Narcotics Part III

The rest of the three plus hour conversation was crying, questions, bewilderment, praying, and the story up to that point. I've been working on these posts for days now and doing much reflection. I think I can honestly say this may rank above the death of my mother as the most- I can't even come up with a word here - sad? tragic? absolutely devastating? event that has happened in or around my world. We were all now part of another statistic.

I was told his addiction began with painkillers and quickly progressed. It became apparent while on a family vacation that he was 'sick' and was adamant he had to get home. After a heated discussion he revealed enough information that his parents understood what the problem was and their lives have never been the same since.

Watching this family that I love so dearly unravel has been devastating for me. There is nothing to be done. His addiction has led his to theft from friends, family and neighbors. The police are now involved and the military (since he is in the reserves) has been informed. When I heard my best friend say that she has prepared herself to find him dead or be told he had died I lost it again. And I am supposed to there FOR HER!! I'm such an asshole. This woman whom I admire for her strength and tenacity is now expecting the worst and unable to cope. It breaks my heart to see all of them in this situation and knowing there is nothing anyone can do about it. The most difficult part for me was telling my daughter. It did not go well.

So this is a touchy subject dear reader. Spoonies don't get hassled for taking pain meds. We get raked. We get pummeled. We get accused and accosted and made to jump through hoops. We have no options. Horrific pain or narcotics. Let's be real here-no one is looking at the industry that produces pain-reducing medications.  What happens when the demand exceeds the supply? Poppies cannot be grown overnight!! Kids get into their parents medicine cabinets because everyone has some sort of narcotic in their home be it cough medicine with codeine to Oxycontin. It's the elephant in the room.

Then suddenly heroin use is at an all time high and late teen's to early twenty-somethings are heroin addicts. Heroin never went away. We still need Poppies for the medical side of things. The statistics on heroin are staggering. The laws are constantly changing in an attempt to change or make the lawbreakers more accountable. They are now attempting to 'decriminalize' users who call 911 to report 'friends' who overdose so the user can get medical attention.

As far as medications go we have to watch our own supply or lock it up. We have to study and research it. We have to advocate for it. We don't let anyone know we have it, where it is, where you keep it or who you get it from. You learn the shtick early and you learn it well. You, your doctor (and maybe your significant other) and the pharmacy should be the only one's that know what kinds of medications you are on, the doses, etc. Keep a list on your person for emergency medical responders or get a medical ID bracelet. We take this part way too lightly. I know I do.

We have a responsibility to make sure our medications do not fall into the wrong hands, get used and/or abused, or that any person anywhere are temped by peers or pushers or dared or however pushed into trying our medications that we haphazardly leave out, trust out kids to be around, or trust their friends or ours not to steal. The road of addiction is hard no matter which way you are going. There is nothing I can say to tell you how bad heroin is, how it will not only ruin the users life but ripple through many layers of lifes associated with the user. Users did not set out to be addicts. Most addicts had some sort of trauma in their life before they began using drugs and progressed to heroin. The are every member of a family, co-workers, upstanding citizens. No one is immune after the first try so I am told. I'll take your word on that.