For people who have problems with alcohol, it’s nearly impossible to go out and have “just one” drink. After one drink, their inhibitions are lowered, which leads to drink two, drink three and then it’s off to the races. Chances are the following day will be one of regrets and consequences.A TikTok user named Danielle, also known as the Sober Rebel, who has been sober for over five years, has a practice she uses to make sure she doesn’t fall for the “just one” trick her alcoholic mind plays on her. “Alcohol cravings can legit hijack your brain and overtake your mind, leaving you feeling super powerless in that moment. Because in that moment, the desire to drink can be larger than your initial intention to not drink alcohol in the first place,” Danielle says in the video with over 675,000 views. “So we're gonna walk through a little visualization and we're gonna talk about this powerful exercise that is called playing the tape forward.”Danielle plays out a scenario where you go out with your friends but don't want to drink because you're going hiking the next day and want to be fresh as a daisy. However, when you get to the restaurant, everyone is having a great time and you crave a drink. “In that moment, you have to decide, like, are you gonna drink or are you gonna stick to the initial plan?" Danielle asks. @thedanielledigrandi Works everytime ? Resources for sobriety, your alcohol free journey or sober curious ? #sober #soberaf #sobercurious #sobertips #sobertiktok #fyp #alcoholfreejourney When people who don’t want to drink are tempted to have “just one,” Danielle’s one-minute exercise can be a lifesaver. She says before you buy that martini, you should play out the scenario that will unfold if you have the drink, like a “movie unfolding in front of you.” But in this film, the drink is the focal point. “So, based on your previous experiences with alcohol, what happened? Do you stop at one drink, or do you have two drinks and then like your inhibitions kinda go out the window and then you're like, f**k it, I'm going to have more?” she asks. Eventually, in Danielle’s scenario, the evening ends in complete debauchery and you wake up the following day with a pounding headache.“Then you wake up the next morning and you are ridden with anxiety. Maybe the lights are still on because you passed out and all of your clothes and you have a pounding headache and then any plan that you had went out the window,” she concludes the scenario.Then you ask yourself the question: Is the instant gratification of having this drink enough to justify the pain I will most likely face tomorrow morning?Playing the tape forward isn’t just a technique people use in recovery. It’s a cognitive-behavioral tool that psychologists use to help people improve their decision-making in various scenarios. According to The Daily Sober, the practice gives us a clear idea of what may happen when we make terrible decisions and that one minute also buys us some time to let the craving pass. “By vividly imagining these outcomes, we can gain a more transparent, more comprehensive perspective of the ramifications of our decisions,” The Daily Sober writes. “This process of 'Playing the tape through' brings a sense of clarity, enlightening us about the potential consequences of our actions. It helps grind our decision-making rather than being swayed by momentary impulses or cravings."The TikTok video resonated with many of Danielle's followers trying to stay sober.“I’m 9 months sober, but sometimes it comes knocking loud. But playing the tape right through instead of the trailer is key. Cuz the trailer looks great, but the movie looks tragic,” one commenter wrote. “Playing it forward, I learned this a few years back, a great way to stay sober,” another added.“86 days today for me! This is incredibly good advice. Those cravings are liars, so shining a light on them is super helpful,” another commenter wrote.It takes more than one behavioral technique for someone with a severe drinking problem to get sober. But, for those who want to stop drinking or at least be more intentional with their use, the more tools available, the better. That’s why it’s beautiful that Danielle has shared the play-the-tape-forward strategy on TikTok. Hopefully, it'll result in fewer of us falling victim to the “just one” trick our minds play on us.Sure, having that drink will bring you instant gratification, but it can also be the starting point for an evening you’ll regret when the sun rises.

