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Many people feel pressured to drink on NYE, but there are many ways to combat this. Making the decision to remain sober on New Year’s is a smart choice, because it allows you to stay more alert, aware, and present in conversations that you have with others. Much of New Year’s drinking can lead to arguments, fist fights, and reckless decisions that produce harsh consequences both physically, mentally, and legally.

Cocaine is a powerfully addictive stimulant drug that people snort, rub onto their gums, inject, and smoke. It is a fine, white, crystal powder also known as coke, crack, blow, rock, or snow. Cocaine is known to produce feelings of extreme happiness and energy, mental alertness, hypersensitivity to sight, sound and touch, irritability, and paranoia. Many people are familiar with the effects of cocaine and even the side effects – constricted blood vessels, dilated pupils, nausea, faster heartbeat, restlessness, tremors, and more. What may be less known is that cocaine has been shown to increase risks of cancer. Many cocaine dealers will mix cocaine with other substances to generate more of the product and get more money. Some of the substances used are carcinogenic, which is shown to increase the risk of cancer and kidney issues.  Smoking cocaine can lead to lung, throat, or mouth cancer, and can also cause damage to the lung tissue. According to Sober Nation, cocaine causes elevated heart rate and blood pressure, both of which are associated with cardiovascular problems and heart disease. Cocaine is often laced with chemicals that can be extremely damaging to the body, as Independent, a UK-based website, notes that nearly two-thirds of cocaine is cut with a substance that can rot human flesh and 80% contains a chemical linked to bladder cancer. A recent study found that 65% of street cocaine is laced with levamisole, a chemical supposedly used by farmers to “purge their livestock of parasitic worms.” While this chemical has been shown to be too low to harm users, some individuals who consume a “bad batch” of cocaine may suffer severe consequences. For individuals that inject the drug, cocaine has been shown to speed up HIV infection and those who already have HIV and continue to use cocaine are at increased risk for also contracting Hepatitis C, a virus that affects the liver, even if they do not inject the drug. Long-term cocaine use can cause nosebleeds, severe bowel decay, malnourishment, restlessness, and more. An overdose of cocaine can lead to death.

This article discusses matter of suicide. If you are seriously considering suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-8255. Your life matters. Call now. People are experiencing depression more than ever before, and this draws concern to our neighbors, friends, and loved ones. Depression can be hidden, as many people do not seek out help or rely on their close friends and family to help them through troubling times. Feelings of doubt, hopelessness, unworthiness, guilt, and self-hatred means that our loved ones may be suffering without us knowing. As scary as this sounds, it’s important to recognize the signs of suicidal thoughts so that we can try to save our loved ones before it’s too late. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the following are signs your loved one may need help immediately: If your loved one is talking about:

Most of us are familiar with the daily effects that addiction has on our lives; work trouble, relationship problems, home life issues, and emotional/physical changes are all typically negatively impacted by addiction. Addiction has destroyed trust and connection, stolen kindness and compassion, and has taken over either ourselves or our loved ones. The costs are high, and there is no doubt about that. How much exactly is addiction costing us as a nation, as a family, as a person? With a report from the 2015 U.S. Surgeon General Report stating that over 27 million people reported current use of illicit use of drugs or prescription drugs and over 66 million people reported binge drinking in the past month, the financial costs are frightening. U.S. News states that each year, the economic impact on the United States from the misuse of prescription drugs, illicit drugs, or alcohol is $442 billion. That’s a lot of money, and a lot of people that are impacted. AOL generated a chart sourcing from several government organizations and showed that $30 billion is spent on drug treatment, $276 billion is spent on active addictions, $166 billion is spent on healthcare, $41 billion is spent on the war on drugs, $97 billion is spent on crime and accidents related to drugs and alcohol, and $437 billion is spent on lost productivity of employers all over the nation. Taxpayers are lending much of their money towards this. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH) notes that treatment can help reduce the costs having to be spent towards incarceration, drug-related crime, theft, and more. More focus on treatment has also been said to lead to fewer interpersonal conflicts, greater workplace productivity, and fewer drug-related incidents, including overdoses and death. The NIH explained that one year of maintenance treatment for methadone, for example, would cost a person $4,700, whereas one full year of imprisonment costs approximately $24,000 per person. The national effects are large, and it doesn’t stop there. AOL claims that Americans spend approximately $276 billion per year on drinking, smoking, and drugs. A report made available by the White House in 2014 stated that drug users are spending approximately $100 billion each year on illicit drugs. As more money is being spent, the problems from addiction reach all the way into our homes, into our families, and affect our children – our future.

