World AIDS Day is December 1st!

World AIDS Day is December 1, 2012! There are currently more than 34 million people worldwide who are infected with HIV/AIDS, including 3.3 million children under the age of 15.  The theme for this year's AIDS awareness day is "Working Together for an AIDS-Free Generation." Show your support in any way possible for those fighting this deadly, incurable disease. Visit the link below for more information on HIV/AIDS, World AIDS Day, and how to get involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

http://aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/

Have a Safe Holiday Season!

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, last year more than 10,000 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes.  More than 400 of those deaths occurred during the last half of December alone.  With the holidays coming up, there are many more opportunities for party-goers to drink, and for those people to drive with alcohol-impaired vision, coordination, judgement, and control.  In order to prevent tragic crashes and deaths this holiday season...

• Pick a designated driver at the beginning of the night! The driver should not be the person who has had the LEAST to drink, it should be a designated person who will consume NO alcohol.
• Limit your drinks to one per hour, and alternate every alcoholic drink with a non-alcoholic beverage.
• If someone is trying to drive and has had too much alcohol for this to be safe, don't be afraid to take their keys! Even if it's an inconvenience, they will appreciate the gesture in the morning when everyone is safe.
• If no one in your group is sober, call a taxi.  The extra fee is worth the lives you will be saving.

Driving drunk is not only dangerous, it is expensive!  A first-offense DUI in the state of Montana can cost up to $1,000, and includes license suspension and possible jail time.  That doesn't sound like a very nice way to spend your winter break!  Be careful when drinking, and have a safe and happy holiday season.

Great American Smokeout, Thursday, November 15th

The American Cancer Society is marking the 37th Great American Smokeout on November 15 by encouraging smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day. By quitting — even for one day — smokers will be taking an important step towards a healthier life – one that can lead to reducing cancer risk.


Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the US, yet about 43.8 million Americans still smoke cigarettes — Nearly 1 in every 5 adults. As of 2010, there were also 13.2 million cigar smokers in the US, and 2.2 million who smoke tobacco in pipes — other dangerous and addictive forms of tobacco.

A great resource to help you quit in the Montana Quit Line.  You can call them at 1-800-QUIT-NOW.