causes of liver cancer.)
More than 100 epidemiologic studies have looked at the association between alcohol consumption and the risk of breast cancer in women. These studies have consistently found an increased risk of breast cancer associated with increasing alcohol intake. A meta-analysis of 53 of these studies (which included a total of 58,000 women with breast cancer) showed that women who drank more than 45 grams of alcohol per day (approximately three drinks) had 1.5 times the risk of developing breast cancer as nondrinkers (a modestly increased risk). The risk of breast cancer was higher across all levels of alcohol intake: for every 10 grams of alcohol consumed per day (slightly less than one drink), researchers observed a small (7 percent) increase in the risk of breast cancer. The Million Women Study in the United Kingdom (which included more than 28,000 women with breast cancer) provided a more recent, and slightly higher, estimate of breast cancer risk at low to moderate levels of alcohol consumption: every 10 grams of alcohol consumed per day were associated with a 12 percent increase in the risk of breast cancer.
Alcohol consumption is associated with a modestly increased risk of cancers of the colon and rectum. A meta-analysis of 57 cohort and case-control studies that examined the association between alcohol consumption and colorectal cancer risk showed that people who regularly drank 50 or more grams of alcohol per day (approximately 3.5 drinks) had 1.5 times the risk of developing colorectal cancer as nondrinkers or occasional drinkers. For every 10 grams of alcohol consumed per day, there was a small (7 percent) increase in the risk of colorectal cancer.
Drinking too much can weaken your immune system, making your body a much easier target for disease. Chronic drinkers are more liable to contract diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis than people who do not drink too much. Drinking a lot on a single occasion slows your body’s ability to ward off infections – even up to 24 hours after getting drunk.
The reason why I am doing this podcast is that I was told by Father in Heaven to do this, I CARE ABOUT YOU, I want you to be TRULY happy, & I want you to REALLY consider your option if you do try these!
I know for a fact using these can affect the relationships around us! I don't want my children to suffer from the effects of secondhand smoke, porn, alcohol, or anything similar in this nature or taking away the feelings that Heavenly Father has put in us to feel pain & joy. (I don't mind the use of any extracts in cakes & food or any alcohol that is cooked out). I know I can't make my children stop if they start using any drugs or alcohol because even though I am their parent Heavenly Father has given them agency to choose, I can only do my best to teach them right from wrong, but I'd rather express my true feelings about these subjects & be hated for it than not.
I believe they know better & just want the pain to be taken away & to be temporarily happy when there is greater happiness around the corner if they persevere to the end of the sadness, self-loathing, & self-harm. I have been uncomfortable at times with these types of issues. I don't feel safe if drugs or alcohol are brought into or around the home, that is a safe place for my children, for me, for others, a place for no judgment & lots of love!!!
I know in the end that the Savior, Jesus Christ will take all their pains, their disappointments, & grief away. I know that the Savior will take my pains , disappointments, sadness, & anger because I still come to him daily for the spiritual water I desire day in & day out.
If you need help getting out of these here are the links to help groups:
https://www.sa.org/
https://www.pornhelp.org/12-step-groups.html
https://www.marijuana-anonymous.org/
https://na.org/
https://www.aa.org/pages/en_US/need-help-with-a-drinking-problem
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Thank you so much for listening to my podcast!
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