When you complete your divorce and settle into your post-marriage life, it is common to be struck by a sudden feeling of loneliness. The feeling may have started when you first separated from your spouse, but the busyness of your divorce distracted you from it. You have lost your partner in life, which no other type of relationship can replicate. In some cases, you may become estranged from your circle of friends, especially if most of them are married. Loneliness can cause unhealthy behavior and bad habits. Coping with loneliness requires understanding how it affects you and being proactive in changing your life.

Effects

Loneliness is often accompanied by feelings of depression and anxiety. You are sad about your current isolation and worried that you will always be alone. Those are natural feelings to have after a divorce, but allowing them to control you can have harmful consequences, including:

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Compared to workplace accidents that cause immediate injuries, occupational diseases can be more difficult for workers to identify and prove. Chronic conditions, often as a result of exposure to hazardous materials, can take years to develop and show symptoms. Once you are aware of the disease, you may not immediately associate it with your work. For most worker's compensation claims, Illinois requires that the victim inform his or her employer within 45 days of a specific incident. If the employer does not willingly provide compensation, the worker has three years to apply for benefits. Because of the slow-developing nature of occupational diseases, workers are allowed to notify their employers as soon as they are aware of the disease. The deadline to file benefits claims starts from their last exposure to the hazardous conditions. Depending on the disease, the worker may have as many as 25 years to file a claim. However, delaying a claim can make it more difficult to prove cause at a hearing. An employer may argue that other factors caused the disease. It is important for a worker to quickly identify a disease or health condition as being possibly related to his or her work. Common types of occupational diseases include:

1. Lung Diseases: Inhaling hazardous materials, such as asbestos or silica dust, can causes respiratory conditions and cancer.
2. Skin Diseases: Contact with hazardous materials can lead to allergic reactions or skin cancer.
3. Poisoning: Lead and radiation exposure are common sources of poisoning; the poison travels through the blood, affecting various vital organs.
4. Chronic Pain and Soreness: Repetitive motion can cause muscle and nerve damage.
5. Vision Loss: Repeated exposure to bright lights or hazardous materials can degrade sight at a rate that is faster than what someone normally experiences with age.
6. Hearing Loss: Loud work environments can damage someone's hearing, even at a young age.
7. Mental Illness: A stressful and traumatic job can cause long-term depression and anxiety.

Proving Your Claim

Illinois' Worker's Occupational Disease Act states that an occupational disease occurs when someone can rationally connect a medical condition to the sufferer's work environment. The employer can still be responsible for worker's compensation if it was not aware of the conditions that caused the disease. However, the claimant must prove that work conditions or requirements are the probable cause of the disease. Proof may require a professional inspection of the workplace and a detailed medical explanation of the claimant's condition. A McHenry County worker's compensation attorney at Botto Gilbert Lancaster, PC, will show how your job caused your medical condition and why you are entitled to benefits. Schedule a free consultation by calling 815-338-3838.

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Illinois defendants suspected of possessing illegal drugs can face felony charges, even if it is a first offense. In Illinois, it is a felony to possess at least:

• 15 grams of cocaine, heroin, LSD or morphine;
• 30 grams of ketamine, methaqualone, pentazocine or phencyclidine; or
• 200 grams of amphetamines, barbituric acid or peyote.

The lowest level felony charge for possession of these drugs is class 1, which may result in 4 to 15 years in prison and as much as $25,000 in fines. However, Illinois offers a special form of probation for first-time felony drug offenders. With this probation, you can avoid the harshest penalties of a felony drug conviction.

410 Probation

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Horseback riding can be a fun and therapeutic recreational activity. There are also inherent risks in the activity, even for experienced riders. Horses are large animals with the ability to unintentionally hurt people around them. A rider is never in complete control of the horse and how it acts. If startled, the horse may throw a rider from its back and trample him or her. A person who has been injured by a horse may wish to sue its owner for damages. However, Illinois law limits horse owner liability in personal injury cases.

Assumed Risk

Illinois' Equine Activity Liability Act requires professionals who offer horse or donkey recreational activities to post a warning about the dangers when interacting with the animals. Participants may also be asked to sign an injury waiver form. Illinois law states that people must take some responsibility for their own safety when around horses. The horse's owner is protected from liability when an injury occurs due to factors outside of his or her control. The assumed risks of equine activities include:

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Former spouses are usually unhappy about being ordered to pay child support or spousal maintenance after a divorce. The payments may represent significant portions of their incomes. However, courts award support payments due to the recipient's needs, not as a punishment for the payer. When your former spouse fails to make support payments, your financial consequences can be dire. You may need to take your former spouse to court in order to enforce the payments. Depending on the circumstances, the issue can be a civil complaint or a criminal case.

Legal Action

It is possible to agree on reimbursement for missed payments outside of court, but you are more likely to receive full compensation by settling the issue in court. When a person disobeys a court order to make support payments, you can attempt to enforce the order by filing a Petition for Rule to Show Cause. You must send written notice to your former spouse of your action and the upcoming court date. At the hearing, the court will determine whether your former spouse has violated the court order and, if so, the value of the back payments you are owed. The payer may claim an inability to make the payments. While this may lead to modifying the support agreement, he or she is still obligated to reimburse you for the missed payments.

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