Here’s hoping all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and took time to recognize all the small things, often missed, which bless our lives. I’ve been off regularly posting on electronic media for the past week and found so many things that touch my life that I often miss amidst the rush. Take time to stop, breathe, and give thanks this season.

It's horrible how society portrays addicts as losers. They are viewed as people who choose to abandon their family and kids just to go on the streets to get high. Addiction is a disease that needs treatment and should be viewed that way. Think of addiction as something like cancer. Can your cancer get better without help? I don't think so. Even if people want to get better, not everybody can afford treatment. Counseling and detox cost money, which many people don't have, especially people who are poor and homeless. And you do have to realize, people who turned to drugs often did it to cope with their problems that they thought were out of their control, which THEN turns into an addiction. Their problem may be mental illness, huge debt, rape, abuse at home, etc. After one gets hooked during the first or second time, it's hard to go back, especially for those without any help. So yeah, lets have some sympathy for these people, shall we

From High School Cheerleader To Paralyzed Life Leader and Self-Described Giraffe 🦒 Most struggle, some with bigger mountains than others. But, no matter YOUR struggle today, you have a choice: You can lose your way or LEAD YOUR LIFE (and, others). Stand. Be a giraffe 🦒 looking above the problems for opportunities. EMMA’s STORY “When I saw my friends and family, it hit me all at once,” said Emma Traveller (now 20). “Suddenly, there were a million nurses and doctors around me, and I couldn’t even breathe on my own. I couldn’t really grasp what life in a wheelchair would mean. That was the beginning of learning to live all over again.” “I’d tell my younger self to stop comparing and to be kind.” “Everyone faces challenges — illness, mental health struggles, difficult home lives.” “One thing that helped me was looking outward, helping others.” “It lifts you up, too. Learning to be kind, to compare less and to look beyond yourself were huge lessons for me.” ~Emily Traveller, Giraffe & Warrior Princess

" (World Health Organization - WHO) The WHO released a statement asserting that there is no safe amount of alcohol that does not affect health. - Key Insight: Alcohol is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen (the highest risk group, alongside tobacco and asbestos). - Highlight: It's the alcohol itself that causes harm, not the type of beverage (beer, wine, or spirits).

Excessive alcohol use