Curiously Awesome

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is the largest humanitarian network on earth. This entity has taken an official stand in open opposition to the war on drugs…insisting on a massive drug policy reform.

According to officials within the organization, criminalization of drug use is not the solution to the worldwide drug abuse epidemic. A better answer would be rational and humanitarian drug policies to instigate positive and permanent change.

A common issue is the problems created because current drug policies force drug users into hiding — out of the public scrutiny. Drug users will find a way to get drugs with or without state approval of them. So instead, it is important to focus on helping instead of criminalizing and incarcerating people with drug abuse problems.

Instead of threatening drug users with prison, fines and discrimination, lawmakers should use proactive interventions that will remove the negative stigma of drug use.

Eating out of habit is something you may do without even realizing. It’s easy to develop the habit of eating while watching TV. After a pattern repeats often, that pattern becomes fixed in the brain. To break it, you must interrupt it or notice it to break it.

Researchers conducted a study of movie goers and popcorn eaters. Initially, popcorn was given to participants entering a movie theater. The popcorn handed out was either freshly popped or stale. Researchers also ran one more separate experiment giving participants stale or fresh popcorn before they went into a movie theater but this time they were asked to eat with their dominant or non-dominant hand.

The researchers found that people who ate with their non-dominant hand ate much less of the stale popcorn. This simple change resulted in a pattern interrupt — temporarily breaking their eating habit.