April 6, 2018 at 4:51 p.m.
It's beyond time to face the reality
Letters to the Editor
To the editor:
Easter has come and gone but individuals are still walking on eggshells, tiptoeing around the truth, reluctant to come to the reality of the drug epidemic occurring all around. They’re scared to speak on the matter, scared to face the truth.
Unfortunately, this epidemic is no joke. It is real and it is time to take action. Stomp on those eggshells.
The truth of the matter is, according to Indiana House Democratic Caucus (2017), Indiana is ranked 15th in the nation for drug overdose. Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S. and poisoning is now the leading cause of injury death with overdoses being the result of more than nine out of 10 poisoning deaths. Nearly half a million individuals have died from overdose between 2000-2014, an average of 78 Americans each day.
The impact of the crisis goes beyond the individuals with addiction. It is impacting children, youth, families and our very own community. The price of addiction is costly, with increased financial burden required medically and for prevention, but there is no price tag for the resulting emotional burden being experienced by our family, friends and community.
Penny Moyers, an occupational therapist, once stated in an interview: “What happens in addiction is you start decreasing your time spent in healthy occupational behavior and spending more and more time drinking or using drugs rather than organizing your day around what you need and want to do. Sometimes it’s not all that easy to get back to the way you used to organize your day. There is so much stigma around addiction. People with addiction are misunderstood.”
Often addiction is the result of an underlying issue and a means for coping. You don’t have to understand addiction or agree with the decisions made by those who struggle, but understand those struggling with addiction are humans needing help and support to overcome.
Eventually if stigmatized enough, these individuals will self stigmatize. Instead of bringing them down, help them identify their worth and meaning.
It is important to educate yourself on the matter, to try to understand, and to know your role within the epidemic.
It’s time to stop walking on eggshells and face reality. Partake in the Jay County Drug Prevention Coalition meetings to help determine ways to combat the crisis. Call (260) 726-7161 for meeting details or to find how you can help.
Mariah Haffner
A Better Life – Brianna’s Hope
Jay County Drug Prevention Coalition
Easter has come and gone but individuals are still walking on eggshells, tiptoeing around the truth, reluctant to come to the reality of the drug epidemic occurring all around. They’re scared to speak on the matter, scared to face the truth.
Unfortunately, this epidemic is no joke. It is real and it is time to take action. Stomp on those eggshells.
The truth of the matter is, according to Indiana House Democratic Caucus (2017), Indiana is ranked 15th in the nation for drug overdose. Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S. and poisoning is now the leading cause of injury death with overdoses being the result of more than nine out of 10 poisoning deaths. Nearly half a million individuals have died from overdose between 2000-2014, an average of 78 Americans each day.
The impact of the crisis goes beyond the individuals with addiction. It is impacting children, youth, families and our very own community. The price of addiction is costly, with increased financial burden required medically and for prevention, but there is no price tag for the resulting emotional burden being experienced by our family, friends and community.
Penny Moyers, an occupational therapist, once stated in an interview: “What happens in addiction is you start decreasing your time spent in healthy occupational behavior and spending more and more time drinking or using drugs rather than organizing your day around what you need and want to do. Sometimes it’s not all that easy to get back to the way you used to organize your day. There is so much stigma around addiction. People with addiction are misunderstood.”
Often addiction is the result of an underlying issue and a means for coping. You don’t have to understand addiction or agree with the decisions made by those who struggle, but understand those struggling with addiction are humans needing help and support to overcome.
Eventually if stigmatized enough, these individuals will self stigmatize. Instead of bringing them down, help them identify their worth and meaning.
It is important to educate yourself on the matter, to try to understand, and to know your role within the epidemic.
It’s time to stop walking on eggshells and face reality. Partake in the Jay County Drug Prevention Coalition meetings to help determine ways to combat the crisis. Call (260) 726-7161 for meeting details or to find how you can help.
Mariah Haffner
A Better Life – Brianna’s Hope
Jay County Drug Prevention Coalition
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