28 Dec 2018 What Do We Do About Opioids?

What Do We Do About Opioids?

Rarely does a day go by that there is not an article in the news about opioids. Now I have to admit I have no experience in dealing with this issue.  I don’t know anybody hooked on them.  I probably have some very misguided opinions about it.  

Can we as a society do anything about it or does it come down to the individual? Does the person have to hit “rock bottom” before they can begin to change?  I don’t know.  I am not the most sympathetic person for drug addicts.  If you have to physically do something to take the drug, then just don’t do it.  Yes that is extremely simplistic and maybe naïve.  If you don’t just stop then how will you ever stop?  In the end it all comes down to an individual’s discipline. If they have it they will stop, if not they probably end up killing themselves.  No amount of hand holding or tough love will do it.  Is it hard to stop, it seems to be or all would.  Just because it is hard does not mean we shouldn’t do all we can to help the person help themselves to stop.  

I don’t buy into the argument that it is not in the addicts control. That is an excuse pure and simple. If that were the truth than nobody would be able to stop cigarettes cold turkey.  Somehow people do.  I know someone who stopped cold turkey after decades of smoking and never had another one. It was his choice it was his to control.  That’s why I asked, until the addicts chooses can we help at all?   

We can’t get rid of opioids. They have a valuable medical purpose when prescribed and used as intended.  We can and should invest in rehab facilities. We should only treat addicts as criminals when they commit criminal acts.  We should help addicts when they want to help themselves.  If an addict chooses to continue down that path, I don’t think investing in them is the best use of resources, find someone who wants to change and help them.  

We can’t save everybody.  We can only save those who want to be.  Adult addicts are still adults. Make them responsible for their choices and not excuses for them.