With more than 3 million people using the internet, finding the information you need is more accessible than ever. This instant gratification of retrieving information and connecting with others instantaneously has certainly caused us to utilize technology more than ever before. While the internet has provided us with many conveniences and benefits, it can, just like anything else, become addictive and can cause distress in various aspects of your life. Michelle Roses, MS Substance Abuse and Addiction Counseling told Quora, a website where people can find information, that all process/behavioral addictions change the brain. Specifically, the internet creates new neural pathways in the brain that replace other, healthier neural pathways or completely blocks the formation of healthy neural pathways altogether. Internet addiction impacts all senses, which makes the addiction so strong. As you utilize the internet, your brain creates new ways of doing things and soon enough it associates the behavior with pleasure; this means that it is affecting the neurotransmitter called dopamine in the brain. There are several signs of internet addiction:

Many people feel pressured to drink on NYE, but there are many ways to combat this. Making the decision to remain sober on New Year’s is a smart choice, because it allows you to stay more alert, aware, and present in conversations that you have with others. Much of New Year’s drinking can lead to arguments, fist fights, and reckless decisions that produce harsh consequences both physically, mentally, and legally. Here are some sample phrases that you can use this New Year’s if you are asked to drink:

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) states that approximately one in five adults in the United States experiences a mental illness each year. There are 5 main categories of mental illnesses: anxiety disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenia and psychotic disorders, dementia, and eating disorders. Most people are familiar with mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, depression, schizophrenia and more, but there are several illnesses that aren’t discussed as often. See if you can recognize any of the following rare mental disorders:

Addiction affects every aspect of one’s life – work duties, home responsibilities, parenting, romantic relationships, family matters, health, finances – it’s all impacted. Too often we see a loved one or friend with an addiction, and they maybe don’t discuss personal matters as much as they used to. They may keep to themselves, and may seem sad with their life overall. We wish that we could do something to help them, but they seem to perpetuate a negative cycle of loneliness and isolation. A question we may ask ourselves is this: why are doing this? When it comes to addiction, the answer may be simpler than you think. Addiction has a social component to it, and if a person already feels as though nobody cares about them or nobody can do anything to help them, the addiction is perpetuated. Thus, isolation can be a precursor for addiction in the future just as it can be a component of addiction that continues replenishing itself of drugs or substances. Isolation can be both a before and a during. The topic of isolation and social connections is warranted because many people utilize addiction to cope with the unwanted feelings of loneliness, lack of love, feelings of unworthiness, and more. In 1970, Vancouver professor Bruce Alexander conducted a revised version of his original study known as “Rat Park”. With this experiment, Bruce created a magnificent, beautiful rat park for rats to play in and socialize with one another. He provided levers that would dispense drugs such as heroin, morphine, amphetamine, cocaine, etc. He found that the rats had very little interest in the drugs, compared to his previous experiment where rats were provided with drug access and were isolated; they were excessively consuming drugs. This experiment raises an important hypothesis: isolation leads to more drug use were as connection leads to less drug use. In truth, addiction lends damaging effects to itself in all ways. People focus on addiction to cover up their unwanted feelings, and in turn, become even more entrenched in their unwanted feelings because addiction causes them to behave in ways that perpetuate those feelings. Many treatment centers place emphasis on group therapy and group support, because social connection is a basic human need.

