People dont talk to their kids about the affects of drugs and alcohol. Its sad but lots of kids have to be taught the hard way. I was very luck with my daughter Best teach able moment was when she had here wisdom teeth remove. She was very medicated. She decame very anger and cused eveyone out. The next day I talked to here about her behavior. I was honest with her about my past. Their is a reason WHY even though I have 2 disked fiused up I dont take pills daily for pain. I sadly expland this to my daught. I am a different person on pain medication. I can be VERY mean. Road rage. Fight with friends in my younger days and worst. I dont do well if I drink too much bourbon either. I told my daughter its like flipping a light switch or rolling dice. I told her ALL the fights and meaness that I got into as a young man was the cause of alcohol. I have broken things and hurt people and regret both. I didnt like sitting down talking to my daughter about this. But like i tolder here. This. Is in your blood. You got it from me. I told her to look at that as a teaching tool. She is 22 now. Graduated college Teaching middle school. Helps with DARE project at school. Keep kids of drugs. Does same with here church youth job. Its hard sometimes to talk to kids about drugs. But I am thankfull to GOD that i did

Lost a nephew 7 years ago to heroin overdose. Still think about him every day.

There you go Danvee, doing what most politicians do. Did I say pills wherenot addictive? No ! But if you had a stat on non leathal overdoses the other drugs would out number pain pills by a lot. Hillbilly heroin came from west viginia NOT KY . Do we have our share of meth heads and tweekers? You bet !
If you look at the chart below Ky does not have the highest rate of addiction. That belongs to Missouri . Ky is number 17 ........
Just google how many alcoholics are in the US . When is their day of reckoning? Not like the drug co are selling at the state fair. Corrupt Dr and pharmacy personnel are pipeline for pills. All this law suits and investigations did was make it hard for the people in chronic pain have trouble getting their meds. You quoted company e-mails. goggle the FDA new findings about pain medication prescriptions guidelines. They finally admitted that it did more harm than good. Thousands of people in chronic pain commited suicide. Others became home bound because they couldn't function. One of the news networks did a story couple years back about how the FDA guidelines restricting them was wrong.


https://www.porh.psu.edu/drug-use-by-state-2020s-problem-areas-wallethub-study/

This dad does,regularly.

Before the mouth gets started on how I condone pain pills that is not my stance on this subject at all !! I'm just tired of this epidemic as the rest of you. But the majority of the time and money isn't going to stop the MAIN reason for overdose deaths. It is widely publisized where and who made the pills. We get all that . Countless news stories about Dr and pharmacy techs getting rich peddling pills. But herion and fentanyl get mentioned but whats done about it? BOBO wants to read a statement saying there is a problem . It's reported that 85% of the fentanyl is coming in thru the border. STOP everyone and every vehicle and check them out or shut up and keep burying the OD'ers
Heck the Feds and big cities encourage drug use!! If they didn't why have "clean shoot up" places. Free needle exchange ! Heck force police to carry narcan. Can get sued if they don't administer it to a junkie !! They need to carry it incase of cross contamination overdose for them selves.

Better send $ and equipment to uke and ignore this domestic killer.....border wide open here, better secure uke border.

Keep screwing up kids minds from pre-k on with liberal ideals. That ougta help.

Our Daughter was saved a couple of time with Narcan. Used heroin and was in "big time" trouble since she was 14. Did time.
NOW she is a drug/alcohol counselor. Her clients and employers LOVE her, smart about addiction-not just "book smart".
She took a few years out of Mom and Me along the way.

I posted about my brother OD a few weeks ago. I didn't mention that his best friend I considered "my other little brother" died of an OD 5 years later. I am here to tell you all that addiction is a MENTAL problem, ye sit can become a physical issue as well, bu tit starts as a mental issue. You are trying to fill a void inside yourself that nothing can fill but yourself. You are trying to kill the pain or sadness, or depression or even the happiness at times by using your drug of choice. Its you way of dealing with things you don't want to deal with, can't deal with, don't know how to deal with or don't want to face. The drug is easier than fixing the underlying issues, which are the true cause of the addiction.

