The Plague of Heroin

[16KJV11]

In the last month, one of our church familes lost two nephews to overdose of Heroin.
Just today I learned one of another family's son who just overdosed.  Not sure if he is dead though...
We are a small church and it's hard to believe that this has touched us to this extreme.

 

[16KJV11]

In the last month, one of our church familes lost two nephews to overdose of Heroin.
Just today I learned one of another family's son who just overdosed.  Not sure if he is dead though...
We are a small church and it's hard to believe that this has touched us to this extreme.

Thankfully, the son who overdosed is still in the land of the living.

 

[Fresh Air]

One of the best books I've read in the last few years is Dreamland by Sam Quinones, if I recall correctly. He traces the roots of the explosion of opioid addiction via the rise in painkiller prescriptions and the spread of a new black tar heroin delivery system. The former was pioneered in southern Ohio, the latter in Jalisco, Mexico. It was not only very well written but tremendously eye opening as well. It's a gigantic problem, and I don't think anybody in charge really has any idea of how to combat it.

 

[LongGone]

I moved to a town of 18,000 a little over three years ago. In that time the sons of two pastors in this town have died of overdoses. Both were in their early 20s. Both were tying to get into rehabs at the time of their deaths. The one was the grandson of a man who had been the pastor of a mega-church not far from here.

 

[Sherryh]

In south Florida its out of control. 

 

[Twisted]

In the early 1900's you could buy it at the drug store.

IMO, you should still be able to buy it at the drug store.

It's called personal responsibility.

More die from alcohol than hard dope.  No one cares because society accepts it and the gov make money off it.

You wanna shoot up and blow out your brain?  Go for it.

 

[LongGone]

In the early 1900's you could buy it at the drug store.

IMO, you should still be able to buy it at the drug store.

It's called personal responsibility.

More die from alcohol than hard dope.  No one cares because society accepts it and the gov make money off it.

You wanna shoot up and blow out your brain?  Go for it.

Heroin was sold in drug stores and was addictive but can not compare to what is sold on the street.

You are correct that about 88,000 people die from alcohol per years and about 35,000 die from Drug Overdoses.

The comparison breaks down there because of the number of people who use alcohol and the number of people who use heroin.

The comparison also breaks down because of the number of people who use alcohol responsibly and the power of the addiction to heroin.

In society it makes a difference because of the likelihood that a heroin addiction will lead you to steal from me vs the likelihood that alcoholism would.

Both are addictive but the results of heroin are greater in scope.

I don't agree with your conclusion that if they want to shoot it up just go for it. The problem with addiction is that the point you know longer want to shoot it up it has a power hold on you. 

 

[Twisted]

In the early 1900's you could buy it at the drug store.

IMO, you should still be able to buy it at the drug store.

It's called personal responsibility.

More die from alcohol than hard dope.  No one cares because society accepts it and the gov make money off it.

You wanna shoot up and blow out your brain?  Go for it.

Heroin was sold in drug stores and was addictive but can not compare to what is sold on the street.

You are correct that about 88,000 people die from alcohol per years and about 35,000 die from Drug Overdoses.

The comparison breaks down there because of the number of people who use alcohol and the number of people who use heroin.

The comparison also breaks down because of the number of people who use alcohol responsibly and the power of the addiction to heroin.

In society it makes a difference because of the likelihood that a heroin addiction will lead you to steal from me vs the likelihood that alcoholism would.

Both are addictive but the results of heroin are greater in scope.

I don't agree with your conclusion that if they want to shoot it up just go for it. The problem with addiction is that the point you know longer want to shoot it up it has a power hold on you.

I guess you missed the line about personal responsibility.

 

[Fresh Air]

No matter what the libertarians say drug addiction is not just a matter of personal freedom/consequence. Drug addicted people wreak wide swathes of destruction in the lives of those around them on a personal scale, and ruin local economies on a larger scale. The children of drug addicted parents are routinely abused, neglected, and mistreated, and the long term effects of that (leaving out the spiritual entirely) on a society are mind boggling. They grow exponentially over the generations, and if you'd like to see the result of that trot yourself down to your local Indian reservation.

