Drug Addiction

As bad as drug addiction is for the addict, it is horrible for their families.

Addicts will often do anything to support their habbits.

One common story you hear from addicts families is how the son or daughter will come for Christmas or for a visit and after they leave they can't find some piece of jewelry or an expensive piece of equipment.

The drug rules their lives.

Here is a story with a happy ending, of a mother who got help from the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour in Perm, Russia.

Scientology Volunteer Ministers Restoring a Hope and Salvaging a Family

The day she learned her son André was addicted to drugs was the worst day in Ludmila’s life. And eight years later, she had all but given up on ever being able to help him.

This was her state of mind when she walked into the big yellow tent of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Trans-Siberian Goodwill Tour in Perm, Russia. And the staff of the Tour had exactly what she needed — effective technology to really help her son. >> continued

The Trap of Drugs

Drugs are promoted to our kids at a very young age.

On TV and in films it is shown as the cool thing to do.

Kids are also told that it is really not dangerous and you can always stop if you want to. These are lies that destroy lives.

It is important for all of us to do whatever we can to provide them with the truth about drugs.

The son of a friend of mine is a case in point.

He as a very bright child and quite a good artist. A sculptor.

Shy and quiet, but he seemed quite happy in what he was doing.

He started smoking marijuana and hashish when he was still an adolescent.

By the time he was 16 he was completely withdrawn and had isolated himself from the rest of his family. He and his girlfriend lived together in a tiny room in a low income area.

He injured himself really badly one night when he was sculpting while stoned, severing most of tendons in the wrist area. Fortunately it was his left hand that was damaged and he was right handed.

His girlfriend, who was a very lovely and friendly girl, whose personality seemed to balance his serious nature, became quite desponent herself and attempted suicide a couple of times. And I wish I could give you good news about them, but the two of them just disappeared several years ago.

They packed up one night, without letting their families know, and took off for Colorado.

Their parents have been unable to find them.

Not every kid who takes drugs disappears off the face of the Earth, but so many of them do come to harm, and if they knew what these drugs do before they started at least they would have the freedom to chose what they wanted to do. With only the pro-drug PR they don't have that choice.

The Church of Scientology International has just published an excellent set of anti-drug booklets anyone is welcome to use.

For information visit http://www.notodrugs-yestolife.org/

Scientology Handbook

The Scientology Handbook has a great chapter on children.

It is simple and so practical. Anyone who wants his/her children to do better in life, and wants to get on better with them should read this chapter. And use it!

Volunteer Ministers Saving Marriages

Children suffer the worst when marriages fall apart. But they also suffer terribly from marriages that are filled with conflict and upset but are held together "for the sake of the kids."

The only really humane thing is to really salvage the marriage, and that takes effective technology.

The Scientology Handbook contains exactly such technology. You can read about it on the Scientology Volunteer Ministers web site.

Youth for Human Rights

Very exciting news about the Youth for Human Rights World Summit. It was held at the United Nations. Imaging 120 youth delegates from all over the world, coming to New York, meeting with UN and embassy officials, and meeting young people like themselves, equally empassioned about human rights.

An experience of a lifetime, and one destined to make a huge difference on this planet.

The summit was co-sponsored by the Church of Scientology International.

The new Scientology Press Office has a great story on this.

Child trafficking gangs to be targetted

The Stop Child Abuse web site has a very good article on the rise of child trafficking and UK efforts to bring it under control.

The Consitutional Affairs Minister Lord Falconer claimed today that the Government intends to bring forward legislation which will target gangs involved in UK child trafficking.

The increasing exploitation of young people from around the world will be the subject of a plan which is being drawn up by the Home Office and is due to be announced shortly.

Lord Falconer was speaking at a conference in Belfast today which is discussing steps to protect the welfare of children.

The minister added that the development of the internet and the increasing mobility of people made it easier to smuggle young people into the country.

Give them a little space

I think the best thing you can do for a kid is to let him or her have some self-determinism.

It really isn't the end of world if the kid doesn't like liver (hell. I don't like liver either). To enforce that a child eat what you serve him/her is to rob him of his self determinism over his body.

On the other hand if a child is sick because of not eating the proper nutrients, or needs medicine or a transfusion etc. to not enforce that he/she get what he needs because "he is upset about it" is crazy as it will harm the child.

This requires judgment, but I always try to let people have as much freedom as they can have within the bounds of safety.

Tools to help kids

There is a very practical book that I found helpful when my kids needed help. Kids can be a challenge when they get upset for what seems to be no reason, or even when there is a real reason.

There are a number of different things that can be done and I found out about them in the Scientology Handbook. It is very easy to read and following the actions laid out in that book made both my life and my kids much calmer.

Children in India

I saw this article about what children go through in India - there is work to do to help set this right.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3766808a12,00.html

Drug-Free Ambassadors of Australia

The Drug-Free Ambassadors in Australia.