Archive for October, 2009

Why do people become addicted? What is the fundamental mechanism? Of course, this question has been answered to varying degrees and in varying ways. Whether you consider the physical aspects of addiction where changes occur in the brain, or the psychological mechanism that triggers an addiction many theories already exist.

This article is strictly my opinion. It is my personal attempt to understand addiction and I don’t claim to have any scientific backing for my model of addiction. Nor do I seek any. I’m merely trying to understand addiction in terms that make sense to me personally. If this is useful to you in some way, then so much the better.

Addiction can be a powerful force in our lives. I hold that addiction occurs with each of us to varying degrees. Drug and alcohol addictions are the most obvious to us because their destructive effects are very evident. But what about those addictions that are not so obvious. Do you have a favorite food? A favorite song? Why do we choose one thing over another? Why do people choose differently?

On a purely physical realm it appears that our brains become stimulated in a certain way that we enjoy and therefore we are left with a memory that is pleasurably associated with a certain stimulus such as a sound or a taste or a sensation. Could this be the basis for addiction?

Since we are beings with an organic component, this makes complete sense. Once an impression is made on us it is either postivive or negative and we have a ‘feeling’ that goes with that. Being creatures that enjoy pleasure over pain we naturally seek to relive positive experiences and avoid negative ones.

Therefore, if we had an experience that triggered a negative feeling, such as the taste of garlic, then we may forever hate the taste of garlic. Yet, someone else’s early experience or experiences with garlic may have been quite pleasurable. Therefore, they actually enjoy the taste and smell of garlic even to the point that they always use it or cook with it.

Being similar in our organic components, how can such divergent reactions occur?
The only differential seems to be the original experience itself and how we reacted to it. That experience and reaction creates a record in our brains. This must be how two different brains can have such different reactions to the same substance or experience.

Then are we at the mercy of our first experience in regards to any particular stimuli?
Yes, if we don’t do anything about it. However, if we really exert our will, we should be able to change our reaction to virtually anything.

Therefore, through exertion of willpower an addiction, any addiction, should be defeatable. Of course, things are not necessarily that simple in the real world. But in principle and in my opinion, it seems to be this way.

Otherwise, we would simply be robots at the mercy of these addictions that exist to varying degrees. I think most people would agree that is not the case. Also, it would contradict the gift of freewill that I believe we all have been granted. There are some things that we don’t get to choose in this life yet there are many things that we may exert our personal choice over. I believe that addiction is one of those things we can choose not to have. Maybe it takes hard work to beat an addiction but I think we do have an option in this regard.

If I’m correct, then the most important component to beating an addiction is the willingness to do so, coupled by the intensity of the desire to beat the addiction. It seems certain that the person must be willing at some level to be rid of an addiction in order for that freedom to occur.

Author:  David S.

*If you have or think you might have a drug, alcohol or other dangerous addiction, you should seek the help of a qualified physician and get proper treatment as soon as possible.
 

Youth Soccer Coaching Tips

Are you looking for effective and time-tested soccer coaching tips to take your team to the next level? Do you feel frustrated that your team is not performing well, or does not carry out your instructions as intended?

Take note of these winning instructions that will not just improve the morale of your players but also put them to winning ways.

1. Make Elaborate Preparations: It is only half battle won but is crucial to the achievement of your goals. Before you set out to draft one, sit and have discussions with your players, set your goals and objectives as well as timelines. Only that success is sweet that comes within a time-frame you expected it to. As the days pass by, its importance begins to diminish. There should always be scope for improvements, big or small. Sometimes things turn up in the most unexpected ways and you will succeed only if your procedures are smart enough to deal with them.

2. Ensure that the drills are enjoyable: Monotony can quickly set in if there is lack of variety in different activities in the training schedule and as a coach, this is your biggest nightmare. There are several interesting methods to sustain the interest of the kids. You can take them out for a movie, picnic, or anything that refreshes their mind. Remember that the minds of the kids are the easiest to divert and engage.