I speak from experience on both sides of the fence.

Many mental problems don’t strike until people are young adults. At that age no one can force them to get treatment other than a judge and unless they are found guilty of a felony crime that is unlikely to happen. For a parent, that young adult is the horse you can’t make drink. The lucky ones get it, the others end up in prison, on the streets, or dead.

Yooper1978, good question and there is no one-size fits all answer. But there are answers. Real ones that matter to real people in real time situations.
I have worked with many people who are addicted or on the path to addiction and the reasons are as varied as the people.
I'm Adlerian as defined by psychology meaning I believe as Alfred Adler (colleague of Sigmund Freud but did not agree with Freudian theory) that people's behaviors are a product of their choices in life.
So as the nation goes ever deeper into an immoral track on so many levels, the very basic premise that is created within us is not nourished.
EVERY PERSON has two longings built into them >>>> to love and be loved.. And not the junk that our sexualized culture calls love. That's unfulfilling.
So as people, (who often do not know), do things that harm their mind, body, and soul.... they are often quite receptive to learning God's Truth for their lives. We have some rather frank talks... they and I.
God values every person. He made them. But of course this 2022 post-Christian culture of ours knows best so they serve another round, pop another pill, and crank up another cheating song.

Everyone should realize, as they talk with their kids and kids, that we have become a nation that treats the addiction but not the underlying issues. We patch up the folks with a medical term, have them take medication in an attempt to help, but the people live as they always have, so the depression, anxiety, and brokenness, most often exhibited as shame, guilt, and anger do not diminish, let alone stop. So the folks self-medicate. And people die.

In our land, and in so many places the compassion givers (nurses/doctors/counselors/pastors) are worn thin. Many are quitting because the sea of broken humanity has effected them deeply also.
Those of us in the trenches will do what we can to give people real Truth and some times that means we take the scorn from the folks we support. That's ok. Darkness hates the Light. And it's not easy at all! Hundreds of times these past few years, I've sat with suicide survivors and a whole host of messed up people and I just give it to them straight.
Their plan ain't working. Period.
We know that once hope is gone, they will to live another day goes with it.
So we need to teach real hope and not the endless list of junk that's sold as pleasure or status or identity. That stuff is making people do things they normally would never do. Every 5 minutes another person dies of an opiate OD in America.

I have found that the mere fact that another human being would take a moment with someone who is suffering, look them eye to eye, which is human communication 101, and listen to them is key.
Teach Truth. Love Well and you'll have the best shot of winning in this 2022 landscape of false teachings and loving whatever and whenever.

I've watched too many people die that didn't mean to end up the way they did, and I've sat among too many fine families crying about "I can't believe this is happening."
In every instance it broke my heart.
It should break yours also.
If we are to remain a nation of free people who care for one another by the grace of God.

Blessings,
Mark

Yes the top three drugs you mentioned in your other post come through our border. Say what you will about “the war on drugs” but the US is being lax on sentencing. Mandatory life was taken off the table and i believe that was a tually during the Trump administration. The border is wide open as everyone knows. If it wasnt for Mexico, there would be a LOT less dope in this country. Death penalty should be assigned in many cases according to weight youre caught with or can be attributed to you. Speed up the process. DARE and anti drug campaigns have been used since the 80’s? Obviously not working. If a seizure is made on the border, you may plea to a life sentence. If you lose a trial it’s the death penalty. Otherwise watch every year become a record year for overdoses.

We had an ER Doctor here back in the 90's that had an "I don't care if I hurt your feelings" attitude. More than once they would have an OD come in. He would call all the persons friends into the ER, take them into the room with the body, then lock them in and tell them to sit there and think about their life choices.

