Just heard that another one of my former students died from a heroin overdose...

[Freedomofspeech]

Last edited Sat May 5, 2018, 04:44 AM - Edit history (1)

I was a high school librarian here in rural Southwest PA....I think this bring the number to 14. I am so damn sick of going to the funeral home. These were good kids...each and everyone of them. My heart is broken once again.

[Downtown Hound]

1. I'm very sorry.

[Docreed2003]

2. My sincerest condolences...

In our county, we had six teenage/young adult ODs in a week stretch, one of which hit incredibly close to us. This epidemic must be addressed!

[Throck]

3. [Hug]

Words can't express the feelings of not knowing why.

[babylonsister]

4. Aww, so sorry to read this.

It is deadly out there.

http://interactive.fusion.net/death-by-fentanyl/intro.html

Fentanyl

The naked truth: a drug you’ve never heard of is killing thousands of Americans a year.
By: Cristina Costantini, Darren Foster, and Mariana Van Zeller

If you want to understand how bad the opiate epidemic in America has become, look no further...

[Kirk Lover]

25. Why the hell are they cutting drugs with this? WHY? Because it's cheap? Surely there are other

things that are cheap and can be used to cut it with.

[McCamy Taylor]

5. Which heroine? Scarlet? Dorothy? Anne with an E?

Books can be dangerous things, as every librarian knows.

[MontanaMama]

6. Seriously?

There’s a time and a place for that and this isn’t it.

[Aristus]

9. I think Freedomofspeech is in pain.

Mocking that is a pretty rotten thing to do.

[Coventina]

11. Ugh! Saying Scarlett O'Hara was a heroine is offensive.

And, please try to consider the state of mind and heart of the person making the post.

That would be truly heroic.

[Hekate]

12. Flippancy can be heartless. This is one of those times. Take it down.

[greyl]

15. Why do you believe Freedomofspeech is being honest?

Obvious misspellings are a hallmark of trolls, especially ones claiming to be part of the liberal education system.

[Hekate]

24. It is all too common in our country these days, & has nothing to do with the education system...

..."liberal" or otherwise. People know this about the opioid crisis. We've had some old-time DUers post about their children's friends and how many funerals they have gone to, one after another after another. It's horrible, and I saw no reason to doubt the OP unless you have real information otherwise.

[Freedomofspeech]

19. Really? I was upset and did not realize my error.

Have you lost your heart and soul like the rest of the country?

[Honeycombe8]

22. That's an insensitive, thoughtless post about a student who committed suicide.

You've damaged your reputation and ability to be taken seriously, McCamy Taylor.

[Kirk Lover]

26. Oh how nice of you...pointing out a spelling mistake..especially when someone is in pain.

Well fucking done.

[BannonsLiver]

28. Oh for fuck sakes give it a rest

You’re not funny, your timing is for shit and that joke is hackneyed.

[blue-wave]

7. My Dear Freedomofspeech,

I am so sorry for your loss and pain. The drug epidemic, illegal and (legal??) prescription has gone on for too long in our country. I hope and pray that someday, the groundswell that is required to fight and conquer this epidemic materializes. Until that day stay strong. For yourself, for your students, for us and for everyone. We're here with you.

[ProudLib72]

8. OMG! This is horrible!

I'm so sorry for you.

[Laffy Kat]

10. I so understand.

My niece is a heroin addict. She's brilliant, beautiful, and so creative. She simply fell in with the wrong crowd in high school. She is the only child of my only sibling. Every time I see a call from Florida, my heart stops. She is trying so hard and has gotten clean several times. It's just so hard to stay off.

[ansible]

17. Heroin is a derivative of opium, sadly there's pretty much no way to stay off it

At best, and only with intensive and extremely expensive treatment, the success rates are only 5-10%.

[Laffy Kat]

20. Yes, I know. I started doing a lot of research as soon as I knew.

Sadly, I know much more about it than my sister and BIL. They have had their heads in the sand all from the start. Denial, I suppose. They have enabled my niece for years. Of course, that's easy for me to say because I have no idea how I would deal with it if it happened to one of my kids. The good news is that they are relatively well off financially and are able to place my niece in good rehab centers, although it is beginning to take its toll on their finances, there have been so many rehab efforts. And now they are also having to pay for her hepatitis-C treatment which is horribly expensive even with their insurance. I am so worried about all of them

[Major Nikon]

29. It depends on how you measure success rates

People who are forced into substance abuse treatment by court order have dismal success rates and skew the results. Some studies also classify failure rates by short-term relapses which isn't an accurate measure of long term success.

[Hekate]

13. I am so terribly sorry for your losses.

[lunatica]

16. That's really tough!

That’s like losing a whole generation. I’m sorry for your loss. It’s so sad to lose young people who had so much potential.

[Tracyjo]

18. So sorry

[Duppers]

21. Extending my sympathy and empathy.

Lost a beloved friend 3yrs ago. I had no idea he used. He was a brilliant, productive, wonderfully sweet person but stressed out.

[IluvPitties]

23. What's driving our society to this? I travel a lot

and don't see this as bad anywhere else.

[Hekate]

27. Multiple reasons, one of which is the development of new drugs that were peddled to doctors...

...as being non-addictive or "very low incidence" of addiction. They were and are being overprescribed -- for instance to high schoolers with sports injuries, or adults with back pain, or anybody really.

When the prescription renewals stop and doctor shopping doesn't work or the ERs get to know someone too well, eventually a "friend" suggests an easier and cheaper source...

Just one strand in the problem. There are communities where otherwise healthy and young people are literally dropping dead from ODs -- sometimes a whole bunch at once if a bad batch of heroin comes in on the daily delivery.

I, along with no doubt millions of others, did not have this on my personal radar until Hillary Clinton went on one of her "listening tours" in small towns and asked: What is your greatest concern? They did not say "jobs," they said, "Opioids."

[loyalsister]

30. The legitimate prescribing has contributed

People who spent lifetimes doing physically demanding labor now live with chronic pain. There has also been an increase in cancer and need for palliative pain control meds. And, many war veterans live with pain due to injuries. The kids and grandkids started dipping into those RX supplies for recreation.
Now that the RX drugs are less available they have turned to heroin because it is cheaper.

It's tragic and people who suffer are being punished for it.

[Hekate]

31. This

[mahina]

32. I'm so sorry Freedomofspeech. The whole country should know. 14? Unimagineable.

Holding you in light, and the students and your community.

Downthread another DUer, Hekate, mentioned that Hillary brought the opioid epidemic to peoples attention, which I did not know. Mahalo Hekate.

When we live in communities with other problems, as I do, we just don't hear about this.

Sending you aloha and a hope you can forgive those among us who are not showing you the best of themselves here.

[AwakeAtLast]

33. I have lost students, too.

But none to heroin. I am so, so sorry.