Every day across America, nearly a million American kids age 12 to 17 abuse a pain reliever for the very first time just to get high. If you do the math, that’s nearly a million kids a year risking their lives — or at the very least, risking a life interrupted or ruined by prescription drug addiction. Teenagers are abusing more prescription and over-the-counter drugs than all illegal and illicit drugs except marijuana, according to federal statistics. In 2006, more than 2.1 million teens ages 12 to 17 reported abusing prescription drugs. And kids as young as 12 and 13 told researchers that prescription drugs are their “drug of choice.” The drugs that lead to prescription drug addiction for thousands of these young people are powerful narcotic painkillers like OxyContin, Vicodin and Percocet. These are the heroin-in-a-pill type drugs that can cause breathing collapse and coma, that have led to tens of thousands of cases of prescription drug addiction across the country. OxyContins were responsible in part for the death of actor Heath Ledger, and literally thousands of other “just plain folks” across the country in recent years. Anti-anxiety drugs and depressants, especially the benzodiazepine drugs — Xanax is a popular brand, as are Valium, Librium and many others — are particularly dangerous. They rapidly create dependencies that can lead to prescription drug addiction — some people are hooked after just a day or two on Xanax — and they are really difficult to get off of safely. And benzos can cause death when mixed with other drugs or alcohol. Stimulants are another type of drug that kids are abusing to get a buzz, particularly the kinds prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Adderall and Ritalin are two of the most abused, and these, because of their side effects, are basically cocaine-in-a-pill. Kids are trading and selling their ADHD prescription drugs with other kids, and stupidly risking their friends’ lives. Speed drugs can cause seriously abnormal heart rhythms, seizures and death. Meanwhile, a recent University of Texas study showed conclusively that methylphenidate, the active ingredient in Ritalin, causes chromosomal damage — the organized structures of DNA in our cells. No one has a clue yet what damage that will do long-term, but messing with someone’s DNA can’t be harmless. But while that research continues, millions of parents keep feeding these drugs to children. It’s time for a reassessment. Teens are also abusing over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, such as cough and cold remedies, which contain dextromethorphan and other drugs which are, like those prescription drugs, extremely deadly when combined with other drugs or with alcohol. OTC drugs can cause blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, coma, and even death. And they’re a stepping stone to prescription drug addiction, too. Thousands of kids wind up in hospital emergency wards every year fighting for their lives because they overdosed on prescription or OTC drugs mixed with alcohol — all for fun! These drugs are readily available from home medicine cabinets or from friends, and even from on-line pharmacies. A lot of kids still think they’re a safer way to get high than street drugs, and many of them who wouldn’t touch cocaine or heroin don’t realize they are abusing almost identical drugs, and risking prescription drug addiction or death. What’s needed is for parents to start talking to their kids, and to clearly spell out all the very real dangers of prescription and OTC drugs. And they need to show strong disapproval of drug experimentation and abuse, and create and enforce anti-drug rules. Parents need to be firm, but they need their kids to understand that rules are to protect them — kids should be healthy, not in the morgue with a tag on their toe or in medical drug detox recovering from addiction.

For women, having small breasts can enormously and negatively affect self-esteem. Some people - especially men - may dismiss it as being emotional. But for most women, the size of the breasts can be a source of distress. Many women who had to live with smaller breasts feel unhappy and unsatisfied with themselves. And if you ask them what part of their body they will change given the chance, their answer will be their breasts.And so, it is not surprising to see women going under the knife and risking their lives just to make their breasts bigger and suppler. Many women consider breast augmentation procedure as the solution to getting back their self-confidence. But as always, there are risks.Undergoing cosmetic breast augmentation does not always result to a happy ending; there are women who died while having their breasts enlarged. However, if you really want to increase the size of your breasts, you can always choose natural or alternative ways to go about it. Ultimately and as a woman, it is you who will have the final say as to what procedure to take. But for now consider the most important step in trying to deal with your breast size: it is called self-acceptance.Why You Need To Accept Your Breasts For What They AreWhat you feel is good for your breasts is good not just for their appearance but for their overall health as well. Before you risk your life on the operating table or taking heaps of self enhancing products, you should first learn to accept the beauty of your breasts. If you have not learned how to accept your breasts the way they are, then no matter how much you increase their size, you will still not feel contented.If you have read the latest news about breast enhancement, you will know that breast augmentation procedures have been linked to an increase in suicidal tendencies among women. This just proves that having breast augmentation will not erase all your problems about self-confidence; in fact it may even lead to more serious problems.What To Do To Affirm Your Acceptance Of Your BreastsAccepting your breasts for what they truly are can not be achieved by merely saying that you do. Well, of course words are important, but the first step of affirming that you love your breasts is to stop judging them or comparing them against some other woman’s breasts you saw in the magazine.Next, touch your breasts every time it is possible for you. Lather them with bath lotion and try to feel good about them. This can be a very sensual experience for most women, for some it may even be considered insignificant. But the truth is, caressing your breasts tenderly releases some type of hormone that will allow you to feel good and more confident. Now, that’s definitely better, and cheaper, than any breast augmentation procedure.Lastly, you affirm your acceptance of your breasts by consciously trying to improve blood flow to the area. And you can do this by massaging your breasts. For most naturopaths and even some doctors, this is the best way to improve not just the overall health of your breasts but their size as well. Massaging encourages positive changes in your breasts.Perhaps you won’t need any breast augmentation procedure if only you learn to accept your breasts. Breast size will not matter and your self-confidence will soar if you can only apply this thinking. But if having smaller breasts is more than just about self-esteem; meaning it affects your overall way of life, then by all means try breast-enhancing formulas that are natural and safe. Increasing your estrogen naturally by using products that contain phytoestrogen can help you without posing any risks. One such product is Clevastin. Visit http://www.clevastin.com/ for more details.