3. Be strict as well as friendly: You can be successful as a coach only when you keep the players within the boundary of rules. Don’t underestimate the power of these soccer coaching tips.
Allow them time in-between drills to do their own stuff, simply relax, or share things among themselves. Encourage them to organize outings.

4. Be encouraging and caring: A good coach not only motivates the kids to be adventurous but is also caring to the extent that when things do not work out, he is there to sympathize. Being harsh towards mistakes can prevent a kid from trying new things. This is not at all desirable and therefore you must find a way out to correct the issues without reprimanding the players. Your success as a coach is measured by how well the kids are able to execute new ideas or recover from failures. That is the yardstick of your performance.

5. Match the skills of your kids: As you train your kids and they start getting into the game, you will know their calibers. A winning team blends the positive points of all the players, although there are negative points as well. You can use your strong players to bring the ones who aren’t up to the mark to the desired level. How you carry out the exercise of converting the not-so-great players into the finest is the real test of your coaching skills. Do this in a fashion that does not make the players feel a sense of disparity between them.

Kids learn quickly but their mind is tender and can therefore drift easily. That is what makes youth coaching a little complicated. After all, it is not easy to motivate people to deliver under extreme pressure. Make use of these soccer coaching tips to ensure that your players not only become great players but great sportsmen. Make optimum use of these tips to further your coaching career. Your kids will appreciate it, benefit from it, and become a team to reckon with. For more such tips, knowledge, and experiences, subscribe to our community of soccer professionals.

About The Author

Andre Botelho is a recognized expert in youth soccer coaching. He’s the creator of the “Ultimate Soccer Drills System” and influences well over 35,000 youth coaches each year with his unique coaching style. To download your free soccer coaching guide visit: http://www.soccerdrillstips.com – Youth Soccer Coaching Drills.

Are you looking for information that will help you with that persistent noise in your ear? Well you have come to the right place. This article will present some of the causes and best cures for this problem.

You can also make use of the following for more ideas other than the ones mentioned here: home remedies to stop ringing in ears, Wind Sound in Your Ears, humming or buzzing in ears

That feeling of wind sound in the ears is quite unpleasant. It is no wonder it leaves you feeling nauseas and somewhat ill. There are many causes of this and cures also come in various forms. Let me mention somethings that you need to be aware of as far as this problem is concerned. Just read all these points right to the end.

• One possible cause is that your nose might be blocked. In this case you may need to drink medication that treats allergies. Your local pharmacist should be able to recommend something that you might be able to take. If your nose is not clogged up read on.

• It is also possible that you might have wax in your ears. If you are like some people then your ears probably make ear wax way too much. In this case you might have to see a doctor. The wax will be flushed out by the doctor using warm water and a syringe. If you do not like this option or feel like it is not relevant then try hydrogen peroxide. Read about it below.

• I personally am against this method but other people use it. They simply lie on their side and add a capful of peroxide into their ears.

• If after trying all of these the problem still persists then you probable have tinnitus. This is basically an irritating problem whereby your ears keep ringing even when everything around you is dead quite. While some people define it as a humming or buzzing sound some just call it a wave of oceans or wind. If not treated this problem could escalate and complicate.

Having a baby for the first time invokes a lot of emotions. You feel happy yet fear at the same time because you still do not know what to do. You feel excited yet you also feel anxious because you are delving into the unknown. These are just some of the emotions a mother can feel when she has her “my first baby moments.”

Being that this is your first baby, you should not entrust everything to motherly instincts. You should also do some research and studies on the essentials in taking care of a baby. After all, your baby will be depending on you for its comfort as well as its survival.

The most basic concerns that mothers should be focusing on especially on their baby’s first couple of weeks are feeding and sleeping.

Feeding Your Baby

Having adequate nourishment is essential to your baby’s proper development that is why he or she needs to be fed with the right amount of milk at the right time.