It isn't just a matter of "ok; kill yourself if you want to" b/c they hurt a whole lot of people very deeply for a very long time in a wide manner of ways in the process. Billy Sunday used to say, "You're right to swing ends where my nose begins." Drug addiction not only swings, it hits a whole lot of noses in the process.

 

[Twisted]

No matter what the libertarians say drug addiction is not just a matter of personal freedom/consequence. Drug addicted people wreak wide swathes of destruction in the lives of those around them on a personal scale, and ruin local economies on a larger scale. The children of drug addicted parents are routinely abused, neglected, and mistreated, and the long term effects of that (leaving out the spiritual entirely) on a society are mind boggling. They grow exponentially over the generations, and if you'd like to see the result of that trot yourself down to your local Indian reservation.

It isn't just a matter of "ok; kill yourself if you want to" b/c they hurt a whole lot of people very deeply for a very long time in a wide manner of ways in the process. Billy Sunday used to say, "You're right to swing ends where my nose begins." Drug addiction not only swings, it hits a whole lot of noses in the process.

Very sentimental.  I'm guessing lives destroyed by alcohol and tobacco products are somewhat more acceptable.  Seeing someone eaten alive by cancer caused by smoking is "normal".

Truth be told, since the dawn of man, for whatever reason, people want to ingest "stuff" that alters how they feel. 

Truth be told, CHRISTIANS  will get in a fist fight over drinking booze.  We all know the deacons who can't wait for church to end so they can go "light up".

And truth be told, there are CHRISTIANS who smoke pot, drink, snort coke, etc.

The "war on drugs" is a joke and a failure.  Preach against it.  Teach your children.  Warn others.  That's all you can do.  The gov attempt to "regulate" is a failure.

And PLEASE, don't ask me to pay for "treatments" for dopers.

Personal responsibility.  You reap what you sow.

 

[BALAAM]

No matter what the libertarians say drug addiction is not just a matter of personal freedom/consequence. Drug addicted people wreak wide swathes of destruction in the lives of those around them on a personal scale, and ruin local economies on a larger scale. The children of drug addicted parents are routinely abused, neglected, and mistreated, and the long term effects of that (leaving out the spiritual entirely) on a society are mind boggling. They grow exponentially over the generations, and if you'd like to see the result of that trot yourself down to your local Indian reservation.

It isn't just a matter of "ok; kill yourself if you want to" b/c they hurt a whole lot of people very deeply for a very long time in a wide manner of ways in the process. Billy Sunday used to say, "You're right to swing ends where my nose begins." Drug addiction not only swings, it hits a whole lot of noses in the process.

Very sentimental.  I'm guessing lives destroyed by alcohol and tobacco products are somewhat more acceptable.  Seeing someone eaten alive by cancer caused by smoking is "normal".

Truth be told, since the dawn of man, for whatever reason, people want to ingest "stuff" that alters how they feel. 

Truth be told, CHRISTIANS  will get in a fist fight over drinking booze.  We all know the deacons who can't wait for church to end so they can go "light up".

And truth be told, there are CHRISTIANS who smoke pot, drink, snort coke, etc.

The "war on drugs" is a joke and a failure.  Preach against it.  Teach your children.  Warn others.  That's all you can do.  The gov attempt to "regulate" is a failure.

And PLEASE, don't ask me to pay for "treatments" for dopers.

Personal responsibility.  You reap what you sow.

You will not be asked to pay for treatment. You will be held up at gunpoint (or almost) by the US government.

 

[Twisted]

No matter what the libertarians say drug addiction is not just a matter of personal freedom/consequence. Drug addicted people wreak wide swathes of destruction in the lives of those around them on a personal scale, and ruin local economies on a larger scale. The children of drug addicted parents are routinely abused, neglected, and mistreated, and the long term effects of that (leaving out the spiritual entirely) on a society are mind boggling. They grow exponentially over the generations, and if you'd like to see the result of that trot yourself down to your local Indian reservation.

It isn't just a matter of "ok; kill yourself if you want to" b/c they hurt a whole lot of people very deeply for a very long time in a wide manner of ways in the process. Billy Sunday used to say, "You're right to swing ends where my nose begins." Drug addiction not only swings, it hits a whole lot of noses in the process.

