w00ten

From one Canadian to another, I would just like to say thank you for serving our country. You have my undying respect.

Is there a anything you can share about Post Traumatic Grief? Mainly long term strategies to maintain progress and tackle those last pesky issues.

I lost the mother of my kids to an overdose(drug abuse linked to Borderline Personality Disorder and Psychosis) a little under 3 years ago. I really struggled with "emotional flashbacks"(the worst crying jags, hours and hours with time loss), nearly dissociative mind wandering where I'd say things and know what I said but don't remember saying it(like calling my new girlfriend at that time the wrong name - she forgave me), auditory and visual hallucinations(see and hear her everywhere), dreams(nightmares) about finding her and losing her again. I was a complete wreck for over a year and while I've made huge strides in overcoming a lot of the day to day issues, I still have problems with certain triggers and dreams.

I'm extremely financially limited. Free group bereavement help and some community funded free counseling helped a lot but seem to have lost their edge to mop up the rest of the mess. Looking for anything insightful, helpful strategies to maintain progress, techniques for further healing or resources where I could learn such things. Thank you in advance. This thread has been fascinating so far. I hope you have a wonderful morning/afternoon/evening wherever you are.

I've been a long time supporter of MMJ, however I have a hard time jumping on the medical bandwagon for drugs like MDMA which are known to be harmful to the brain. I have literally watched friends turn themselves permanently stupid with long term MDMA use. How do things like dosing, purity and release(instant vs. controlled) affect how these drugs act medically on the body. I have no doubt that some of the more harmful drugs like MDMA have legitimate medical uses but I question whether the harmful side effects would outweigh the positives and how the variables I've mentioned previously affect those outcomes.

Hi Rob,

I'm a 28 year old single dad in Ottawa and like many people here have said, I am living with my parents. I can't find work in my field(IT, gov won't give me clearance because of bad credit and the private industry here has basically tanked). I'm stuck on welfare, don't qualify for retraining and can't afford to go back to school. Most of my high school friends are wage slaves, in the same boat or lucked into high paying positions in the US(not an option for me because of my son). I feel the mental toll this is taking on me and see it in my friends who are just as screwed as I am. What are some options for me that I(or others in my position) may not have thought of to get out of this rut our generation seems to be finding ourselves in?