Substance abuse amongst Calgary youth is a concern. Yet there are many actions family, friends and community members can do to help. Substance abuse has pain at the core of its motivation. For example, teenagers struggling with drug or alcohol use may be experiencing depression, anxiety, loneliness, conflict, etc. Drugs and alcohol serve to provide distraction from suffering, as well as relief. This mechanism of coping has an inevitable negative effect on the individual, their family and their community.
You are organizing your child’s birthday party. You’ve got the decorations, purchased your child’s gift, the invitations are sent out and the menu is planned. You have put a lot of thought and effort into the details when you get an RSVP saying one of your child’s friends is excited about coming, but has an allergy.
Anxiety is an emotional state that is often most closely related to fear. It is a feeling of threat to one’s safety or well-being, even when there is no immediate danger; however, the feeling is still real. Anxiety can appear when anticipating something that feels frightening and may or may not happen in the future. Anxiety lands in-between now and the future. Most people, from children to elderlies, experience anxiety at some stage of their life, which is normal.
Whether you are a newly minted mom, new to your community or feeling isolated for another reason, you may wonder how to connect with other moms. Parenting in isolation without moral support is lonely and emotionally debilitating. One of the most important ways to take care of you (and by extension, your family) is to maintain a thriving social network that provides a healthy dose of physical, mental and emotional support.
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