Beat Depression

Substance Abuse

National Council on Alcoholism 1(800)622-2255
Al-Anon, Alateen Family Group 1(800)344-2666
American Council on Alcoholism 1(800)527-5344
National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information 1(800)729-6686
Spencer Recovery Centers 1(800)281-5133, 24 hrs
1-888-MARIJUANA 1-888-627-4582, 24 hrs
National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information For Young People Toll Free: 1(800)729-6686
ADCARE Hospital Helpline (800)ALCOHOL
Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters (800)356–9996
Alcohol and Drug Helpline (800)821–4357
Calix Society (800)398-0524
Children of Alcoholics Foundation (800)359-COAF
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (800)622–2255
Drug Help (800)378–4435; (800)202–2463
Housing and Urban Development Drug Info
and Strategy Clearinghouse (800)955–2232
National Parents Resource Institute for Drug Education (800)279-6361
(800)853-7867
National Inhalant Prevention Coalition (800)269–4237 (Recording)
National Council on Alcoholism 1(800)NCA-CALL

Web Resources

http://www.supportpilot.com/substance.html
http://www.spencerrecovery.com/?source=overture-
http://findtreatment.samhsa.gov/facilitylocatordoc.htm
http://www.health.org/catalog/ordersystemdefault2.asp
http://www.health.org/
http://www.ncadd.org/
http://www.foodaddictsanonymous.org/
http://www.na.org/index.htm
http://www.ca.org/
http://www.marijuana-anonymous.org/index.shtml
http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/

Violence

National Victim Center 1(800)FYI-CALL
National Domestic Violence Hotline 1(800)799-7233
National Organization for Victim Assistance 1(800)879-6682
Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network 1(800)656–4673
Natl. Domestic Violence Hotline
(Hearing impaired) 1(800)787-3224

Web Resources

http://www.therapistfinder.net/Child-Abuse/Physical-Abuse-Violence.html
http://www.womanabuseprevention.com/html/how_to_help_a_teen.html
http://www.child.net/violence.htm

So you think you’re ready for sex? Take a deep breath, and please honestly answer this short quiz:

1. Do you care about your partner?

   Yes (5 pts.)
   No (0 pts.)

2. Are you educated in all the pros and cons of sex and are you prepared to handle it if something goes wrong?

   Yes (5 pts.)
   No (0 pts.)
   Sort of (2 pts.)
   I plan to learn (4 pts.)

3. Have you discussed birth control options with your partner?

   Yes (5 pts.)
   No (0 pts.)
   I am too embarrassed (-5 pts.)

4. Have you discussed openly and honestly your sexual pasts with your partner?

   Yes (5 pts.)
   None of their business (0 pts.)
   I don’t trust my partner, so I don’t know if what they told me is correct (-10 points)

5. Are you able to say no or accept no from your partner if there is any doubt once you’ve started?

   Yes (5 pts.)
   There’s no turning back once you start (-5 pts.)

6. Is it unfair for you or your partner to decide not to have sex anymore after the first time?

   Totally! If you’ve done it once, you’ve already decided to keep doing it. (-10 pts.)
   No, it’s totally understandable if they need more time to think (10 pts.)

7. Is a major reason you’ve chosen to have sex is because “everyone else is doing it”?

   No, it’s none of my business what my friends do, and this is a personal choice (5 pts.)
   Yeah, I don’t want to risk looking uncool (-20 pts.)

8. Is it legal for you to engage in sex with the partner you’ve chosen? (for a list of sexual legalities click here)

   Yes (5 pts.)
   No (0 pts.)

9. Does someone in your family (older, but not necessarily your parents) know your decision to start being sexually active? (Click here for tips to clue in the fam)

   Yes (5 pts.)
   No (0 pts.)

10. Okay, last thing: Describe what sex means to you:

    Fluid exchange (0 pts.)
    Fun, fun, fun (0 pts.)
    A way to express my love and caring for my partner (5 pts.)
    A way to get love from my partner (-5 pts.)
    A way to make my bad relationship better as a last resort (-10 pts.)

Add up your points and divide by 50. Then, times by 100 to get your percentage.

Okay, you’ve taken the test and scored at least an 80 percent (come on, you have to be ready mentally as well as physically) now you need the checklist:

• Condoms (duh, if you’re gonna do it, do it safely. If you truly care about your partner and yourself, don’t skip this step.)
• Spermicide (this is optional, but the more the better. They have foams and inserts out on the market, available at most drug stores, most under 15 bucks. And they last for a while. They are REALLY effective if used in conjunction with condoms.)
• An understanding partner. It’s one of the most important decisions of your life and if you can’t do it maturely (i.e. “I can’t talk about protection with my partner cuz I’m embarrassed”) then don’t do it now. You need to be able to communicate your feelings, worries, and thoughts about this whole thing to them. Don’t leave them out of what’s going on in your mind, because they’re part of this too. Also, if there’s any hesitation, whether it be from you or your partner, then this should be stopped. Put it off until a later date, at least… to see if you still feel the same way after a time.
• Practice using the condoms before hand, so that you know exactly what to expect when the time comes. This helps eliminate any mistakes that might occur for first time users, that might end up diminishing the effectiveness of the condom.

