Living Free Every Day®

Today's Scripture
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:7 NIV
Thoughts for Today
Enablers work hard to shield their loved ones from the consequences of self-destructive choices. As a result, the enabler brings pain upon themselves that really belongs to their loved one.
In their well-intentioned efforts to help, enablers may

• lie for their loved one
• allow abusive behaviors
• hide the truth from relatives and friends
• defend their loved one when others point out problems
• help them with legal difficulties
• change the home environment to accommodate the person with the problem
• refuse to discuss the problem with anyone

Consider this …
It is difficult to stop enabling a loved one because we don't like to admit that we have no power to change another person. As we take on responsibility—and control—of our loved one, our focus is on "fixing" them. But only God can transform lives. This is a God-size problem, not one we can fix. And we need to step back, to give our worry and anxiety to God, and to trust him.
If we don't come to the realization that we have no power to change another person, enabling will progress to a condition known as codependency. Codependents take ownership of another person's problems, get their sense of well-being from managing the behavior of the dependent person, and end up being controlled by the person they are trying to help.
Prayer
Father, forgive me for trying to take your place in my loved one's life. I realize now that I cannot change anyone's life. Only the power of Jesus can do that. I commit my loved one to you. I pray that he will turn to you for help in making right choices. In Jesus' name …
These thoughts were drawn from …
Living Free by Jimmy Ray Lee, D. Min. and Dan Strickland, M. Div. This updated version is presented in two parts. It offers information for anyone who either has a life-controlling problem or has a loved one with a life-controlling problem:
Part 1: Learning to Live Free

• Defining Life-Controlling Problems
• Mastered and Trapped by Issues
• Walls of Protection
• Family Influences
• Helping or Harming?

Part 2: Helping Others to Live Free through Small Groups

• The Small Group Strategy
• Effective Facilitation and Communication
• Launching a Living Free Ministry 

 

 

PO Box 22127 ~ Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421 ~ 423-899-4770
© Living Free 2007. Living Free is a registered trademark. Living Free Every Day devotionals may be reproduced for personal use. When reproduced to share with others, please acknowledge the source as Living Free, Chattanooga, TN. Must have written permission to use in any format to be sold. Permission may be requested by sending e-mail to info@LivingFree.org.

Living Free Every Day®

Today's Scripture

"Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty. If you rescue them once, you will have to do it again." - Proverbs 19:19 NLT
Thoughts for Today
When someone we care about is struggling with a life-controlling problem, we naturally want to help. But sometimes, even though we have the best intentions, our efforts hurt more than they help … and we end up enabling our loved one to continue in the destructive behavior.
Negative consequences naturally flow from wrong behaviors. When we intervene and prevent someone from experiencing those consequences, they have no reason to change their behavior. We enable them to continue.
Consider this …
Enabling is progressive. It begins by making small allowances for someone's irresponsible behavior and gradually progresses until our lives are dominated by trying to cure and control our loved one. A line must be drawn to avoid the progression. The first time you bail someone out, that's mercy. The second time, it is enabling.
Prayer
Father, I want so much to help my loved one. I have tried to take care of him, to "fix" things, to keep him from suffering. But I see now that continually rescuing him is just prolonging the problem and even making it worse. Help me to trust you more. Help me stand back and allow him to learn. In Jesus' name …
These thoughts were drawn from …
Living Free by Jimmy Ray Lee, D. Min. and Dan Strickland, M. Div. This updated version is presented in two parts. It offers information for anyone who either has a life-controlling problem or has a loved one with a life-controlling problem:
Part 1: Learning to Live Free

• Defining Life-Controlling Problems
• Mastered and Trapped by Issues
• Walls of Protection
• Family Influences
• Helping or Harming?

Part 2: Helping Others to Live Free through Small Groups

• The Small Group Strategy
• Effective Facilitation and Communication
• Launching a Living Free Ministry 

 

 

PO Box 22127 ~ Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421 ~ 423-899-4770
© Living Free 2007. Living Free is a registered trademark. Living Free Every Day devotionals may be reproduced for personal use. When reproduced to share with others, please acknowledge the source as Living Free, Chattanooga, TN. Must have written permission to use in any format to be sold. Permission may be requested by sending e-mail to info@LivingFree.org.

