Tag Archives: Drugs

WARNING SIGNS YOUR TEENAGER MAY BE EXPERIMENTING WITH DRUGS

07 Sunday May 2017

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As parents, we do not want to admit our teenagers are using drugs, but we need to keep our eyes open.  Elementary school years are the years of innocence.  Jr High School may be another story, all together.  Teenagers may go through drastic changes once they hit 7th and 8th grade and high school may be even worst.

As parents, we need to watch our teenagers for warning signs of possible drug use:

1.  Sudden changes in mood / attitude

2.  Bursts of anger

3.  Isolation from family (spending a lot of time in their room)

4.  Drop in grades

5.  Lack of interest in normal activities

6.  Changes in appetite

7.  Changes in sleeping habits

8.  Lying

9.  Change of friends

10.  Skipping classes / truancy / tardiness

It is our job as parents to keep a close communication with our teenagers / children.  Stay involved in their lives and know where they are and what they are doing when they are not home.

It is also important to let your kids know you “do” trust them and they can come to you to talk when they need to.  Don’t get your feelings hurt if they don’t talk to you about everything, but stay positive and let them know you are there for them when they do want to talk.

Written By:  Ask Ms Mandi

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Excerpt from Manuscript – Snow

31 Wednesday Aug 2016

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EXCERPT FROM SNOW

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

The last few days had been anything but perfect, maybe perfect was too strong of an adjective, the last few days had been more than exhausting.

January closed her eyes for a moment, reflecting back on their conversation. It hadn’t gone well, with Jack storming out of their high-rise apartment.

This had been more than two days ago and she still had not heard from him. She knew he would be mad, but he was more than mad, he had been furious.

She remembered when they had first visited the city of San Francisco, now their home. She and Jack had just gotten married. He had applied to the city as an Engineer, just on a whim, not really expecting to get the job, but he had.

She couldn’t have asked for a better life, now that Jack was clean. But now it seemed their perfect, picturesque life had shattered into a million different pieces.

Tears slowly spilled down her face, as she quietly opened her eyes. It was a dreary, over-cast day, but when wasn’t it over-cast in the city.

Looking across the bay, she watched as the tour boat took the nostalgic guests across the ocean and over to the Rock…Alcatrass, making her ponder…had she made the right decision telling Jack. Only time would tell.

“Please Jack, come home to me.” She whispered.

Written By: Ask Ms Mandi
Photograph By: Ask Ms Mandi
Copyright August 31, 2016

Excerpt from Manuscript Snow

09 Saturday Jul 2016

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SNOW

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Dear Diary:

Casually watching my foot steps leaving the softest of impressions in the sand, making me ponder over my life and the choices I had made. I had been called co-dependent before, but hadn’t fully understood the meaning behind it. Surely, I wasn’t the one with the problem. I wasn’t the addict.

I was normal, I had followed all the rules. I was a good girl, growing up in a well-to-do family in the suburbs, eating most my vegetables, attending church on Sundays, not talking back to my elders, graduating from high school and eventually graduating from college with honors and two Masters’ Degrees to show for all my hard work. I was the one following all the rules. I am not the one with the problem.

But, today my therapist told me a different ending. I was just like the addict, I was addicted to covering up for the addict. I was trying to save him. I loved him and to be honest with myself, I loved him more than I loved me. Just like an addict loves their drug of choice more than themselves, more than their wife, more than their mother, and more than their children. They would die for their addiction, just like I would have died for you.

But I’m not the addict, you are.

January set down her pen, reaching for the box of tissues, as the tears streamed down her face. Today had been one of the hardest days of her life and probably ever to come again. She had to say good-bye to Jack, he would kill her if she let him. He was drowning and pulling her down into the current with him.

But she was a survivor, she was stronger than he. She had the will to fight and gain back the control she had relinquished on the day she had accepted his drug addiction, thinking she could save him and not knowing she couldn’t, but no more. She wanted to live and she knew now that she must face these demons on her own and without Jack.

Written By: Ask Ms Mandi
Photograph By: Ask Ms Mandi
Copyright July 9, 2016

Excerpt from Manuscript – Snow

19 Sunday Jun 2016

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Excerpt from SNOW

photo (7)

Where was Jack, January thought.

She was starting to panic. He promised her they wouldn’t stay long, but as always, that promise had been broken.

As she walked for the front door, slowly the bathroom door opened. Jack stood there in the middle of a cloud of smoke, looking at January stunned, with a look of agitation on his face. His friend Bill sheepishly looked at January, before shifting his gaze down to his feet.

“What the hell, Jan? Why are you always sneaking up on me…stop suffocating me and stop being such a bitch!”

“A bitch? What are you talking about. I was just looking for you. You promised me that we would only have to stay for a few hours, to watch the rest of the game. The game is over and I want to go, besides you are wasted and doing God knows what in the bathroom.”

“Don’t worry about what I’m doing and stop being my mother. I thought I told you that…I don’t like you being my mother. Screw this! Bill and I are going to get more beer.” Jack snapped.

“What are you talking about Jack? I want to go…you promised!”

“Like I said Jan, Bill and I are going out to get more beer and then we will go.”

An anger rose up in January that she didn’t know she had. She had a enough. “Jack, I’m going home!”

Slamming the front door, she ran to her car, as tears streamed down her face.

How dare he treat her like that. She was sick of feeling like this. Jack was quickly dragging her down with him. She had to fight back.

