|
|
 |
Busy Ma Bell
By Mona Lease
Hi, all!! For the faint of heart - read no further.
I received a phone call this morning. A girlfriend's daughter had died
of a heroin overdose. Yes - I'll extend thoughts and prayers.
A month ago a young gentleman I've been mentoring called me. He knows
about this column and wanted me to share this with you readers. Barney
Rubble said he, Fred Flintstone, and the gang "needled up" some heroin.
He said the last thing he remembers was Fred saying he knew it was too
much heroin....that Barney might die. Barney said it all "went
black....Nothing...No dreams...No voices...No restless thoughts...No
thing...Nothing.
He woke to Fred Flintstone asking him if he knew who he was - if he
knew where he was. He remembered...the feel of the needle's entry into
his vein...he remembered the burn as the heroin was injected into his
body - snakebite they call it. The burn quit - along with his hearing -
his speech - his sight - his ability to know he might die. Barney wants
me to tell all of you readers, "Do not do it. It is not worth it. Yea,
I have problems. I have people who like/love me. And, I'll never be a
Dad if I am dead. I won't get to see Hawaii. I won't get to experience
any of my other dreams. Focus on your dreams. They can come true."
From a current user who shared this with me: "There's little to no
feeling - just numb - no physical pain - no anxiety over right/wrong of
the drug use - no "brain chatter" (guilt feelings, anxiety over what
people might think/say about them and/or their drug use).
So - I wonder: "Have we, as a people; missed the boat on this one?" In
our recent past - say the '50s - a sort of ridicule was used with the
hope of "bringing the errant person back in line." Things like "How
dumb are you?"..."No one wants to be around someone like you"..."You'll
never get a good job like that."..."We are an upstanding, God-fearing
family."...were the words the offender heard. But, with all of the
rehabilitation programs out there that are county/state/government
funded; I don't think any of the "offenders" cared what anyone thought.
In our day and age - asking someone if they want drugs is the same as
asking if they want a new house or car. Seriously - remember the Fannie
Mae government loans for houses? On just about every street corner
there is a car lot or a buy here/pay here car lot. And across the
street from that is a drug dealer.
How many of you remember the Dr who lived in Carmel, Indiana... had a
"practice" in Indianapolis, Indiana...and was caught selling "scrips"
for methadone (drug to help you kick narcotic drugs) at $300 the first
time you went there? He had an office in a "high traffic" area of
town...which is how he was caught. I promise you that the people who
would think of dealing drugs - at that level - or any other level -
would tell you the Dr was dumb - was not thinking - there would be too
many "eyes" who did regular business in the Dr's area. I'm adding this
to show that while the "junkies" - if you will - are high,
stoned, etc - they are not stupid. Or not all of them are...maybe
careless...like the Dr.
I ask you to consider this: If your child, grandchild, neighbor kid,
niece, nephew came to you and said they thought they might like to do
heroin (or any other drug) - what would you say - really?? They know
it's illegal - they know they can die. They've seen all of this on the
news. Where do you go from this point? Do we stay outside of the kid's
head with the "how dumb are you?" Or - do we try to get inside the
kid's head and ask why he/she wants to try the drug - what do they
expect to happen? Would we ask if they had considered "air bubbles" and
how they might feel if they could think and not move one muscle in
their body for the rest of their life?
"....I hit the city and I lost my band - I watched the needle take
another man - gone, gone, the damage done...." Excerpt from The Needle
and the Damage Done" Neil Young. I added this to show that
Neil's bandmates had "it
all"...women...money...prestige...fans...expensive clothes/cars. It
didn't matter. I'll leave you readers to the "figuring out why it
didn't matter."
Remember the kiddies and our service people. Take good care of the
furry and feathered ones out there. Be safe and healthy. See ya next
time. Ever Toodles!! MONA
|
|
|
<
|
