Health and Well Being
| NOTE: If you are in immediate danger, dial 911 or your local emergency response numbers! Don't wait until it is too late! Domestic violence and abuse are serious business. There are non-emergency and emergency websites and numbers at the bottom of this page. |
A note from the Webmaster of BloomNet:
Dear friend,
Being an abuse survivor myself--rape and physical and emotional abuse-- I tend to take this topic very seriously. I hope I am not overstepping my bounds by speaking frankly. But this issue is important enough that blunt speech is a must. It's not cool for someone to hurt you. Anytime you want to vent or need to talk, you come here. If you can't find anyone else, you can always come to BloomNet. We're all here for you.
Any situation you may be in is only temporary. And you should do something about it and go on to get well and do well not because someone else says you must, but because you are smart and you know in your heart that you can do it. You don't have to get good grades...YOU MUST get good grades. The better your grades, the more opportunities will open up for you, and then you can tell all the people in your own life that put you down to go jump in a lake! Even better yet is going away to college. You get out of the house and your parents usually will pay part of the bill--or the government if you file for financial aid.
I don't know what your situation is. I have talked to so many girls with parents who get out of control. If they hurt you, or you don't feel safe, I urge you to tell someone that you trust. A school counselor, a grandparent, adult friend, other relative--anybody. It is important that you take control of an abusive situation because your abuser is out of control. This also counts if your siblings or cousins, anyone in your family is out of control. The best way to do that is to get away from them to someplace safe, and get them the help they need by pressing charges, going to family counseling, and just plain letting it out. Keeping these things secret because you are embarassed is never a good idea. It will make it worse, not better.
I'm great at pep talks, but in addition to talking to friends or family, get some professional help. Not right away even. If you're not ready, they can't help you. But when you are ready, these people can help you make changes and have a safe and happy life.
It's really for everyone's benefit. I know from personal experience. When someone you love does something to hurt you, it's very difficult to talk to or trust anyone. But in my case, talking and doing something to stop it was the only way for me to heal-- and also to keep it from happening to someone else. Most abusers don't descriminate. Most of them are real people with real problems, and they need help and healing too. You're really doing both of you a favor by speaking out.
If anyone here has a problem and they need to talk, I am here. I will not judge you--no matter what it is. I have heard it all. I really have! I love each and every one of you. I know that people of all ages have all sorts of problems--some small problems like everyday stress and some larger ones that I can't do much about except be there to listen. That's what I'm here for.
I'm making this new page with some general information about various subjects. Please also feel free to post messages on our
Need2Talk message board!
Wishing you a healthy and safe life--most of all a happy one!
Resources
If you need help, with a variety of problems or just want to educate yourself, here are some pages and imformation that may help you. No matter what, it is important to talk to someone. You can get help! You can heal! There is always hope! Mostly these pages are for the United States of America. If you can suggest a site for people from other countries, please drop me an email and let me know. If you just want to talk, please feel free to use our
Need2Talk board any time. Someone will reply!
Most major search engines have pages where you can get help. The hardest thing to get help for is internet abuse. It is best to call the police if you are getting threats in any form. If they can't help, they can help you contact the right people. MSN, Yahoo, and most other service providers have free abuse reporting if you follow thier instructions and send full headers when reporting mail.The net is full of resources for other types of abuse. Try MSN health or MSN search for information on health problems, drug problems and just about anything else you can think of. Yahoo and Google.com are also good sources. Women.com is a good source for women's issues. And Beliefnet.com is a good site for spiritual concerns. Don't be afraid to ask a question. The only stupid question is the one that never gets asked!
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or scienctist. I do not represent any kind of official help. I am not responsible for the information on these sites, or sites they may be linked to. But I do feel that the content at the time this page was created was helpful and trustworthy!
Stress and Anxiety
Panic Attacks and stress-- http://www.adaa.org
I beileve this is a site that leads to a book to buy.
National Institute of Mental Health-- Call 1-800-64-PANIC to Order free information.
Drug and Alcohol Abuse
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services -- http://www.health.org/govpubs/rpo993/
The National Institute on Drug Abuse -- http://www.teens.drugabuse.gov/
Read about the science behind drug abuse. How they work. What they do to your body. And how to get help!
Dan Amen Brain Scan Research-- http://www.brainplace.com
Find out what drug and alcohol use to to your brain function. It's really quite scary to think how much your brain function drops when you abuse substances. Dr. Amen's site can help you make sense of it all.
Child Abuse
Child Help USA-- http://www.childhelpusa.org/report_expect.htm
A site for anonymous counseling and anonymous abuse reporting.
Physical and Emotional Abuse (including sexual abuse)
CyberParent-- http://www.cyberparent.com/abuse/
Information on all forms of abuse.
Women and Abuse-- http://groups.msn.com/WomenandAbuse
An MSN Web Community--Support Group for victims of abuse of all kinds. Has informaiton on abuse and the emotional and physical problems that can sometimes result. A great resource, run by caring and compassionate women.