I remember one time they had a kid of 17 come in as an OD and died. All his friends were in the ER waiting room laughing and making all kinds of remarks about the kid being a party animal. He took the body and put it in a regular 4-bed room. Then called all his friends in. I think there were about 20 of them. He told them they were allowed to leave once their parents came to pick them up. He then called all the parents and told them what had happened. Only one set of parents came in to get their kid right away. The rest of them waited over 2 hours to come get their kids. Two of those kids are now Presidents of their respective companies. The majority of them are leading very productive lives. Everyone of those kids came into the ER in the following months and years and thanked the Doc for it. They said it really opened their eyes to what they were doing to themselves.


When I wrecked my bike I got addicted to the opiates they gave me. I went thru withdrawal (with all the associated symptoms). It took about 7 days to get thru the withdrawal. I still felt like crap for about 3 months afterwards.

I think that a lot of the addiction is coming right from the medical field. They put you on these drugs for pain, then really don't give you a weaning program to help you get off them slowly. Then the insurance company says they aren't going to pay for them, or the Doc just stops prescribing them. So people go out and look for other ways to relieve their pain. Sadly Heroine is one of those drugs that is fairly cheap, easily obtained, and gives you almost the same pain relief that the prescribed drugs do.

I think part of the problems with this world is second chances. I think.....If everyone had one chance to do something they’d do better in life. For an example, if we chopped the hands off thieves I bet it’d be dang near no thieves.
You know kinda like warning labels on common sense stuff.... leave the label off an the problem will take care of it’s self

It's a problem but what's the solution? Go after legal prescribed pain killers to the point It hard to get enough to get someone through after surgery? All read doing that but the over dosing continues.

I feel for all the families affected and the lost drug addicts. Had some addicts in my family as well.

But at the end of the day it's a personal choice they make to put the drugs in their body, the risk are well know and publicized. So at the end of the day it a matter of free will. One thing for sure any government solution will have the opposite effect as advertised.

Jumping off a cliff will make you dead everytime , and yet people still do it

Drugs kill .....not always immediately but eventually

Maybe we shouldn't call these deaths an " overdose "

Makes people think they can underdose and be fine

Even the name, "War on Drugs" makes it sound so impersonal. Daggum those drugs. Always hanging around, always sneaking into the country, always finding a way into the schools.
At the core is the man or woman in the mirror and the life choices we make, and in 2022, America's people have unprecedented contempt for authority at any level.

God is declared dead.
Most hold disdain for the government.
Many distrust the police.

Christian Church is accused of being judgmental.
Government is accused of anything and everything.
Police are called racist and bigoted.

We will not stop the brokenness by doubling down on what hasn't worked at all in the past, but transhumanism is the next excitement to the progressives, so don't worry... they'll make an avatar outta ya and make you happy.

To those who are rowing against the ilk of our times, thank you. Buddy up and rest when you can.
Me.... I go trapping!

Blessings,
Mark

Psychologists tell us that scientific research shows that parents the initiate HIGH structure along with HIGH love in their homes have the best chance of producing healthy, well adjusted children.

The writer of Hebrews wrote that very same thing about God long ago.
But some parents use high structure with low love to raise children. This is usually referred to as "military" style homes. Usually rebellion is seen in kids by those of us in supportive pastoral or counseling roles, when we deal with these types of parenting environments..
Or low structure high love scenarios... which we call "Hollywood" style... which leads often to extremes of selfishness and narcissism.
Or low structure and low love which means.... oh boy, troubles in river city!
Again, these are averages, and there are of course exceptions. Some of you reading this are perhaps those exceptions.
But, as an overall culture, we have decided that separation of state from church has been turned around to mean separation of church from everything cultural so....
we as a culture don't teach godly truths in very many homes any more. So, whatever, wherever, whenever has now, and quite commonly, replaced God's Truth which has always been for our benefit.
We are living that harvest, but it is always good to know real Truth, so that we may know.
Praise God.

Hebrews 12:4-11
You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin
and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,
“MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD,
NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM;
FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, (High Love, High discipline)
AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.”
It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?
For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.
All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

This last verse 11 has the fruit everyone wants to pick and eat of. But many are searching for love in all the wrong places and don't want any discipline at all in their lives.
So off the rails we go.

Blessings,
Mark

Excellant post Pastor M! I"ve seen it...it rings true!!!!