We Can’t Withdraw from This

SHOCKING WORDS

When Lauren was in a local hospital, in the psych ward to be detoxed, I was privy to a very eye-opening conversation with Lauren’s permission.

The events that led up to this moment were some of the most traumatic we have ever had regarding Lauren. Honestly, we would experience a few more even beyond this one, we just didn’t know it. The post “The Dangers of Being Alone” tells the heart-wrenching details that lead to this moment.

The conversation was about three or four days into Laurens’s stay at the hospital. As Lala (Lauren) always did, she made connections with many of the people there. One particular person was a girl just a little older than Lauren who had been drug-free for three-plus years and pursuing a career in helping others.

On one specific night when I was visiting LaLa the young lady grab a seat at the table where Lauren and I were talking.  As the conversation between us unfolded she and Lauren dominated the talking. As I watched, I thought the girl was one of the clients there that Lauren had met. They seemed like two peas in a pod and their stories were extremely similar. They started sharing more and more details about their experiences in no way hindered by my presence and Lauren shared something that stood out profoundly. I have never forgotten it.

As they were sharing their stories they both interestingly mention they never drank alcohol until after they used heroin. Then LaLa shared a very powerful piece of her story. She said, “I remember when I was around twelve I had a kidney stone attack. At the hospital, they gave me morphine to manage my pain. Another time I had a dental problem, and they gave me oxycodone. Years later when someone offered me heroin at a party, I remembered what that felt like and I wanted it again.”

WOW, how I wish I could have gone back and erased those memory banks. More than that I wish I could have understood the pain that caused her to say “I wanted it again”. What made the conversation so meaningful to me and I think Lauren, was that at that point she began to see that it was possible to live drug-free. If you are fighting an addiction you need to see that too.

Please do not get me wrong I am not saying we should refuse treatment our doctor recommends, but we should do what we feel is best for us. Nor am I saying that was the only factor that led Lauren to addiction, it was not, and LaLa knew that better than anyone.

What I am saying is that drugs are very dangerous and powerful, especially in a developing mind.

Drug dealers know that very well!

THIS WOULD NOT BE SO SCARY IF IT WERE NOT TRUE

A published DEA warning dated August 30^th 2022 states this “Rainbow fentanyl—fentanyl pills and powder that comes in a variety of bright colors, shapes, and sizes—is a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.  “The men and women of the DEA are relentlessly working to stop the trafficking of rainbow fentanyl and defeat the Mexican drug cartels that are responsible for the vast majority of the fentanyl that is being trafficked in the United States.”

Forbes.com reporting on the announcement in an article called “Is ‘Rainbow Fentanyl’ A Real Halloween Scare Targeting Your Kids?” added “Yikes. A deliberate effort to get kids addicted? That sounds pretty darn spooky. But how much real evidence is behind this rainbow fentanyl connection? Well, let’s shed some light on “rainbow fentanyl” and cover the whole spectrum of what’s been happening.”

Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing this country.  According to the CDC, 107,622 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2021, with 66 percent of those deaths related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl.  Drug poisonings are the leading killer of Americans between the ages of 18 and 45.

The DEA announcement in August 2022 also mentioned that the DEA and other law enforcement partners seized the brightly-colored fentanyl and fentanyl pills in 18 states. Soon after, on October 4^th, 2022 the NYC Police seized the largest amount of Rainbow Fentanyl in one arrest, 15,000 pills . This news report gives details: DEA Finds Candy-Like Fentanyl Pills in Lego Box in NYC .

Drug dealers are playing for money at the expense of the lives of our greatest asset, our children. We can not let them win!

WAYS YOU CAN HAVE YOUR VOICE HEARD

The best way we can respond is to:

• Be informed with facts
• Educate our children as early as is appropriate (Middle school is the age we should be addressing these issues with our kids).
• Realize the risks are very high and we are the only ones that care.

A way you can help this month is to take part in two national initiatives. One is called “Red Ribbon Week” it’s a national challenge that encourages young people to “Celebrate Life live Drug Free”. The other is the DEA Take Back Day on October 29^th, 2022. Many people do not realize the first place young people often experience using opioids is in the medicine cabinet at home or at a friend’s.  DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day reflects DEA’s commitment to Americans’ safety and health, encouraging the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting. Visit their site or your town’s website to see where drop boxes are in your area.

If you or someone you love is struggling with opioids visit LIVE Loud for helpful resources.

This week’s featured image is by my favorite photographer, Brooke Shaden. It is called “Withdraw IV”, we can’t do that with the drug epidemic!