But I don’t want to have sex, yet!! Am I weird?

No!! You are not weird at all, in fact abstinence is the only 100% effective way to protect yourself against sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy. So it’s actually the smartest choice if you are not ready for any of the consequences that come with sex.

He never actually hit me. That’s not what I was worried about. It was the pushing and slapping and grabbing that bothered me because he didn’t consider it abuse. Sometimes I wished he would just do it. I wanted him to punch me so I had a real reason to leave. I was never comfortable with the way he treated me, but he convinced me that it wasn’t abuse. He said nasty things to me all the time. Calling me a fat slut and a whore nearly every day started to get to me. “You know I’m just joking, baby doll,” he’d say, but I didn’t really know. It got to the point where the verbal abuse was more harmful than the physical. I could deal with bruises, but I couldn’t deal with the heartache. I’d cry almost every time I saw him. I’m still not sure why I went back. It had something to do with the fact that I started to believe him. I never changed for him. He hated it. After past abusive relationships I realized I had to live for myself. I think I scared him, which made it worse. The tougher I grew, the more and more the abuse would come. He’d grab my boobs in public places and push me on the ground, making harsh remarks. People would look at us with worry and then look at me like they were ready to call the police if I just gave them the word. I never did. I didn’t want to make it public because I was scared of losing him. The sad thing is, even if I had told someone, nothing would’ve changed for the better. He would’ve denied the whole thing, and he’s extremely convincing, and he never did anything in public that would be considered “abuse.” But I know now that it was. I broke up with him. He begged for me to go back, promising me things would change. They got worse. The last words I said to him before I left for college were “get out of my fucking car.” He did. I haven’t seen him since. I met so many people here. I can’t believe how nice they are. It really made me appreciate some of the people in my life, like my dad. He’d never hurt my mother intentionally. So many of my friends would never do that either. I promised myself I’d never get into another relationship like that. The first sign of abuse, and I’m gone. That’s the problem with women these days. They don’t think the first remark or slap is a problem, and it might not be a huge problem; but when it gets to the point where you can’t do anything for yourself, it’s too late. Abuse is never okay, no matter what the case is. You may think that your loved one is your true love, but if he’s abusive, I can promise you that he’s not. There are so many wonderful people out there, it just may take a little time to find them. I finally realized that I had just been looking in the wrong place the entire time.

- Anonymous, 18

I’m Kristin and go to Texas A&M. My roommate is a severe alcoholic. We have been friends for almost 3 years. I did not realize how much he drank until we moved in our apartment. He cannot control his drinking, so he tries to control me. Today he got mad at me because I was watching a tv show he did not want to watch. I listened to him yell at me for about 2 straight hours. He was saying things that to me that would make anyone depressed for a while. He is physically abusing me. One day we had an argument over something he considered a huge deal when it was over something very small and normal people wouldn’t care about. He would not let me in my room so he held me by my arms and shoved me against the wall leaving black and blue bruises all over my arms. I hit him for the first time today. I have to admit it felt very good. He is threatening to sue me and i don’t understand this considering he has hurt me so many times in the past, physically and mentally. His drinking problem is making this semester of my college life depressing, lonely, unhealthy and unhappy. The funny thing is, after every single psycho drunken attack on me, he tried to apologize… and when i don’t want to talk or accept his apology it starts all over again. My door gets busted down, holes get put in my walls and bruises put on me. I am sick of going to school with marks put there by him and I am afraid that this is going to affect me for a long time. I have had no relationships with other guys this semester because of him. If he finds out that I am talking to a guy, studying with a guy etc… he freaks out and calls me a slut and that I am ugly and fat and no one would want to date me. I cannot take this abuse anymore, I need to get this taken care of. I am afraid that if i tell my dad, he might do something that would get him in trouble, like kick my roommates ass, which i wouldn’t mind, but i don’t want my dad getting put in jail for assault.

-Kristen

Diet pills are society’s newest invention to lose weight in the laziest way possible. Many people believe that one brand of weight loss drugs is safer or better than another. That is just marketing techniques to try to get the consumer to believe that the respective diet pill is safe and healthy. Don’t fall for their schemes…. they just want to make money!!! Slim to none of the diet pills that you will find in an average drug store are FDA approved. The labels say that their products are “all natural”, which they are, I guess…because speed is natural.

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Do you cut your self with razor blades? Knives? Scissors? Needles? Do you put your skin over lighted matches or cigarette lighters? Do you pinch or bite your self until you draw blood? Did you ever throw your self into a wall just because? Or do you sometimes feel numb emotionally and physically that you just want to punch yourself in the stomach just to feel.

These things are what Self-Injurers do. Over 1.9 million Americans self-injure regularly and if you aren’t someone who does this you most likely know someone who does. People who are self-abusers feel shame about their condition and try to hide it from their family and friends.

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