Whenever someone changes to a healthier habit, they go through several stages of change. Knowing these stages can help you achieve your change goals. Pre-Contemplation: This is before you see it as a problem or are motivated to change it. / Contemplation: You are aware of the problem but still deciding whether to change. / Preparation: Willing to change and making plans. / Action: Do the plan. intentionally choose new habits. / Maintenance: Sustain the new habit with increasing less effort over time (6 months.) / Slip: Brief return to previous habits. Can happen anytime. It is a natural part of the process.

Do you know someone who thinks they are a “high-functioning alcoholic”? Alcoholism is progressive, so they are likely in the early stages. They won’t stay there forever. Over time, they will need to drink more to feel the same effects. This will progress until they are no longer “functioning” as they once were. The longer they wait to cut back or stop drinking, the harder it is to change. It is never too early to be aware of how alcohol or other drugs are affecting your life and start making changes.

Jordyn Burnouf says stewardship of land is a key piece of reconciliation and fighting climate change. “Conservation is a foundational tenet of Indigenous worldview,” she told CBC. “In Indigenous knowledge systems, you don’t take more than you need …that treaty was our promise to be stewards of the land.” She believes approaching the treaty with mutual recognition, mutual respect, and shared responsibility will play a key role in both reconciliation and the fight against climate change. Jordyn Burnouf is a member of the Black Lake First Nation, and she grew up in the Métis community of Île-à-la-Crosse.