Many people experience a mental illness in each year and, while a diagnosis may seem frightening or saddening, there are many ways to hold a positive perception of your mental illness. Conversations surrounding mental illness often involve challenging symptoms that affect daily life, but there are many wonderful qualities that mental illness can mean for us as well. There are several historical figures whom had a mental illness were classified as “creative geniuses” – their disorder was said to have helped them think more creatively and intelligibly. Live Science explained a British study that involved 10 people with bipolar disorder and explored the positive ways that their disorder affected their lives. One participant stated, “I see color much more vividly than I used to…I think my access to music and art are something for which I’m grateful to bipolar for enhancing. It’s almost as if it’s a magnifying glass that sits between that and myself.” Other participants in the study stated that had it not been for their disorder, they wouldn’t have taken chances towards their goals. One participant who performed in comic theatre stated, “Had it not meant for being bipolar, there’s no chance I could have done it.” With this, mental illness sometimes gives us an opportunity to dig deeper into something we may have not noticed as much before, and may also give us the perspective we need to push forward towards our dreams. Bipolar disorder isn’t the only mental illness with upsides; the New York Times explained the fact that Darwin utilized his depression as a clarifying force that allowed him to focus on life’s essential problems.  The Huffington Post also notes that individuals with depression often develop a sincere ability to notice when others are feeling depressed. This gift of “noticing” could mean saying a kind word or lending a hug just to help the other person feel better. Having a mental illness does not mean that one is subjected to experiencing only painful or crippling circumstances. Annie Glynn, 3rd place in the Mental Health Poetry Contest, describes the beauty of mental illness in her poem that you can find here.

Many people decide to complete an at-home detox or a “body cleanse” at home in attempt to remedy their “problem” of eating or drinking too much. Detoxification is a process by which the body naturally dispels any toxic or unhealthy substances. When it comes to healthy living, there are natural ways to ensure toxins are released. Dr. Edward Group tells the Global Healing Center several ways to detox the body in a natural and healthy way: eating the right foods, exercising and meditating, purifying the air you breathe, and drinking plenty of water. There are ways to detox that are completely bad for a person’s health, however. If you choose to detox, here is what NOT to do:

CBS News recently covered a huge undertaking of drugs by the Coast Guard. Approximately 10 tons of cocaine and more than 50 pounds of heroin were seized along Mexico and Central America by several Coast Guard cutters. Cdr. John McTamney, Commanding Officer of Coast Guard Cutter Spencer told CBS News, “This represents a significant disruption to the supply chain of various transnational criminal organizations.” It is said that many smugglers will fill vessels with drugs and will send them through the eastern Pacific for days, even weeks at a time. The Coast Guard has captured about $300 million worth of drugs, a huge victory towards protecting the United States from addiction. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions stated at a press conference in San Diego, “By preventing overdoses and stopping new addictions before they start, enforcing drug laws saves lives. This record-breaking year by our Coast Guard saw the arrest of over 500 suspected drug traffickers and kept nearly half a million pounds of dangerous drugs from getting to our streets – and ultimately to our neighbors, friends, and families. I commend every service member who has helped us in our mission to keep the American people safe, and I thank them for this indispensable contribution to public safety.” CNN reports that the Coast Guard intercepted 27 shipments and 5 bale recovery efforts over the course of 10 weeks, with the drugs coming from several areas: the Andean Ridge, Bolivia, Peru and Columbia. The interceptions were mostly loaded with pure, uncut cocaine. CBS further states that while some of the drug bust will be held as evidence for convictions in smuggling cases, the rest of the drugs will likely be destroyed. Vice Adm. Karl Schultz, commander of the Coast Guard Atlantic Area told Fox News that persistent maritime efforts in drug trafficking zones have enabled them to intercept bulk quantities of drugs at sea, preventing smuggler’s cargoes to reach the shores of Central America and land routes through to the United States.

As stated in a book titled: Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change, written by Jeffrey Foote, Carrie Wilkens, and Nicole Kosanke with Stephanie Higgs, “Recognizing that for most people change is more like learning to read than getting hit on the head with an apple, you’ll be less likely to blame a loved one for being ‘bad at it’ in the beginning or despair when he has bad days later on…. Change isn’t magic. It does not take a miracle. Change takes thought, planning, and work, and reasons to do something different. You can help make it worth it for your loved one, by helping to create an environment in which positive behavior is rewarded by your affection, presence, collaboration, and other forms of reinforcement, while negative behavior is shut out in the cold.” Living with someone who has an addiction can be challenging, especially if we do not know what to expect or how to handle the situation. Doing research and seeking help are important to do both before your loved one moves in and after they’ve moved in. Candance Plattor, registered clinical counselor who has recovered from addiction to opioids, marijuana, and alcohol, notes 5 key things that need to happen to love yourself and the person with the addiction: