Drive Sober This Independence Day, and Every Day: Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving

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This Independence Day, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service’s Watch UR BAC program, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) want to remind drivers that Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving.


No matter how people choose to celebrate Independence Day, do it safely and always have a sober ride. Anyone under the influence of alcohol that chooses to get behind the wheel of a vehicle not only puts everyone on the road in danger but also themselves. Fourth of July festivities often start early in the day and go into the evening or late at night, causing more cars to be on the roads at night. In 2019, 515 people died in motor vehicle traffic
crashes over the July Fourth holiday period. Thirty-eight percent (198) of those fatalities
occurred in alcohol-impaired driving crashes. Many of the drivers arrested for drunk driving on the Fourth of July have likely been drinking alcohol throughout the day at various planned
gatherings.


“We want our community to have a happy and safe Independence Day, one that they’ll remember for years to come, for all the right reasons,” said AgriLife Extension Family and Community Health Agent Mary Shockley, Hunt County. “We’ve partnered with NHTSA and TxDOT to help remind drivers that even one drink before driving is when impairment begins. Under no circumstance is it ever OK to drink and drive. This behavior is illegal, it’s deadly, and it’s selfish. Do everyone in your community a favor: If you’ll be drinking at a Fourth of July party, or for any occasion, plan ahead for a sober ride.”


From 2015 to 2019, there were 1,339 people killed in drunk-driving crashes over the Fourth of July holiday. Of those people who died in alcohol-impaired motor vehicle traffic crashes, almost 4 out of 5 (79 percent) of them occurred in nighttime crashes (between 6:00 p.m. and 5:59 a.m.). Watch UR BAC’s goal is for everyone to enjoy red, white, and blue in their flags, fireworks, and family gatherings — not in their rear-view mirror. The only way to prevent this is to never drink and drive.


Celebrate with a Plan
This Fourth of July, the Watch UR BAC program, NHTSA, and TxDOT urge drivers to designate a sober driver before heading out for the evening. If planning on drinking, plan how to safely travel without driving.


Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Family and Community Health Educator Mary Shockley, Hunt
County, reminds drivers to follow these tips for a safe night on the roads:
● Remember: It is never OK to drink and drive — even if after only one alcoholic
beverage. Designate a sober driver or plan to use public transportation or a ride service to
get home safely.
● Suspect a motorist on the road is driving drunk or intoxicated? Contact local law
enforcement immediately.
● Have a friend who is about to drink and drive? Take their keys away and make
arrangements to get them home safely.

Intoxication is More Than Alcohol: Drive High. Get a DWI!

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Everyone knows that “buzzed driving” is drunk driving, but what about driving high? The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Watch UR BAC team is spreading the word that it is illegal to drive while impaired by any substance, including drugs.

In 2020, 56 percent of drivers involved in serious injury and fatal crashes tested positive for at least one drug. This is why it is so important to spread this life-saving message: Drive High. Get a DWI. It does not matter what term is used—high, buzzed, stoned, wasted, or drunk—no one should get behind the wheel impaired. Think being high will not affect a person’s driving? That is wrong. It has been proven that marijuana can slow reaction times, impair cognitive performance, and make it more difficult for drivers to keep a steady position in their lane.


Marijuana is not the only drug that will cause this kind of impairment. Multiple other illegal
drugs can cause slowed reaction time, drowsiness, blurred vision, poor balance, and other
deficiencies, which will impact a driver from being able to safely operate a vehicle.
If selected to be a designated driver, stick to the plan: Do not use drugs (legally or illegally
obtained). For all drivers, the best defense against impaired drivers on the road is their seatbelt. Wear it on every trip, and make sure all passengers are also buckled up.

Drug-impaired driving is a big problem. It is deadly, illegal, and a rising challenge for law
enforcement. Although a lot of focus on impaired driving is centered around holidays, make no mistake, it happens every day on Texas roadways. If any type of drug is being taken, whether it is prescription, over-the-counter, or illegal, pass the keys to a sober friend. Remember: A DWI applies to more than just alcohol. No matter what kind of drug has been used, if someone feels different it will make them drive differently.

Remember these safety tips and spread the message to friends and family members:
● If using an impairing substance (such as marijuana), do not drive. Passengers should
never ride with an impaired driver. If a driver appears that they may be impaired, do not
get in the car with them.
● If planning to use drugs, plan ahead for a sober driver to safely drive to the destination.
Like drunk driving, it is essential that drug-impaired drivers refrain from driving a
vehicle. It is never OK to drive while impaired by any substance.
● Even over-the-counter and prescription medications can have impairing effects. Take
caution before driving after using any medication.
● Have a friend who is about to drive while impaired by drugs? Take the keys away and
arrange to get them home safely. Do not worry about offending someone—they will be
thankful later.
● If available, use the community’s sober ride program.
● If an impaired driver is suspected on the road, call 911 immediately when it is safe to do
so.

Flip Phone Fad Flip

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flip phone mobile

Cell phones started out as a big bag with a phone receiver at the cradled-on top. It had a strap where you could carry it and was roughly the size of a large purse. They were bulky, awkward, and had terrible, patchy, reception that sounded very static-y.  The evolution of phones later brought us flip phones, which still weren’t that great because they came before the internet!  What?!  Remember that time in life when there was NO INTERNET!!  It seems like a lifetime away . . . ahem, for those of us older folks, that is.  But we must consider that they are now in their early 30’s who have lived their whole lives with smart phones. 

Once smart phones hit the scene, no one wanted a flip phone anymore.  They were looked down upon and considered outdated and old fashioned.  So, life progressed as the smart phones did.  The iPhone numbers keep getting higher and now you can have the iPhone 14 Pro Max, the ultimate in connectivity via phone, text, Twitter, Facebook, Messenger, Snapchat and the list goes on. As the phones and internet progressed, so did our obsession with them.  To the point that I am concerned that the current generation of teens will not know how to function in society.  They have trouble having a normal relaxed conversation with an adult.  They don’t know how to look people in the eye when speaking to them. They mumble. They hide in their rooms or behind their screens at family gatherings instead of interacting with others sitting all around them. In the future will people just revert into being in their homes all the time because it is less scary?  Online school didn’t help during COVID-19.  During this time many young adults discovered that they could work from home as well, and never have to darken the door of their office or meet their teammates in person.  And this was just fine with them.

That is why I was shocked but very proud when my daughter somewhere around the age of 17 decided to get rid of her iPhone and get a flip phone.  What?! A kid willing giving up a smart device and initiating it on their own.  Amazing!!! I was so stunned, I had to know why.  When I asked her, this is what she said. . .

While working at her job she realized that every young person when not directly engaged in physically having to do something had their face in their phones.  They spoke only what was minimally required to anyone who tried to communicate with them.  There were no deep conversations, no humorous interactions, and not much conversation with them at all.  She decided if she didn’t have access to the internet and all of it’s lures (texting, snap chatting, internet surfing, YouTube videos, and a plethora of other online attractions), then she wouldn’t be able to look at it all the time while she was in public.  She could only look at those things at night before bed which would greatly limit her time online.

When she pulled her flip phone out to make a call and used her voice to have a conversation with someone, all her peers were intrigued.  Some other kids asked, “What is that?!”.  Others wanted to hold it to look at it.  Some wanted their picture with it.  So, the flip phone fad that had once been the rage, then almost became obsolete, suddenly was trendy.  The kids asked questions about it and couldn’t believe that it didn’t connect to the internet.

The part that made me so proud of my daughter was the fact that she began talking to a lady at work who is older than me.  She loved her and this sweet lady gave good advice and shared wisdom with her.  She also talked to several other older employees and heard about their families and life experiences.  What was amazing was my daughter was learning about life.  She seemed more confident.  She gained knowledge about gardening, family relationships, marriage, and many other life skills that she would have never known about on her own or found out about on the internet. Her kindness and empathy increased. She learned the joy of having a great conversation with a stranger.  She realized all that she had been missing out with her face only focused on a screen.  And she actually survived without having her phone in her face all the time.

I think all of this led her to be open to going to deliver some brownies to an elderly gentleman in town who lived alone and was missing his wife who was now in a nursing home. That initial conversation led to a friendship between the two – an 80-ish year-old gentleman and a young lady in her late teens.  She would take him to the grocery store, they went on picnics at Graham Park, he got to talk about his wife and their life together, and he tried to teach her to fly a kite.  What a beautiful friendship – one gaining human interaction and conversation, that he so desperately craved, and the other learning life skills and gaining experience in relationships. A win-win situation. So, I would encourage us all to put our phones down. You don’t have to go so far as reverting back to a flip phone, but you should learn how to live without your phone for periods of time each day so that you can live life, enjoy the moment, and interact with people around you.  Phones can be just as addictive as a drug, and many young people struggle with this issue, as well as adults. Try putting your face up and watching the sunset, instead of taking a picture of it.  Savor that moment.  Stare at the horizon until the last bit of the sun is gone. Every meal, every event, every conversation does not need to be documented.  Instead of recording it, just enjoy it happening.  And who knows, you might start a trend where people interact with each other in person again.

Building a Healthy Relationship with Your Food

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Food is omnipresent in our human lives and quite literally fuels our physical bodies every day. It is intertwined with our daily routines, family traditions, our culture, and shared experiences. For these reasons and more, being aware of your connection to food alongside maintaining a healthy relationship with your food is imperative to living a healthy life.

According to the National Eating Disorder Association, forming a healthy relationship with food takes conscious effort, but it is possible. This relationship includes relaxed eating, choosing preferences over positions, and practicing balance and flexibility in your eating. Let’s take a look at these principles a bit more closely.

RELAXED EATING: Relaxed eating is the ability to be at ease with the social, emotional and physical components of food and eating. Relaxed eating is attuned to the body’s hunger and intuitively provides for its needs. It is the ability to listen and satisfy your hunger allowing for pleasurable and whimsical eating with flexibility and the absence of remorse. It allows you to eat when you are hungry and stop when you are satisfied. It incorporates choices and beliefs about food through a filter of self-love and body wellness that is balanced, not extreme or all consuming.


PREFERENCE OVER POSITION: Eating should be a balanced activity that is neither the best nor the worst part of a day. You should enjoy the foods you consume but not worship them. Flexibility, exhibited through the willingness to forego a preference temporarily, is an essential aspect of a healthy relationship with food. Preferences need to remain just that, and not become an unflinching regimen.


BALANCE: Balanced eating means feeling comfortable consuming a wide variety of foods. In addition to variation in type of food, balance indicates an ability to eat both for pleasure and for hunger. Eating for hunger is great because it nourishes your body. Ignoring hunger cues is a dangerous habit that can lead to more disordered eating patterns and health consequences. Eating for pleasure allows us to associate positive feelings and experiences with food and its pleasurable! Finally, balance also means avoiding trendy diets. Diets usually employ some kind of restriction, be it through food quantity or type. It is neither healthy nor logical to deny yourself food groups or to limit your calories.


FLEXIBILITY: Flexibility is another key aspect of a healthy relationship with food. It refers to the absence of strict rules surrounding eating and food habits. Rather, there is more of an ability to “go with the flow” and accept deviations from preferred foods as a natural part of life, instead of viewing those deviations as a judgment of yourself or your worth. Additionally, flexibility relates to the amount of food you consume. Sometimes, we eat beyond our comfort zone. Maybe you’re not completely mindful or conscious while eating one day, and don’t feel your hunger cues until a bit later. This is not a cause for alarm. Doing this every so often will not alter your health. Trust your body; it is much smarter than you give it credit for. It knows where you need to be and can deal with a little bit of variation. The key is
remembering these principles–-having variation, preference, flexibility–and accepting the changes that come with life.


Reference: Kronberg, Sondra. The Comprehensive Learning/Teaching Handout Manual for Eating Disorders © 2001 Sondra Kronberg, MS, RD, CEDRD-S. Wellness Programs Publishing, 3rd Edition, 516-513-1284

Teach Kids to Love Learning

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Often expressed is the concern that young people are not interested in learning because they are overly occupied on their cell phones and not reading books. However, young people today have never known life without a cell phone device. They use it for everything from scheduling to homework. Kids can learn to love learning while using their smartphones by taking advantage of its capabilities. Here are five suggestions.

Start young, or as soon as possible. Children develop perspectives and adopt habits most easily from a young age. Learning is simply acquiring knowledge. So, looking up story times for the library or reading about a new business in town are learning activities. Although your goal for the child may be more in-depth or broader, simple learning begins with the skills to navigate everyday life. Start leading kids to look for information on their own. Use subjects that the child is interested in to show them how they can find more information. Suggest questions that pique their curiosity such as whether or not dinosaurs had feathers and what makes one car faster than the other. Older kids thinking about careers might want to know how much money different jobs pay. Teenagers who are interested in music might want to know how music is produced professionally.

Set an example. Children imitate what they see. Let them see you learning new things. Looking for a job, setting up a budget, or planning a trip, are all endeavors that requiring learning. Show them what you are learning, why you are learning it, and how you look for information. But keep the sessions appropriately shorter, depending on their age, and do not be disappointed if they seem disinterested. The point is to make them aware of the learning process as a natural part of life and living.

Help kids have good experiences or benefit from learning. For example, if you plan on going out to eat, let the kids research restaurants. Ask them to look up distances, menus, and prices and give their opinion on the best option. If they are asking for a pet, let them to look up the costs of caring for one. Help the kids feel comfortable at places of learning. Within 15 miles of Greenville are 2 colleges and a university which offer events such as outdoor movie nights, festivals, and cultural events at low-cost or free to the public. Use these opportunities to become familiar with what is offered there.

Help identify credible sources. If you are not sure where to start, ask at the local school or public library. Older children who are politically inclined can be helped to find credible sources from different points of view and that prepares them participate in educated discussions. Instead of struggling with your kids to limit their cell phone use, redirect their existing incentive by encouraging them to expand the potential for acquiring information and knowledge that equips them to reach their goals.

Marifrances Casey

Hygiene – A Healthy Life

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The key to a healthy life is a fit body, accompanied by proper nutrition, exercise, rest and hygiene. Our mothers

were right! Eating food is not enough to be healthy. It also depends on good personal hygiene which is essential to promoting good health.

Simple personal habits like washing our hands and brushing and flossing our teeth will keep bacteria and virus causing illnesses away.  Germs are not only tiny but are everywhere and it is amazing how they travel from host to host. 

For a quick visual example of how fast germs can and do spread, gather about ten of your friends together then pour some glitter into your hand. Shake hands with someone close to you.  Then have them to shake hands with someone else and so on until everyone in the room has shaken hands with someone else.  Now look at your hands and you will see how the cycle works.  This is the same mode of transferring germs from one another as we travel throughout a day. 

Washing your hands and keeping them clean is one of the most important steps we can take to avoid getting sick and spreading germs to others. There are a number of diseases that are spread by not properly washing your hands with soap and water.  According to the Centers for Disease Control the proper way to wash your hands is to wet your hands with clean running water and to apply soap.  Rub your hands together briskly to make a lather.  Continue to scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds making sure to scrub the backs of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails.

To ensure you scrub long enough hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice. Rinse your hands well under running water then dry them with a clean towel or allow them to air dry. Practicing good hygiene is not limited to just hand washing it also includes daily bathing, skin care, dental hygiene, and hair care. 

Practicing good daily hygiene helps you feel good about yourself which is important to good mental health.  People with poor hygiene habits are seen as unhealthy and often face discrimination.

Staying healthy and keeping good hygiene consists of about four steps.  Sleep is the first. A healthy night’s sleep always helps you to start your day off right.  A minimum of eight hours rest is recommended. Diet is second.  Make sure everything that you put in your mouth counts. Eat four servings’ fresh fruit, and five servings of vegetables. 

Most Americans consume more protein than needed, which leads to excessive calories and obesity.  The recommended daily amount of lean meat and proteins depends on your age, gender and your level of activity.  You can find the recommended amounts of food needed on the US Department of Agriculture’s website. www.ChooseMyPlate.gov.

Exercise is third.  The Mayo Clinic recommends we make it a goal to get at least 30 minutes of exercise each day to remain healthy.

Positive influence is fourth.   Avoid negative people and seek out people who are encouraging and living the way you want to live.  These are the steps to a Healthy Life!

Berniece Brown, Coordinator of Social Services for Carevide & Hunt County Interagency Network.

Quit the Hit: How to Break Up with Vaping

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The face of vaping young man on black studio background

What is vaping?

Vaping is breathing in and exhaling the aerosol that is produced by a battery-powered smoking device, called an e-cigarette, that heats liquid ingredients into a vapor. The ingredients include nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals, many of which are toxic.  Some vaping products contain marijuana or other drugs.  Vapes are small and often disguised as USB flash drives, cell phones, pens, erasers, or lipstick. Some are disposable while others can be reused by charging the device and by replacing the e-liquid.  Vapes come in sweet flavors that disguise the harsh taste of nicotine and other chemicals contained in the e-liquid.

Why do I need to quit?

  • people who use e-cigarettes are up to 4 times more likely to start smoking cigarettes
  • it is illegal for anyone under 21 to purchase, possess, or use e-cigarettes
  • vapes have a high level of extremely addictive nicotine, some with an amount equal to about 20 cigarettes
  • the vapor made from e-cigarettes is not made of water, it contains harmful chemicals and very fine particles that are inhaled into the lungs
  • nicotine is harmful to the developing brain and the brain keeps developing until about age 25
  • negative health effects including coughing, wheezing, behavioral and mood changes, headaches, seizures, vomiting, and potential severe lung injury.
  • vaping negatively affects attention, learning, and impulse control, especially in young people
  • vaping is expensive 

How Do I Quit?

When a person stops vaping, they can experience intense withdrawal including strong cravings, irritability, fatigue, headache, sleeplessness, and difficulty concentrating.  Thankfully, there is a lot of support out there for people who want to quit.

  • This is Quitting is a mobile program to designed to help teens and young adults to quit. Join for free by texting DITCHVAPE to 88709. Users receive age-appropriate messages tailored to their enrollment date or quit date. Throughout the program, users can text COPE, STRESS, SLIP or MORE to receive instant support.
  • Parents can text QUIT to (202) 899-7550 to sign up to receive text messages designed specifically for parents of vapers.
  • If you are an adult looking for support to quit vaping or stop using any tobacco product, BecomeAnEX, www.becomeanex.org, is a free, digital quit-smoking plan and community created by Truth Initiative in collaboration with Mayo Clinic.

Compiled by Kathleen Witte

Let’s Talk About Vaping

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It’s not always easy to engage with our teenagers about the dangers they face. But adolescents care what their parents think and take fewer risks when we keep the lines of communication open.

14.4% of US high-school students and 3.3% of middle schoolers currently vape as of 2021.

*What do e-cigarettes and vaping devices look like?

E-cigarettes and vape devices come in several forms. While some resemble tobacco products, others resemble household objects like USB devices, pens, highlighters, and chargers. Vaping devices like Puff Bar designed for one-time use and are now disposable.

*Are vape devices and e-cigarettes the same thing?

Yes, e-cigarettes and vaping devices are synonymous. Ever-evolving slang or brand names are also used to refer to vaping, including “blowing clouds”, a nod to the smoke “cloud” produced by exhaling chemical-filled aerosols.

*Isn’t vaping just “flavored water vapor?

No, vaping involves inhaling “e-juice” in the form of aerosol produced by an electronic cigarette or vape device. The aerosol typically contains flavorings such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease, nicotine, and other harmful chemicals. Vape cartridges or “pods” can also be filled with THC, CBD or other e-juices.

*Why is Vaping Dangerous/Why should I be concerned if my child is vaping?

Vaping is harmful and dangerous to kids. Almost all vape liquid contains nicotine, which is addictive and harmful to adolescent brain development, and vaping aerosols contain chemicals linked to serious lung disease and heavy metals.

*Is There Regulation?

No vaping product has been approved by the FDA as a safe and effective way to quit and there aren’t any studies to show the long-term side effects. In 2017, FDA published a rule clarifying that products made or derived from tobacco products including e-cigarettes and vaping devices.

And while FDS has issued an enforcement policy on flavored e-cigarette products, including fruit and mint flavors that appeal to kids, manufacturers are finding loopholes and continuing to market flavors to kids. A recent report revealed that 85% of kids who vape use flavored vaping products such as fruit, candy, menthol, and mint.

Additionally, many e-cigarette labels still do not disclose whether or not they contain nicotine. Even those that say they do not have nicotine have been found to contain it.

The facts are clear. As you just learned vaping is dangerous for your child.

Shelly Wardlow

Executive Director of DrugFree Greenville