THE HEROINE EPIDEMIC... and the depths of its toll...

What better way to start off the blog, discussing a topic so sensitive to some, but yet so irrelevant to others. Yes, I refer to it as an epidemic, because it is a disease, but I'm sure it could even be considered a pandemic by this point.

That being said, I am sickened today about the tragedy drugs, specifically HEROINE, are having on our communities. Every month it seems like I am hearing of someone I know or knew or grew up with overdosing and leaving their children either fatherless or motherless. 
​
Now there are children out there missing one parent or missing both and in foster care. Ultimately, at the end of the day, these children are burdened with feelings of guilt as if they weren't able to be enough for the parent to love them more than the drugs. So, now as we take a look a little deeper than the surface of a child losing a parent to drugs, let's think about how the child would grow up always feeling like they're not good enough, because in hindsight, "if I'm not even good enough for my mother/father to love me, how can I be good at anything else." This is now the fabricated story the child tells itself over and over again, why goals and aspirations are never even set, let alone pursued. Even after growing into an adult and identifying the what, why, and how of the addiction process, there are still many adults replaying that six year old's story to their subconscious minds interfering with the overall success of that individual.

Now, of course this is not the case for all children with parents or other loved ones addicted to drugs and/or alcohol. 
​
When this story is fabricated the child doesn't understand how the drug use started and the disease it turned into, but neither to many  adults, even those in the healthcare field. However, I guess that's another topic all in itself...I believe in the beginning it is a choice and like all young people we think we are invincible and it won't happen to us... and time passes effortlessly... and all the sudden, wait it did happen to us... and by the time you recognize it has happened, it is no longer a choice. It has turned into a habit and a physical and psychological need, and you feel powerless to make it stop!!!

As a healthcare provider, I meet people in the struggle. Some of them have been passed out, blue, and not breathing shoved out of the car, by their "friends" that didn't want a dead body on their hands, brought in in respiratory failure, only breathing 2 times a minute, they may have had their children taken from them, or had heart valve surgery for their now failing heart. What kills me, are the stories of narcotic users...this may be another future post as well... but many of these "addicts" were cut off completely from medication because of the crack down. No weaning, no notice, just, "nope, I know I made you an addict, but I'm not losing my license." 
​
So anyway, there are levels to the depths of the drug crisis on our hands.---I know many don't consider anything to be on their hands. They would just rather go about their pretty little life and continue to judge everyone from a different block---For those of us who recognize there needs to be change, I believe there has to be more than just an increase policing, I don't think that's that answer. I think addressing poverty is more important than increasing the police force. 

There has to be a way to clean up our streets, heal these broken minds and families, and have compassion for those caught in the trap.
 
I would love to hear your thoughts...