Very sentimental.  I'm guessing lives destroyed by alcohol and tobacco products are somewhat more acceptable.  Seeing someone eaten alive by cancer caused by smoking is "normal".

Truth be told, since the dawn of man, for whatever reason, people want to ingest "stuff" that alters how they feel. 

Truth be told, CHRISTIANS  will get in a fist fight over drinking booze.  We all know the deacons who can't wait for church to end so they can go "light up".

And truth be told, there are CHRISTIANS who smoke pot, drink, snort coke, etc.

The "war on drugs" is a joke and a failure.  Preach against it.  Teach your children.  Warn others.  That's all you can do.  The gov attempt to "regulate" is a failure.

And PLEASE, don't ask me to pay for "treatments" for dopers.

Personal responsibility.  You reap what you sow.

You will not be asked to pay for treatment. You will be held up at gunpoint (or almost) by the US government.

Bingo.  That's exactly what I meant.

But seeing I'm on the gov dole, you'll have to pay for it.

 

[LongGone]

No matter what the libertarians say drug addiction is not just a matter of personal freedom/consequence. Drug addicted people wreak wide swathes of destruction in the lives of those around them on a personal scale, and ruin local economies on a larger scale. The children of drug addicted parents are routinely abused, neglected, and mistreated, and the long term effects of that (leaving out the spiritual entirely) on a society are mind boggling. They grow exponentially over the generations, and if you'd like to see the result of that trot yourself down to your local Indian reservation.

It isn't just a matter of "ok; kill yourself if you want to" b/c they hurt a whole lot of people very deeply for a very long time in a wide manner of ways in the process. Billy Sunday used to say, "You're right to swing ends where my nose begins." Drug addiction not only swings, it hits a whole lot of noses in the process.

Very sentimental.  I'm guessing lives destroyed by alcohol and tobacco products are somewhat more acceptable.  Seeing someone eaten alive by cancer caused by smoking is "normal".

Truth be told, since the dawn of man, for whatever reason, people want to ingest "stuff" that alters how they feel. 

Truth be told, CHRISTIANS  will get in a fist fight over drinking booze.  We all know the deacons who can't wait for church to end so they can go "light up".

And truth be told, there are CHRISTIANS who smoke pot, drink, snort coke, etc.

The "war on drugs" is a joke and a failure.  Preach against it.  Teach your children.  Warn others.  That's all you can do.  The gov attempt to "regulate" is a failure.

And PLEASE, don't ask me to pay for "treatments" for dopers.

Personal responsibility.  You reap what you sow.

You will not be asked to pay for treatment. You will be held up at gunpoint (or almost) by the US government.

Bingo.  That's exactly what I meant.

But seeing I'm on the gov dole, you'll have to pay for it.

You have the right to express your opinion about not wanting to pay for treatment. Treatment is a lot less costly than keeping folks in prison. A person who successfully completes treatment will enter society and become a contributing taxpayer. They will not continue causing the damage to those around them that Tom mentioned.

The same is true for alcoholics but you see less of the dire consequences.

When Jesus said about doing for the least of these I would think it included addicts. Though I believe in personal responsibility I also believe in second chances and sometimes more.

 

[patriotic]

A former HAC student with whom I attended recently lost a 24 year old daughter to heroin.  My heart hurts for all affected by any type of drug, but heroin seems to have a almost complete control with just one use.  I am sure there are other drugs like this too, but from what I have read, heroin alters one's brain almost immediately with first use. 

 

[Twisted]

A former HAC student with whom I attended recently lost a 24 year old daughter to heroin.  My heart hurts for all affected by any type of drug, but heroin seems to have a almost complete control with just one use.  I am sure there are other drugs like this too, but from what I have read, heroin alters one's brain almost immediately with first use.

"It's always a choice." - Rocky

 

[LongGone]

A former HAC student with whom I attended recently lost a 24 year old daughter to heroin.  My heart hurts for all affected by any type of drug, but heroin seems to have a almost complete control with just one use.  I am sure there are other drugs like this too, but from what I have read, heroin alters one's brain almost immediately with first use.

"It's always a choice." - Rocky

Yes but with bad choice we make we hope there is forgiveness and a second chance.