Written By: Ask Ms Mandi
Photograph By: Ask Ms Mandi
Copyright June 19, 2016

Excerpt from Manuscript – Snow

01 Wednesday Jun 2016

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Excerpt from Manuscript – Snow

Jewels & Bowz 3 - 05.30.2016

The girl who was wearing all black was staring at her. She didn’t want to look over at her, but she could feel the heaviness of her glare boring down on her. She sensed the girl was trying to get her attention, but January was lost in between the lyrics of the band screaming from the radio and the shouting she heard in the other room.

She decided to look her way, “Do you know when they will be out of the bedroom?”

“Who knows. They made a big score tonight…could be a while.”

“A score?” January didn’t know what this girl was talking about.

“Speed, of course.” The girl casually replied.

January was shocked. “Did you see Jack go into the room. He must have gone out for more beer.”

“Jack is the cute guy with longish, shoulder length hair and black eye-liner?”

“Yes, he’s my boyfriend, but he doesn’t use drugs, so I’m sure he must have slipped out when I didn’t notice.”

“No, he’s in there. I saw him and the tall, skinny guy go in together.”

The room started to spin…January wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or the loud music or the distaste of her dinner rising up and into her throat, but she felt as if she was going to be sick.

Written By: Ask Ms Mandi
Photograph By: Ask Ms Mandi
Copyright June 1, 2016

Excerpt from Manuscript – Snow

11 Wednesday May 2016

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Excerpt – SNOW

Tulips 05.11.2016

“I know you’re lying!”

January knew he only lied when he was using. She had lived with the cycle for long enough to see the subtle changes in his behavior. She used to laugh about it, saying he was two-faced, but in reality it wasn’t funny.

She had been living with this man’s ups and downs for nearly twenty-seven years.

“I’m not lying, baby.”

“I know you didn’t go to work today, Jack, your boss called.”

“What a prick. He has had it out for me since the first day I started.”

Jack always knew what to say. Nothing was ever his fault, it was always the other guy.

January had come to a point when she no longer fought, it was easier to just accept it. Her best friend had told her once, you made your bed, now lie in it. She guessed she had.

“Jack, what are we going to do. We need money for our mortgage.”

“Don’t worry baby, I will get you the money.”

“How? You just lost your job.” January cried.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head, I will take care of it and have your mortgage money to you by Friday.”

It was always Friday, but he could no longer keep his promises. His lies were starting to catch up with him, they were drowning him and her and their family. Poor Bella, she didn’t deserve any of this.

“Jack, I can’t take this anymore. You always get fired after two weeks, why is that?”

“I told you baby, he was a prick. I will find another job, didn’t I tell you not to worry?”

“Hi, Daddy, are we going to have to move again?” Bella had just walked into our conversation, holding her ice cream in her hand, as it melted, dripping down her arm.

It was always the same story, but nothing was getting better. She knew why he lost his job after two weeks, it wasn’t because of any other reason, but he was using again.

He had just gotten paid two days before and now he had changed, January saw it, his boss saw it, and now Bella saw it.

Written By: Ask Ms Mandi
Photograph By: Ask Ms Mandi
Copyright May 11, 2016

Excerpt from Manuscript – Snow

20 Wednesday Apr 2016

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SNOW

Jewels' Painting 04.16.2016

Slowly day by day your fairy tale turns into a nightmare. And what is left of you is an empty, shallow shell…a non-existent person that he couldn’t love and no one will love again.

Like I said…I could be married like my girlfriends, but I made the choice to leave…I made the choice to fight…I made the choice to survive and to live again.

That’s the problem, you see, and the hardest part…the part that I could have it all back again; the horror, the fights, and the abuse, but I just couldn’t live like that and I want to live.

Written By: Ask Ms Mandi
Oil Painting By: JCW
Copyright April 2016

Excerpt from Manuscript – Dear Paxton

31 Saturday Aug 2013

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Excerpt from Manuscript – Dear Paxton

Ms Mandi Photo 1

He noticed her looking at his arms. “Not a pretty site is it? I have been an addict for more than fifteen years now. This place…” He said, looking around the room, “is more like home to me. I come in and out of here all the time.” Lisa felt sorry for him.

He seemed like a very nice man and very intelligent. She wondered why he would mess up his life. He had a real problem, not her.

“I hate this place! There are so many crazy people in here. I don’t belong here!” She sobbed.

“Then why did you do it?” He looked seriously worried, pointing to her two bandaged wrists.

Written By: Ask Ms Mandi

What is Spice?

27 Monday May 2013

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What is Spice? I have heard some talk about this new “synthetic marijuana”. Let me first say, I am completely anti-marijuana and anti any drug. I have known close friends that have fallen into terrible addictions caused by marijuana and other harder types of drugs. So, when I heard about this drug called Spice, I decided to do some research.

First off, it is basically just potpourri or incense. Who in their right minds smokes potpourri or incense? Second, it has not been tested by FDA or other drug administrators for consumption and therefore, it may be and probably is very harmful.

The website goes on to state some side-effects to this drug; such as, heart failure, anxiety, hallucinations, and vomiting. http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/spice-synthetic-marijuana

The debating side states that it is okay to smoke because it isn’t “Illegal”. Well, white out, gasoline, glue, and nitrous oxide (the air in whip cream (propellant) are legal substances, but that doesn’t mean that they are safe to consume or inhale.

Let’s get smart about what we are putting into our bodies. Think before you consume…if it doesn’t sound good for you…then it probably isn’t. Getting high isn’t worth dying.

Ms Mandi Photo 1

Written By: Ask Ms Mandi