I just want to apologize for my post yesterday (I took it down). I really don't know enough about the issue of drug addiction, specifically heroin and other opiates that has reached epidemic rates in Vermont (#2 per capita) and Maine (#1 per capita). As some thoughtful readers shared that much of this is a result of addiction to prescription drugs that were initially prescribed by doctors. I feel terribly for all that have had to and continue to go through this. I do plan to write to our governor to point this out that while treatment facilities are good for right now, a better solution would seem to be to make addictive prescription drugs illegal like much of Europe has already done. (Fighting the pharmaceutical companies another huge issue..)
What I can do though, is raise our children to think outside the box, perhaps they won't just go along with conventional practices. I hope that when the day comes and they have to go to an regular doctor and he/she prescribes a medication that they will look up the pros, cons, side effects and make an informed decision before taking it. So many of us in this country were raised with the attitude that "this is just the way it is". The school system, the distractions of technology, the very low nutritional value of food, the lack of human interaction - all contribute to this. I think this country is doing a great job of raising up a whole population to not believe in themselves, to not utilize their gifts, and to just believe "this is the way it is". Does anyone tell children today that they can do whatever they set their minds to?
Well, I have always been one to question everything and pray that our children do the same. It is ok to risk being misunderstood and to be considered strange over conformity just for the sake of conformity.
I am sorry that this isn't a very joyful topic, but I do think if we fall prey to our culture's many forms and methods of numbing us down that it will be harder to experience a fulfilling life.
your post yesterday got us all thinking...there is such a hopelessness among many people today. What a beautiful picture of your daughter...there is hope and promise in those lovely eyes!
ReplyDeleteIf they are illegal, what painkillers do people use when they are recovering from surgery? In our family we've had a few prescribed after minor surgeries, and usually just a hand full of pills are prescribed. We certainly did not get addicted to these, and after one or two we were able to just use tylenol for the next day. I think the reason for addiction runs much deeper. Problems cannot be solved unless you go to the root of the problem. I personally think many people, and especially children and young adults, feel unloved by their families. If more moms would be at home as you are, I think we'd have less problems with our children. I am not saying all our problems, each child had free will from God, but alot less.
ReplyDeleteGod is bigger than all of this so send a letter if that makes you feel better and then get on your knees and pray. He is the only one who can change hearts. The picture of your daughter is sweet!
ReplyDeleteJanet
Didn't see post yesterday. It grieves me how when our children are born, our doctors and society try to bring us together, and then when they turn 18 or 21, the medical field shuts us out. Everyone needs a patient advocate today, and our newly "adult" children aren't experienced enough to make these decisions. I speak from experience here.
ReplyDeleteAlso, if our society was one of personal accountability, responsibility rather than encouraging a sense of entitlement, "sharing the wealth" rather than working hard to earn your fair share, teaching ways to succeed rather than giving handouts, a lot of these issues would be moot.
I missed the post and am sorry I did. I suspect I would have agreed with you.
ReplyDeleteAs a college professor, I see students every day who believe that "just good enough is enough." These are bright, beautiful, talented, articulate young men and women. These are also people who have been shown that "just good enough" gets them promoted, earns awards, and makes them the darlings of their families, schools and communities. It is a tough day when they walk in my classroom and learn that a well crafted five-paragraph-theme isn't enough. "I want you to show you can think!" I will tell them! "Don't you have an opinion about this topic? Aren't you interested in how you really feel about a topic rather than accepting what someone else believes? Think!"
Sometimes... I am disappointed. They give me terrible class evaluations; they go to the Dean and complain; I even had a parent write the Governor to complain about me. But, then there are the sweet ones who start working harder; they talk in class; they even stop going out at night to party so they can do their homework and be ready for class.
Drug use, or any kind of abuse, often comes from a lost soul who wants or needs to fill an empty place. They need our compassion. They also need accountability and hope. And, most of all, they need to be challenged.
Loving our children, showing them they matter, and giving them the tools to find self-satisfaction and self-confidence to live their dreams are the keys.
Keep being true to what you believe. We are all entitled to our opinions. This is what creates and thoughtful society. And, it just might tickle someone else's sensibilities that "just enough is enough" and challenge them to take a stand, have an opinion, or even dare to love the lost.
Tonya - I didn't get a chance to read all of the post you took down, but it seems to me that drug addiction, like so many things must be affected by so many different factors - prescription drugs, and hopelessness, and.....
ReplyDeleteWhat you say about the attitude of "this is just the way it is" - that's the thing! I think it's grown to be almost a badge of honor, the number of things that a person goes along with just because that's how it is, that's how "everyone" does it. Growing up, along the way I learned that it was "fashionable" to be always busy, and that there was something wrong if you weren't. Now living the way we do, and making the choices we're making about our boys' education, I feel that sense of "what makes you better?" or "who are you to expect more? everyone else has to live with this, why shouldn't you?" And as committed as I am to our way of life and striving to think for ourselves and make choices based on that - sometimes I find myself worrying about how my kids are the "weird" ones, and how will they be able to relate to their peers, and are these choices really the best, given "what everyone else is doing". It takes courage!! (And maybe it helps that I'm so introvertedly content to hang out about home :) )
I absolutely was not offended. I do try to make people aware of the prescription drug problem after what I have been through because so many see them as good for you and harmless. Thank you for this post today.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post yesterday. It was real. I live in Maine and drug abuse is a huge problem. It is very hard for young people in rural areas to find positive activities to do. It is much easier to fall into bad situations and get hooked. I thought it was very brave and honest for you to post your thoughts yesterday. Things won't get better unless there are honest and open discussions. So, thanks!
