FOLLOW UP TO MY OPIOID CRISIS POSTING

I wasn't planning on posting my follow up to my earlier posting today about the opioid crisis this soon. That is until the following comment was posted anonymously on the Blog;
 "Let’s be honest here Kevin they’re all junkies, famous or not. They made the choice risking their life by injecting some street level poison into their system. No different than playing Russian roulette. The majority of people really just do not care. "

I think that is probably the common train of thought, "they did it to themselves"

That is very true, and I have been lucky and never faced an addiction (except to maybe McDonald's and their fries, and that probably doesn't count) Over the last couple years, especially after my health issues, I think many of my thoughts have softened, maybe the correct term is "matured" over time. Through volunteer work with others, I have been faced with addiction issues, many times it was difficult for me to comprehend how or why, but they are definitely out there.

Why would that stroke survivor I would speak to refuse to consider giving up smoking, knowing that it could lead to increased chances for another stroke? That's the nature of addiction, common sense just doesn't make sense.

Many times I would walk away shaking my head and just trying to think "but for the grace of God, that could be me or someone I love or care about"

I was thrown into the problem recently head first. I am not going into great detail here because privacy is important  and no one would be served by being embarrassed..My mother had called me asking for advice with a situation involving a friend of hers whose son was going through addiction issues, both drugs and alcohol. Numerous attempts at Rehab weren't working and the costs were not cheap. I was with my mother recently and unexpectedly met the person having the issues and I was impressed with him. He was talking about his new job and how much he enjoyed it and how hard he was working to get back a normal life

He carried on a conversation, appeared very lucid and  appeared to me to be the last person facing addiction struggles. Less than a week later, Mom sadly called me to inform me he was relapsing and his family was trying to figure out where to turn. Now it is no surprise to anyone these days , that a heroin addiction can prove fatal at any time, and time is of the essence.

Sometimes there is a thing called Karma or fate or whatever you want to call it, but things happen for a reason.

A couple weeks earlier I was talking to a good friend of mine and he was talking about his kids and what they were up to now. During the conversation he mentioned that one of his kids was involved in opioid addiction rehab programs and was becoming well recognized as a lecturer, and I'll use the word "expert" in the Rehab and recovery field.

Again, the fate thing. I called my friend and asked if I could try to get some advice from his daughter. I explained what the problem was and he replied that I was lucky since it was her birthday and she was in town for the weekend. Within minutes, I had an addiction "expert" texting me articles and giving us expert advice into uncharted territory for most of us that have never had to face these modern day problems.

And let me say it again, yes, as the anonymous commenter said, they know the poison they are putting into their systems. Unless you have faced an addiction, I don't think any of us can understand the decision making process to stick that needle in your vein, knowing it can be deadly. I can try to present my limited view, and I still don't understand it, but here goes.

Recently I was undergoing a medical procedure. I was on the table, hooked up to an IV. Something was injected into my IV and I'm not sure what  term to use , other than euphoric. I asked the Doctor what they just gave me and he replied Fentanyl. Always the wise ass, even drugged, I asked him "Isn't that what is killing people on the streets?" The Doctor replied "yes, but we tend to administer it a little differently here"

I think under the influence of the Fentanyl, they could have told me they were ripping my heart out and I probably would have smiled and said "OK".

I am just saying that to hopefully help explain the thought process that goes with using powerful drugs such as Fentanyl or heroin or morphine.. I can only imagine the thought process that goes through the mind of a heroin or opioid addict looking for that better or more intense high to get by. Combine that with, in many cases, psychiatric issues such as manic depressive or bi polar and the normal thought processes get even more blurred

So unless you have never faced  addiction issues, it is probably very hard to understand why an addict would do what they do, but is a very real issue that is costing the lives of family members and loved ones everyday in our neighborhoods, and no one is exempt. No one plans on becoming an addict, but it might be as simple as a car accident,a sports injury or a chronic pain issue that starts one down that path with an opioid addiction and it grows from there.