You should try to give your baby ready to feed formula. It is safe and healthy. However, you must not mix this with water because your baby might not get sufficient calories. On the other hand, concentrated formula should be mixed with water in a 1 is to 1 ratio. Usually after a couple of weeks, your baby will be able to consume more or less a quart of formula each day. You should also check if your baby manifests symptoms such as frequent vomiting, diarrhea,
constipation or rashes as this may mean that the formula is not fit for him or her and may need to be changed. This is also the reason why it is still highly suggested that you breastfeed your baby if possible as this is better than any milk or formula in the market.

The proper feeding time of a baby typically has a 2 to 3 hour interval. A common sign that you should look out for is crying that can’t be hushed through lullabies.

You can also check if your baby is having adequate nourishment or not. A properly nourished baby will usually have a wet diaper during the 2 to 3 hour interval and the color of the urine should be clear. Stool is soft and yellow in color. Breast-fed babies will typically pass tools 6 times in a day while bottle-fed ones may pass stools every three days.

Sleeping

Babies sleep normally for a length of 10 to 23 hours day. Any less of the minimum can be detrimental to your baby’s development. Here are some tips on how you can help your baby achieve the normal length of sleep he or she needs:

* Make sure that your baby has completed his or her rituals before you put him or her to sleep. This includes feeding, burping, and diaper change.

* Wrap your baby securely so as to stop him or her from doing excessive movements that can cause disturbance while he is asleep. This will also provide your baby warmth.

* Place your baby in supine position. Studies show that letting your baby sleep on his or her back is the safest position for him or her and lessens the occurrence of Sudden Infant Death.

Feeding and sleeping are just two of a “my first baby essentials.” Basically, these are your main responsibilities for the first couple of weeks.

Child attacks of panic, just like that of adults, is a normal, healthy emotion felt as a response to certain stimuli. But when attacks of panic become recurring, irrational and intense, it may be considered as a disorder. Episodes of attacks of panic   can disable the child from performing his daily duties in school and at home. And while it is generally safe, attacks of panic can affect how the child lives.

Since children are more fragile, they more vulnerable to such attacks and the effects of these attacks may be more severe than to adults. But what causes attacks of panic? Here are some of the most common reasons of attacks of panic:

School Phobia and Separation Attacks of Panic
When a child reaches a certain age, he or she develops school phobia. The exact reason for this is still unknown, but what happens is, the child becomes excessively afraid of going to school. A child manifests this fear by creating reasons and complaining ailments such as toothaches, headache, and stomach cramps to keep him or her from going to school. School phobia is often linked to separation attacks of panic but the latter can manifest to situations other than in school (e.g. being with a group of people or joining other family for the weekend).

Again, the exact reason for this is unknown. Separation attacks of panic is excessive fear of being away from someone whom the child is comfortable being with. Sure fire signs of separation attacks of panic are similar to school phobia.

Stress
Stress is often linked to attacks of panic. It may be a result of heavy responsibilities at home and in school, unfinished tasks, physical and psychological abuse, a school bully, environment that is unfit for the child’s age, violence, etc. 

Change in lifestyle
A child creates friends in school and in the neighborhood. These friends would make him or her feel comfortable and accepted. So when the family moves to another place or to a different school, a child loses the friend and comfort he or she has established and forces him or her to start all over again. f children cannot cope with this stress filled situation, it can lead to episodes of attacks of panic.

Indirect Reasons
In many cases, attacks of panic  just come out of the blue, or happen without any logical, clear or apparent reason. It may occur while the child is relaxed during the day and even while asleep. This may only happen only once. Perhaps, an attacks of panic  is brought about by unresolved internal issues, which are not directly connected with the trigger. For example, a child who experiences a death of a loved one may panic whenever a certain, almost similar situation happens. The traumatic experience that he or she went through in the past which are not processed properly can come out, in this case through an attack.