Another drug-related death

Another drug-related death of a young man (in his 20s) this week (not to mention the gentleman in his 50s or the woman in her 30s, they are no less tragic and they also died drug-related deaths this week)

He died of heroin intoxication, abuse, over-use. What also stood out with this young man is that when we tested several items from his room for drug residue we came up with results that beg action or reaction. We found a dollar bill with heroin residue, cocaine residue on his dresser, cocaine and THC residue on a small scale in his room, and a part of a jeweler’s screwdriver with THC residue.

Youthful experimenting? To me it screams the need to get honest information repetitively out to the public (how do you get it to the youth of our community?). Among other important bits of information, that the heroin on our streets right now is potent and particularly deadly. We must develop and push prevention; we must develop and push treatment.

It will be work, hard work, but aren’t these folks worth it?

The Clock of Life ~

I dedicate this to you Kerry ~
I shall miss you dearly ~

The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour.

To lose one's wealth is sad indeed,
To lose one's health is more,
To lose one's soul is such a loss
That no man can restore.

The present only is our own,
So Live, Love, toil with a will --
Place no faith in 'Tomorrow' --
For the clock may then be still.

Robert H. Smith
©1932-1982

Suicidal Thoughts ~ watch your child

I read Dr. Keller's blog everyday.
I find information that helps guide me through this process of losing a child.
I share all of this with you so that maybe just maybe you would 'get it'

- we, yes we as parents are responsible for gaining the knowledge and passing it on to your children, not the teachers in the public schools, yes they need to be educated as well.

Excuse me! Did you know that Suicide, not accidents, not homicide, is now the third leading cause of death of high school students doesn't this disturb you.
The world is different, the world has changed.

- we must teach and education them at a younger age
- we as parents can change the future of our children
- we need to wake up and "Smell the Rose's"

What do they say - learn something new everyday, well keep clicking, dig deeper ~ trust me this is just a small start!

New York Times

Symptoms
Early signs:
Depression
Statements or expressions of guilt feelings
Tension or anxiety
Nervousness
Impulsiveness
Critical signs:
Sudden change in behavior, especially calmness after a period of anxiety Giving away belongings, attempts to "get one's affairs in order" Direct or indirect threats to commit suicide Direct attempts to commit suicide.
------
Suicide: premeditated vs. "crime" of passion
Friday, July 11, 2008,
Dr. Richard Keller - blog post

I came across an interesting article this week (via the NAME list serv) about suicide. Early on it brings up an interesting statistic that “the nation’s suicide rate (11 per 100,000 inhabitants) is almost precisely what it was in 1965”. Despite all the research, all the programs, all the new medications, the rate has not changed in over 40 years. That really is startling.

The author, as well as some researchers, feels that that is due to a dichotomy in suicidal behavior, much as there is in homicide. He discusses a premeditation vs. passion division amongst deaths by suicide. The premeditated suicides are most easily impacted by programs, medications, and therapy. The passion or impulsive suicides not so much. His discussion resonates with my experience.

The impulsive suicides are best impacted by creating “barriers to suicide or means restriction”. This was well documented (and then ignored) in the 60s and 70s in Great Britain. Death by suicide dropped by a third with the change from coal-gas to natural gas stoves during those decades. In the 50s “sticking one’s head in the oven” accounted for half of all British suicides. "Many of those were impulsive acts using a means with little time for second thoughts". “Remove it, and the process slowed down; it allowed time for the dark passion to pass".

We need to modify how we address death by suicide, how we think about death by suicide. They are not homogeneous (neither the individuals nor the methods) and likely require multiple, varied interventions. Youth particularly fall into the more impulsive category, making brief, timely interventions critical. This recognition of differences can lead to more successful intervention.

But never lose sight of the underlying condition:

"They had wanted their inner pain to stop; they wanted some measure of relief; and this was the only answer they could find. They were in spiritual agony, and they sought a physical solution."

Listen to him ~ HEAR HIM SPEAK!

Let's deal with the issue by changing the subject ~

"It isn't anyone's fault for something so bad to happen, but people should look into how they relate to another.

This is very real, as real as it gets I feel. It really is all about how you choose to act and be around the people we share this word with. Everyone's got emotions and feelings, and we can brush it off as naive, but when it comes down to it, these are the things we love about our friends, family, and so on.

Sometimes we get caught up in our own B.S. that we forget that how we act and choose to carry ourselves inadvertently affects those around us.

Whether we realize it or not, but we usually don't, that's the thing.

Sometimes we think time heals all wounds and actions will just wash away, but they don't.

Every action has a reaction, like the great Issac Newton said.

We all need to realize that our actions do have consequences.

I do my best to be good to people, and everyone should always keep that in mind as well. It's not the easiest thing to do, it's challenging, but anything that is truly rewarding usually is. As tough as times get, it's important to carry respect and live as though "God" is watching, or just for the simple fact that it feels better.

Let your conscious be your guide. We see others behaving badly or non-righteously and we can get caught up in it.

Like a fine line between sensitivity and truly hurt feelings, there is also between humor and disrespect.

Everyone deserves some form of respect, but don't let yourself be taken advantage of in the process."
"Be Righteous. Live Righteously."
"Peace, Love, and Happiness."

~Listen to him hear him speak ~
A note from one of Jon's good friends.

Take the Drug Test

I'll tell you my score if you tell me yours?

Click!

Change Part 2 ~

Anonymous said:
"Open the door for them so they can hold out their hand to you."

I knocked on that door to my friends who became stranger's ~ they shut the door in my face ~ at least my hand was out of the way ~

Young people die using/abusing drugs

Dr. Richard Keller

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Young people use/abuse drugs. Young people die from using/abusing drugs. We need to stop young people from dying from drug use/abuse. (The same goes for older people, but it always seems more shocking when it is young people who die. Is more potential lost?)

I was reading an interview with Dr Drew Pinsky (currently rehab doctor to the stars) recently and he sure makes it sound tough. Although he wasn’t talking about young people in particular, he laid out the 3 events that motivate change in his experience, i.e. motivate folks to quit abusing drugs:

Near death experience (i.e. the drug abuser nearly dying)
Looking in the mirror and feeling genuine disgust
Loss of your children, having them taken away (particularly true of women)

I feel there must be other ways to motivate the desire to make the life change involved in quitting the abuse of the drugs, particularly in young people. Or do we work at instilling self-disgust, if his motivating events are all-inclusive. The younger the person is when we begin to intervene the less entrenched the drug abuse behavior is. That should make available more intervention options. Of course, prevention is an even better goal to drug abuse prevention.

“Just say no” isn’t working, as evidenced by multiple studies. We need real, evidence-based intervention strategies. Scaring them straight doesn’t work. Their minds are still developing, but their intellect is there. Interventions need to use that fact.

There has to be something that we can do.
The 24 year-old young lady didn’t need to die today.