Teach your children well as they will be faced with choices sooner than later. So say the nation's statistics.

On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released preliminary data showing that U.S. drug overdose deaths climbed to 107,622 in 2021. This is more deaths in one year from opiate overdosing than 2x all the deaths in the Vietnam 10 year war.

We have lost our national collective soul for the sanctity of life on so many fronts.
America is changing, and not for the better, with an overdose death somewhere in our land every 5 minutes.
It effects every community, every ethnicity, and every income level. No one's family is immune. Those of you involved with this situation know exactly the toll it is taking on people's lives and families.

Every one of these "overdose victims" was a real person who was created to be so much more.
And while the drugs being overdosed on are supplied by drug dealers, real people take them for real reasons. Most of these "real" reasons revolve around the same themes which are now endemic (imbedded) in our nation's fabric. These real reasons are killing real people. Day after day. Week after week. Month after month.
And it started LONG BEFORE COVID.

Our nation clamors about a pandemic while an epidemic sweeps across the land, with a graph that is headed straight vertical.
Do we even care?
How we answer that question as a country speaks volumes.

https://www.statista.com/chart/18744/the-number-of-drug-overdose-deaths-in-the-us/

Blessings,
Mark

Sad Mark.

Wish my brother could meet my baby. RIP Jeff.

Are you aure it is not a world wide problem. i have friends over seas in south east asia and the same is going one there. How about Europe?.......jk

So sorry to hear that Donnersurvivor.
The numbers of devastated families is overwhelming and ever growing.

Perhaps all that is peddled to us as wonderful and marvelous and pleasurable is not at all nourishing to us.

Blessings,
Mark

Its a HUGE problem. I worry about my sons future. I adhere to spare the rod,spoil the child. I believe a spank once in awhile is in order when talking doent work. I just hope I dont push him over the edge by doing it.

A quick search of medical Psych archives shows from 2010-2018, a meta-analysis of the medical stats highlights;
"Apart from the British Isles and especially Scotland, there is no indication of an opioid crisis comparable to that in the US in the 19 European countries that were part of this study. More research is needed to identify drivers and develop interventions to stop the emerging opioid crisis in the UK and Ireland."

Well....s.e.asia has a bit of it but not widespread like here. I spent 11 yrs in s.e. asia and it was shabu there. Also was meth probs. It is still a prob anywhere its used.

I have siblings that have dealt with drug addiction for many years. Drugs don’t care who you are. How much money you have, etc etc. Because my siblings have dealt with addiction, it affects everyone in my family. Fortunately there have not been any OD’s and it seems they are making a full recovery from their addiction. Yes, they may be (whatever derogatory term you choose) but they are real people. What can we do to help Mark? Pray, support them when they are clean, don’t enable them, have real talks, confront them and ask how they are really doing. Etc etc. are these all the correct answers in helping? I really don’t know. Thank you for bringing this up.

pm to ya pastor!

Its tough West River. IMO when a kid is watching other kids, it seems exciting and fun to get on the bus with them.

My youngest just got out of Federal prison a few months ago. Spent 7 years there. She had it coming. Multi state meth distribution and an addict. She agrees she had it coming now. Got sober in prison. She has been home since OCT. Is working two jobs, one of them full time. She bought a car and has some money in savings. I am closing on a home purchase across the street at the end of the month. Daughter and my mom will live there. I have high hopes.

Sounds like your teaching that boy good values. Even if he makes a wrong turn its a chance he will change roads after his world falls apart.

In the end our kids are going to make their own choices. 3 of my kids and my step kid, all raised in the same house with the same rules and guidance, have always been responsible. You can only do so much. Can't live their life for them.

I suspect your boy has a real good chance of being an honest hard working man.

I sure hope so....i try not to make the same mistakes my parents did(or didnt do)

It’s terrible. I’ve been tracking it for a year now. I tell my boys don’t take anything you haven’t bought yourself. I’ve seen pics of it that looked just like a Advil. Scary stuff.

Mark, I don’t know how to post links on here so I’m texting you a short podcast I listen to every morning. It’s called The President’s Daily Brief. He covered the overdose crisis in great detail on May 12th. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

There is a lot of research, that shows some people have a genetic makeup that correlates to addiction and substance abuse. There is also a research, that shows many addicts have underlying issues such as bipolar disorder and they try to self medicate to control their emotions. I do believe that most kids get to a certain age and trying to fit in with the culture and their friends overrides common sense and making good choices. I have never talked to anyone that enjoyed there first cigarette, it was trying to fit in.

A very good reply. There's more to it than teaching them it's a bad choice that brings on bad circumstances. When a young person's mind isn't working properly none of that matters to them they just want to get rid of the irrational thoughts. Sure a few might fall victim to peer pressure but most don't want there lives turned upside down with addiction. A lot of underlying issues that cause the brain not to function properly.

I hear you . There is a problem BUT not where politicians want to point the fingers.
Pain pill over doses in 2021 were a VERY small percentage of those high numbers. (13,503) BUT the government went after the drug makers like going after a nuclear terrorist. While all along letting fentanyl being brought across the border n mass quantities.
Here's a numbers break down .
Total OD deaths 107,000 in 2021
Fentanyl 71,000
Meth 32,856
Cocaine 24,538
PAIN PILLS 13,503
But let's blame it on the prescription drug co because we can sue them. Don't want to hear whiney comments that "pills are what got them started" . I call bull hockey on that. Several on here that have pain med prescriptions that don't OD or move on to stronger stuff.
PLUS NEVER EVER EVER say drug addition is a disease !! That just offends , belittles, people that are fighting cancer or any other DISEASE . Because those people didn't wake up each morning thinking they couldn't wait until they could put some cancer into their bodies.

They want to clean up the herion addicts in san fran and other big cities. Start a 3 strike list. After they narcan them 3 times and they continue to do it , let them stand in front of God. Now start with "if it was your child" comments. My child would get his 3 strikes just like anyone. But "My child" was in the stand beside me at 3 , fishing tournaments at 5 . Got scolded when it was needed . Spanked when it was necessary .

Here's my link for the self appointed fact checker.

https://www.voanews.com/a/us-records-more-than-107-000-drug-overdose-deaths-for-2021/6567089.html

You believe that ? Those researchers want to find an excuse for the privileged folks that want to explain why Hunter ,or prince so and so uses. If that was the fact why didn't ALL the siblings with the same genetic make up use drugs? Users coming from parents that have never even smoked pot ? Yes I got a brother that moved to Washington state and then to Alaska. Only reason he came home was running from a drug dealer. He got back to Ky tried to sponge and steal from my parents. Couple trips to my dads barn and 3 broken tobacco sticks across the brow and he straightened up. But people want to give then the poor wounded heart treatment. But if it works for you have at it. Might put that on their tombstone.

Sorry was raised that straight talk is never misunderstood..................

Good old Kentucky hillbilly heroin is all about pills one of the highest addiction rates in the nation. The companies knew how addicting those drugs were and and lied about it like the tobaccos companies did. As I remember in one internal memos from a pharmaceutical companies one of the family members stated, "its great, we got them hooked and they are eating it like M&Ms." Yeah them and tobaccos companies law suits are BS.

Done M!