Children in Kentucky Pay Price for Parents’ Prescription Drug Abuse

By Join Together Staff | December 14, 2012 | Leave a comment | Filed in Addiction, Community Related, Parenting, Prescription Drugs & Youth

More than 86,000 children in Kentucky are being raised by someone other than a biological parent, and prescription drug abuse is largely to blame, community leaders say.

CNN reports that while it is difficult to assess how many children are orphaned after a parent overdoses from prescription drugs, state data shows Kentucky is the fourth most medicated state in the country, and has the sixth highest rate of overdose deaths.

“Someone has to take care of these kids, and we simply do not have the facilities to do that,” said U.S. Representative Hal Rogers, whose district in Kentucky is hard hit by prescription drug abuse. “So it’s neighbors, it’s churches, other civic groups that are trying to be parents to these kids who are orphaned by drug-abusing parents. That’s a huge undertaking, because there’s literally tens of thousands of these young children.”

He started the Operation UNITE drug task force in 2003 to fight the prescription drug abuse epidemic in Kentucky. The task force has set up programs at schools across the state to help children who have lost their parents to these drugs.

The state has taken steps to combat prescription drug abuse. Earlier this year, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear signed into law a bill requiring that all pain clinics be licensed, specifies requirements for ownership and employment, and obliges Kentucky’s licensure board to develop regulations for pain clinics. It gives law enforcement easier access to the state’s prescription drug monitoring database. Doctors must examine patients, take full medical histories, and check electronic prescription records before writing prescriptions for opioids.

Last month, Dan Smoot, Law Enforcement Director of Operation UNITE, noted that as Kentucky begins to see results from its crackdown on prescription drug abuse, officials are reporting a rise in heroin use.

Delaware Cocaine Rehab Information Delaware Cocaine Addiction

Population
818,587

Cocaine/crack cocaine in Delaware
Both the powder and crack forms of cocaine remain increasingly available and popular in Delaware. According to the 2003-2004 data from the NSDUH approximately 58,000 (8.56%) of Delaware citizens (ages 12 or older) reported past month use of an illicit drug. 17,000 (2.57% reported past year use of cocaine. Additional 2003-2004 NSDUH results indicate that 20,000 (2.98%) Delaware citizens reported illicit drug dependence or abuse within the past year. Approximately 13,000 (1.98%) reported past year illicit drug dependence.

According to the 2003-2004 NSDUH data, approximately 12% of Indiana 12-17 year olds reported past month use of an illicit drug. 1,000 (1.47%) reported past year cocaine use.

In 2005 Federal agencies seized 4 kilograms of cocaine. Approximately 18.6, 2005 federally sentenced defendants committed drug offenses. Approximately 44% of the cases involved crack cocaine.

Who attempts at getting help

During 2005, there were 8,480 admissions to drug/alcohol treatment in Delaware. 533 were for use of cocaine and 943 for use of crack cocaine. According to the NSDUH data approximately 18,000 (2.63%) Delaware citizens reported needing but not receiving treatment for illicit drug use within the past year.

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December 14, 2012 Send In Your Questions For Our New Video Series We want to hear from you! In our latest video series, Five Mom Blaise Brooks wants to hear your questions about parenting teens, cough medicine abuse, the Five Moms initiative, and more! Visit our blog to watch her video and post your questions in the comments - Blaise will answer them in her next video on our site!  Watch Blaise's video and ask your questions here!   FROM THE FIVE MOMS BLOG What Do You Want To Hear From Us Next Year? We are excited for 2013 and can't wait to bring you all the latest news on the fight to prevent medicine abuse, but we want your input too! So tell us what you're looking for: Is it expert advice, research and information, resources and tools, or personal stories? Visit us on Facebook and share your thoughts!  Take our Facebook poll and tell us what you think. Take Advantage of Holiday Time To Talk To Your Teens Before your teens head off to a holiday party, make sure to talk to them about dangerous behaviors like drug, alcohol, and medicine abuse. On our Parents Toolkit , we've added a great new resource: About.com Teens' Course for Effectively Communicating with Teens. You can sign up for daily email updates or take their analysis quiz right away. Visit our Parents Toolkit for a link to the course.

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