Summer Boismier didn’t set out to be a teacher, and certainly not a “trouble-making” one. But over the past couple of years, as conservative states have enacted legislative restrictions on access to books in public schools, trouble making became an opportunity to take a stand. And take a stand, she did. Boismier, who had been teaching English in Oklahoma for nearly a decade, drew national attention (and vitriol) back in 2022 for covering part of her classroom bookshelf in red tape that bore the words “Books the state didn’t want you to read.” This was in response to her and other teachers in the English department being advised to restrict or remove student access to their classroom libraries, as to not violate Oklahoma’s new “divisive concepts” law, HB 1775. They received this warning mere days before the school year would begin.?1/6: Two years ago I did the most brat thing I could & stood against soft censorship & state-sanctioned bigotry in the least demure way possible. I had substantial privilege in doing what I did. And as l've said before, my only regret is I didn't do it sooner. I stand by that. pic.twitter.com/onVdcBfewI— Ms. Boismier, M.Ed. (@MsBoismier_ELA) August 20, 2024 Boismier also gave students a QR code link to the Brooklyn Public Library, which provides access to a variety of banned books. In an email interview with Upworthy, the 9-year teaching veteran said that though she knew there would be consequences, “it was important to me that my new students knew unequivocally where I stood on the state-sanctioned bigotry coming from the capitol.”Cut to August of 2024, and Boismier got the retribution she had suspected might be coming for her. The Oklahoma State Board of Education (OSBE) voted unanimously to formally revoke her teaching license, stripping her livelihood. It’s worth noting that Boismier had already resigned from her original position in Oklahoma and began working at the Brooklyn Public library after receiving threats on social media.?1/15: Five days later &, good grief, I honestly still don't know what to say. I've never had a teaching certificate revoked before last week, let alone revoked for informing HS Ss that libraries exist online too. pic.twitter.com/MKENvmRNIq— Ms. Boismier, M.Ed. (@MsBoismier_ELA) August 28, 2024 And yet, this has not tempted Boismier to give up on her cause to fight censorship…a subject on which she does not mince words.“Censorship makes the world smaller; it makes the world scarier. It teaches us to fear experiences and ideas different from our own. Censorship is a thief. It divides and conquers; it steals the possibility and opportunity that come from community, from what happens when we put our collective heads together. Plus, censorship is just so darn tired. Empathy and understanding are far more interesting, far more worth fighting for because we already know where fear leads, but joy …?”Repeatedly throughout our email conversation, Boismier states that her mission is “not about the books” themselves, but rather “the lives they reflect and represent and reify.” She has seen firsthand how students—especially those from LGBTQIA+ and/or BIPOC communities–are feeling the loss of stories “that speak to the fundamental parts of themselves,” and the empowerment those stories provide. And this is why she continues advocating for them, license or no. She also encourages others to treat the situation not as a “red-state only” issue, but more of a “all-hands-on-deck five-alarm fire.” "Ultimately, it’s not about the books, though. It’s about the lives they reflect and represent and reify, or as Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop describes, 'mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors.” —Summer BoismierPhotos courtesy of Summer BoismierHow YOU can helpBoismier has made a handy list of organizations working to defend intellectual freedom that you can promote, including: EveryLibraryUnite Against Book BansBrooklyn Public LibraryRun for Something You can also download and share The Brooklyn Library’s media kit, which includes a flyer, a printable sticker sheet, the official Books Unbanned artwork, Brooklyn Public Library's logo and a QR code, here.In addition, Boismier urges people to use public libraries, call legislators, attend and speak at school board meetings, correct mis- and disinformation and last, but certainly not least this election year…vote responsibly.As she so eloquently put it: “It is up to us to keep the words, keep the faith…and keep it up.”

Another Lie: Biden Is Deporting More Illegals Than Trump

Jelly Roll, a former inmate, took his music the maximum security yard at Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem on Monday (9/2). Yes, the show included a rendition of Johhny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” which he personalized to “Oregon State Prison.”  “For the first time in 20 f—— years they have brought music to the prison yard,” Jelly Roll told the prisoners from an impromptu stage. “It felt so good bringing a little light to such a dark place,” he added. “I am a firm believer that if we commit crimes we should do our time and be held accountable for our actions, but I also believe that every human deserves love no matter how bad of a decision they have made.” ### The post Jelly Roll Goes To Prison appeared first on RockinTown.

from Sputnik News: The United States has felt no compunction about slapping unilateral sanctions with impunity for decades, with weaponized penalties a tried and tested tool favored over official diplomacy to force countries to do Washington’s bidding. The US has seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s airplane in the Dominican Republic. Washington claims that the plane was purchased […]

from BANNED.VIDEO:  TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/

Former President Donald Trump will address the Economic Club of New York on Thursday, where he is expected to detail his pro-growth economic agenda for a second term. In 1962, Democratic President John F. Kennedy gave a powerful address to the same organization, making the case for tax cuts, which...