Do You See What I See?

Since August of 2009, when I first began this blog, I've continued to write about current affairs that focus on our nation's obsession with food or sex or alcohol or street/prescription drugs.  Whether the "users" are parents, teachers, students, entertainers or athletes, the problem of addiction seems to touch all of us.

And after 100+ blogs, I have to ask, "Do you see what I see?" Does anyone else really want to see our nation change for the better? Are any of us willing to do something about the trend of addiction, assault, or abuse among our nation's young adults and children, rather than keep watching?

Because it is apparent that if we--adults who care--don't do or say something NOW, we will (1) watch another funeral of a talented musician who has a history of addiction, or (2) witness another arrest of students (or teachers) caught using drugs or assaulting/abusing coeds on their campus, or (3) risk becoming like 1/3 of Americans who suffer from obesity and heart disease because of poor eating habits and lack of exercise.

Addiction isn't someone else's problem.  This is an American problem and it touches almost every family.

In this blog, LittleChangesBigResultsOnline.com, I've continued to address America's addiction to food, sex, drugs, and alcohol by providing immediate little changes that every family can make that are proven to result in big changes, such as improved health, second chances at life, or ending the legacy of addiction in your family.

What is one little change you can make today? Please let me know if there are topics you would like me to address by writing to info@beckytirabassionline.com.  Please forward this blog to a friend to join and receive weekly encouragement. Or read past posts that are of interest to you and make comments.

Make some noise!  Let me know that you are listening!

Be encouraged,

Becky

Love, Liquor and Lies

I was teenage alcoholic.  I regularly did things on a Friday night that I had no recollection of on a Saturday morning.  Someone usually had to tell me what I had done. Sometimes, I had to wait for weeks, even months, before knowing the full consequences of my drunken binges.

For so many underage drinkers, what starts out as fun and social turns into shame, or worse, tragedy.

In May of 2010, I blogged about Yeardley Love, a beautiful lacrosse player at the University of Virginia, whose life ended after a beating in her college apartment.  The last person to see her was her college boyfriend, who is now—this very week—on trial for allegedly killing her.

They were a darling, privileged couple; college seniors on very prestigious athletic teams at their esteemed university, the University of Virginia.

But there were signs of trouble—red flags—that so many people saw but didn’t report, such as public displays of physical or verbal abuse and excessive bouts of drinking. 

Today’s young men and women and their families need to talk about this story--how they would react if they had been friends with this couple, or parents who had known this couple, or coaches who coached this couple, or teammates who watched this tragedy unfold. If someone had spoken up and intervened, rather than remained silent, Yeardley Love might be still be alive.

It's too late for Yeardley Love, who died that night, or for George Hugley, who has been waiting for trial since 2010.  Their lives have changed forever by unrequited love, liquor abuse, and lies that kept everyone believing nothing bad would happen. But it did.

Don’t be naive.  Whether you are a student, parent, coach, or administrator, you must take time to understand the campus culture in America today. (For immediate insights and links to informative websites, read my Little Changes Big Results® blog, “They’re Not Waving, They’re Drowning,” that compiled FIVE similar stories and their tragic outcomes.) 

Adults MUST stop looking the other way.  We need to speak truth into the lives of young men and women--whether they are our own children or someone else's kids.  We need to “call them out” for bullying, binge drinking, sexual assault and abuse.  You and I—adults who care about this young generation—must talk to our kids and their friends about (1) the difference between love and sex, (2) the power of alcohol to ruin a life, and (3) the way that lies can distort reality and create a web of destruction. 

Start today, with one little change that could have a life-changing big results: please forward this blog to your friends with tweens, teens, and twenties. 

Be encouraged,

Becky