ReplyDeleteTonya-I was able to read your post yesterday and I agree. I think this is a topic we could all write about and comment on for a very long time. We are a broken nation. Until more of us start turning to God, I don't see a fix. We can only pray and reach out to help those in our communities. Hoping to return one lamb at a time back to the flock.
ReplyDeleteI like that you wrote what you felt. I agreed with it also!
ReplyDeleteNow I want to ask you something completely off topic - my apologies! - I began following the 'Wild Roots Homestead' blog after I saw it listed on your favourite blogs. I really enjoy it - as I do yours - but for some reason I can never put a comment on there. It just doesn't work. I also notice there are very few other comments there so I think I'm not the only one having trouble. Any ideas?
My husband came from a place where if a doctor says you need this or that prescription, you just take it. No questions asked. Doctor said you need it so there ya go. Me, on the other hand, refuses to take pharceutical drugs of any kind. Period! I went to a doctor about 3 years ago because I had been walking with a friend for several months and still couldn't hardly catch my breath. My blood pressure was a little high and I was puffy. She said I could get on BP meds. I said no thank you. She is a medical doctor but also is a homeopathic doctor too. She said I could do this and that instead. She suggested taking Hawthorne and Potassium. I do that now. But all this to say that some people will not question a doctor at all when it comes to drugs. They just believe the doctor. I do not trust doctors. They all work for the drug companies and get money for pushing prescriptions.
ReplyDeleteSo if people would just think about it first and get educated about theses drugs, they might change their minds before starting them. Have you seen the hundreds of drug commercials on tv now? And every one of them has a list of practically deadly side effects that go along with them. WHY would anyone take these? WHY? Because they are conditioned to trust the medical profession. After all, they went to school for years and years to heal people, right?
I feel sorry that you felt you needed to take it down. I thought it was thoughtful and non-judgemental. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, whether someone agrees with them or not. However, it's unfortunate that certain internet users seem to intellectually stand behind this concept and that of freedom of speech, thought and religion; and then emotionally dispute it by feeling they need to convince every other person on the internet they don't agree with that their views are invalid, uninformed, wrong, or what-not. I did not think you were out of line. However, even if I did I simply could have chosen to move on.
ReplyDeleteTwelve years ago I had surgery to remove a brain tumor and the years following were filled with such painful headaches. I was prescribed strong pain medication - one of them being Vioxx....after a year on this drug, I experienced numbing in my legs and other strange symptoms. When I needed to have a refill of this prescription drug, my doctor told me that this was pulled off the shelf due to a high risk of stroke and people having died from a stroke due to Vioxx. This really was an eye opener for me. I trusted my physician blindly. I am now much more careful to do my own research.
ReplyDeleteThe drugs that I was prescribed for these excruciating headaches only masked the symptoms but I needed them for the few years to just survive. I did seek out a physiotherapist who really worked with me to get these headaches to a more manageable level so that I could stay off prescription drugs. I guess what I am trying to say is that prescription drugs do have a place but there are so many alternative approaches that should be researched as well, just as you mentioned. The internet is certainly a blessing in that regard. Keep up your enlightening posts - really enjoy reading them...you have such a gift for writing!
At 13 I had scoliosis surgery that required a long hospital stay and months and months of recuperation and morphine. It probably saved my life. But I had support around me, and love, and care and parenting.
ReplyDeleteI didn't read your post but I do agree that so many of us are so isolated, are so lacking in love and grounding and attachment. Real attachment. In the context of drugs or other serious decisions that have pro's and con's, one needs a solid context in order to make it through whole.
My nearly 7 year old daughter who is only tangentially aware of things like Facebook said today as we trudged to the library, "Mama, I think maybe people who use a lot of Facebook are adults who didn't get to spend a lot of real time with their families when they were young. So now they want to do it again, so they use Facebook." The spirit in what she said is very true. There's a splintering, a disassociation, a loneliness in so much of what we are becoming. And that's only going to make the holes people seek to fill (with drugs or other things) even more gigantic.
I missed the post, so am not sure what you said that was so controversial. The drug/alcohol addiction problem is a complex one, that's for sure. Some is passed from generation to generation, and in some cases there is a genetic predisposition to be more sensitive to these substances and more easily addicted. There are always sociopathic individuals who will take advantage of vulnerable people. In the past few years we've had two doctors in our town lose their medical licenses because they had lucrative side businesses prescribing controlled substances to local addicts. However, I think one huge factor is the lack of a sense of meaning in life. People have no spiritual anchor, and have no meaningful roles in life. Unemployment is high, especially in rural and inner city areas, and young people can easily feel like throwaways. Modern life is hugely stressful as well. Another strong factor is untreated mental illness, resulting in people "self medicating". Estimates of percentages of mentally ill in prisons are high, up to two thirds. (I don't think anyone knows for sure). Yet mental health programs that were already too few are being cut right and left while prison populations increase. I've read about the idea of banning the prescribing of addictive drugs (and of course a few doctors do prescribe them like candy), but it is not clear that this is an answer. I've had to have morphine post-surgery, and am sure my recovery would have been much longer without it, as I was in agony whenever it wore off. These drugs are a real blessing to people dying of painful conditions such as cancer. I read about one study that showed no great risk of addiction when opiates were prescribed for severe pain. I've also read of a few cases where the patient was prescribed opiates for a legitimate condition, but mixed them with alcohol at home, resulting in addiction. Probably this happens quite a bit. So I think there is no easy answer or quick fix. I definitely support more drug treatment programs and "drug courts" as well as better and more available mental health treatment, as these are cheaper and more effective than jail time, but I think our society will have to change a lot before the problem of addiction can be minimized.
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