by Karen Telleen-Lawton, Noozhawk Columnist (read the original in Noozhawk by clicking here)
I am a friend of facts. They are dependable, interesting and usually unpretentious. But sometimes facts are used for avoidance purposes. They can be abused to sidestep an issue that has become too personal.
For instance, here are a few drug abuse facts. Diacetylmorphine is the scientific name for heroin. It is a semi-synthetic opiate derived from morphine. “Heroin” was actually the brand name given to the drug by the maker, Bayer, according to blogger Natalie Tracy for “Healthy Place: America’s Mental Health Channel.” Apparently, Bayer lost some of its rights to that trademark in the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. Maybe those bits wouldn’t check out, but nonetheless they are pretty interesting, don’t you think?
In 2008, the average age of first heroin use was 23.4 years. It used to be thought of as a problem mostly for black males, but abuse in the female population is increasing.
Multiple websites discuss how highly addictive heroin is, both psychologically and physically. Drug tolerance is built quickly, so higher and higher doses are needed for the same effect. This increases the likelihood of overdose. Some of these facts and statistics surprise me, but I guess they make sense.
Here are some facts about using heroin, for the uninitiated. There are six “desired effects” of heroin. They are listed by Ceida, an organization that produces a comprehensive guide on substance abuse for parents with younger children and teenagers. They are:
» Feelings of well-being
» Intense pleasure rush
» Euphoria
» Pain reduction
» Warmth, and sleep\lethargy
I’m not including the list of “undesired effects,” but it is 5.3 times longer than the desired effects. What are these six compared with 32 side effects, including death?
Drug abuse, including alcohol, affects nearly every family. The effect might be direct, through substance abuse, or indirect from the detritus of abuse, such as divorce, poverty and unrealized potential. Thousands of people of all ages are the victims of accidents caused by someone under the influence of a drug, legal or not.
I could quote a lot more statistics. I’m really tempted, to create a little more distance between this evil and me. But instead of avoidance, I’ll take down my wall of facts and substitute a poem. It’s not a beautiful or even great, but I’ve composed it from the heart, in memory of my young niece.
Overdose
May 24, 2013
Mostly I’m grateful for your visit last summer
You drove to California
Introduced us to your BF
Celebrated your cousin’s approaching motherhood.
You brought your scars, yes
But you were happy that day
I’m sure of it.
Grateful for our autumn weekend at your folks’.
Purple locks restored to brunette —
Your new look for job hunting
Locked back to normalcy for a moment.
So much an auntie doesn’t know
Did we try too hard, or not enough?
Did we care too much, or not enough?
I have known others for whom
Life was always a struggle
Each challenge unique
and uniquely unbearable.
Three strangers will live
Three will get a chance at normalcy.
But your parents loved you
More than life. No parent
Deserves to watch their child die.
Karen Telleen-Lawton, Noozhawk Columnist
Karen Telleen-Lawton is an eco-writer, sharing information and insights about economics and ecology, finances and the environment. Having recently retired from financial planning and advising, she spends more time exploring the outdoors — and reading and writing about it. The opinions expressed are her own.