Sick of It: Doing Something About It

I am not sure how things are where people live, but here in Maine the Heroine Epidemic is hitting hard. About a person a day is overdosing. Now I know a lot of people don't care, but as this wears on it comes closer and closer until one did it finally affects you...I know because I have just gotten there myself. Three weeks ago my ex-step brother Eddie Over-Dosed on heroine. It was no real surprise, he was an addict, but in that time a woman from church's ex-boyfriend and father of her daughter overdosed to death as well. And our Church's CelebrateRecovery has a guy who sold drugs to a woman who immediately overdosed.

I understand the mentality of "they made their own bed, now they must lay in it", I do...and I know I can be over-sympathetic, but if something does not change, the kids at our church youth group might get sucked into the wrong crowd and we will read their obituaries.

No one has to join me, but I am sick of it and Katie and I decided to do something about it.

Teen Challenge is a Christian Group that is for recovery and because they are Christ-Based, I believe that is the reason they have a 97% success rate. State sponsors recovery centers average 3% success rates. So we are using our farm this summer to host a Christian Rock Concert for Teen Challenge. Its not much I know, but we have a field that overlooks Mt washington some 175 miles away which says it has a nice view, plenty of open acres, and because our pastor was saved at a Christian Rock Concert and got out of drugs at age 15 when he could have gone either way. It is our way of giving what little bit we have to those they might need a help up.

Me...I have never even tried drugs, nor alcohol or cigarettes, BUT trust me when I say I have enough of my own vices. Just because they were not these does not mean I am any better. In fact as one addict at church told me, he felt worthless as a human because he often chose drugs over his kids. Before we condemn him though, we must acknowledge that everyone is made in God's image, we we all have worth.

I cannot relate to these people's experiences, but I know I can use my farm to help those (Teen Challenge) who can. It's not much, not enough, but it is all I have and I hope it can help someone!

 

Good for you. I don't know why this is happening. I don't believe "that's their bed, let them lay in it". People are very fragile and are easily led astray, even those with good families. I've fought off my own demons so I try to be empathetic.

 

Agree!!

 

Teen challenge is a great group! Good on ya for not just being a spectator! The epidemic is around here too, it's hard to keep up with how many and who was the latest to o.d.

 

One a day? you guys are way behind the curve, there are multiple here daily......... they are actually advertising every one should carry naxolone (sp) it is so bad...

I understand what you are saying but ..............not me

 

I see several o.d.'s a week at work, 5 last weekend, have had 2,,,,exactly 2 who showed a modicum of remorse over last couple years.
The O.D.'s I am seeing are people who have never worked and have no desire to find work. Flim-Flamming and hustling seem to be their life's' work while neglecting their children that the working class are supporting thru welfare programs. Theft is up around here while decent paying factories are hiring, I struggle to find any compassion nor empathy for these people.
I appreciate what you are offering, LogdedTree, I hope you can help.

 

LodgedTree I've been following this and just today a woman left her card at our business....I encourage everyone to give it a look: clean-start.squarespace.com

 

I'd tell my boys "I'm not your friend, I'm your Mother and I said NO!"....got me 3 good ones....

 

I wonder if the success rate for the state vs church group has more to do with how people get there. Is it possible people in the church program want to get clean, and people in the state programs are there to satisfy a court ruling?

 

I'm not a drug user, so I guess I just don't understand how anyone chooses to try something sooo bad it could kill them the first time they try it.
This is so sad and worse yet, the users become more and more.

This is a great thing you are doing, LodgedTree. And yes, you do have a lot to offer! God will use your event to reach the ones he needs to reach. We will pray for you and everyone that attends.

Thank You!

 

first LodgedTree off to you for trying to help! a 90% success rate is impressive.

I have some experience (4 brothers adopted from addicted biological all are there 1 in recovery 6 years clean) only mention adoption as I wonder if parents are if kids are predestined to have weakness to it...

I drink and still smoke cigarettes.. I am addicted to them yes.. but it would be a cold day in hell before my family went without for my habits! after last surgeries they put me all kinds of crap.. yeah I felt better but needed codeine for a headache. so quit all pain medication for decade now just ibuprofen...

so help if you can.. God can.... but I don't trust addicts!

 

All I can offer after living with a needle addict for years is that they will only take help when they want it.

If your event is that moment in an addicts life.....well u made a difference.

No harm in trying sir....its very admirable......but please don't lose sleep over those who don't want help.

 

A lot of opiate addicts started with a prescription from a doctor for legit reasons.

 

It's a very old problem. John Kay wrote a song about it back in the early 70's (or maybe late 60's)

 

When I broke my elbow I was on some strong opioids and I was concerned with getting hooked. After about a week they made me so sick I couldn't take them. It really worked out well!

 

Legalize marijuana, and opiate addiction will go down. Decriminalize opiates, and the overdose rates will go down.

Legalize marijuana and reduce deaths from drug abuse
The EU country where drugs are decriminalised – and hardly anyone dies of an overdose

Teen Challenge is a good program, though their success rate is overstated. It is actually claimed to be 86% (which is excellent) rather than 97%, and that is likewise statistically suspect. But it is quite high, regardless.

Teen Challenge - Wikipedia

All that said, good on you LodgedTree . "The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and give you peace." "In as much as you have done it onto the least of these, my brothers, you have done it onto Me."

 

Unfortunately, IMO, it's just not that easy. Take a supplier off the street and there are 2 more looking to fill the void. There's quick easy cash to be made, as long as you don't get caught.

I dealt with one of the street demons many, many years ago. You can preach to an addict till the cows come home but until they decide there's a problem, there's no fixing it. After about 9 months I came to realize there was a problem. Not everyone will.

Ron Paul had the right idea. Take away the mystery. Legalize, legislate and tax; just like alcohol. Not only does that remove the mystery, it also removes the criminal element just like it did when prohibition was repealed. You'll be less likely to have the street pusher trying to entice young kids to give it a try because there is no longer a financially beneficial incentive.

The "War on Drugs" has been raging for 30+ years and we're no closer to victory than we were at the start. It's a war that can't be won.

 

I told them in the hospital when I had my logging accident that I did not want strong pain killers and they did not give them too me. However they did say that a certain type of personality tends to gravitate and abuse them too, and that I probably wouldn't. I am not saying I am better then them...no way, I have my own serious vices that I am working on that God never took out of my life at salvation. Some he did, but others not...his call.

I don't think Marijuana legalization will work, it is legalized here and I watch my neighbors routinely get carted off to the hospital in the ambulances.

Neither does NarCan; first it does not work on heroine that is laced with phenobarbital, and now they are just having Narcan parties with them. People get all their Narcan canisters and put them on the table, then start shooting up. The woman in the ambulance said with Narcan it just made it worse because addicts just assume people are around with them and they can always be revived.

(Note: not sure on the spelling of Narcan, forgive me if it is wrong).

Our church does CelebrateRecovery and some have done well, some have done well for awhile, and some just plain struggle. We are a big church for a rural setting (400) and we have employers, former addicts, and professional counselors in place for them, but as others have said, it really is up to them. Sadly sometimes sympathetic people like me do enable them, only because they must hit rock bottom and lose EVERYTHING before they realize its grip.