Drugs...and Death

Injury. Chaos. Maiming. Permanent disability. Death.

These are often the inevitable rewards of illicit drugs. May not seem so at the time; the escape, reverie, rush and blush of senses burgeoning to the top of a deep, deep sea. The gathering of friends to share the moment. Tickle of fear because it is forbidden the thing they we are about to do, to share. The culture of feeling, of fear, of drugs…of whatever sought but grasped so tenuously if at all.

Those of us not involved in this chemical journey are treated to news stories of aftermaths ~ home destroyed by fire, explosions as meth lab ignites;  young man searching for future felled by bad heroin load;  teen girl and promising athlete dead from accidental drug overdose; illness spreads among high school students – cocaine use suspected.  These stories continue in an endless litany of failed attempts to find nirvana. Tales of youth seeking release from that which plagues them. Their futures cut short by the very journey gone awry they embarked upon so lightly months or years before.

And parents wonder and weep. Friends of the dead sob their sorrows. News clippings of their death tread nicely around the cause of death and trumpet instead the high minded search for truth and happiness the young labored at. But no more. They died during their search, doing their trek. They were misguided. That’s why it is a tragedy.

A thought amid this misery:

            “Beautiful things happen in your life

            When you distance yourself from all

            The negative things.”

                                                ~Anonymous from Internet

Once I asked my college aged kids if drugs were available at their high school. They affirmed yes! They knew who to go to and where and when to buy the stuff. On high school property and off. It was in the culture you know. In one of the richest counties in America. Not a drug use of poverty but of wealth and privilege. A culture of use. A culture of abuse. A culture of failed journey. Survival will teach lessons not anticipated. We can only hope the lessons will lead to wholeness. Their wholeness of spirit and body and future.

It may be that is what they were searching for anyway. But how many failures delivered death and sorrow? The lesson was far more accessible without the risk of so much loss. The negative takes its toll; the positive builds rewards. It is the distance between the two – the stretch of neurological sinew – that informs best anyway.

I don’t want to think of the negative but it is there hitting us between the eyes on a daily basis. When I was in alcohol rehab I met many drug addicts. I hadn’t bargained for that but there it was. And although the patients were of diverse ages, the older adults (50’s and 60’s) were long gone from the drug scene; their struggle now was with booze. No; it was the young that shocked me. Fifteen and sixteen years old; pregnant, addicted to drugs and alcohol. So breezy of personality and accepting the status quo of the drugged culture. So blasé.

It stunned me. And yet they were learning first hand the negative offset by the promise of the positive. Would they learn that lesson? Would they turn their behavior to the better route? Only time will tell. This was nearly 7 years ago so one can only hope that they are on a better path to happiness and health.

But the struggle for society continues. The drug culture is everywhere. It knows no boundaries that excludes their entry. No age limits, either.

Imprisoning the miscreants, the users has done little good. The trade goes on. The damage mounts. Police and emergency responders do their best to stem the tide but…heads are scratched as the young continue to march to early death.

The why remains the mystery to me. I was never tempted, only alcohol but that still a drug. I have explored the why for my drinking and have arrived at a better place. For drugs, however, the gestation time is shorter and more deadly. How will we learn why the use is so enthusiastically engaged? If we knew that would it make any difference?

I’m not sure. Doing nothing, however, accomplishes little. Jailing people does not deter apparently. No; something else needs doing. Might it be listening?

Might listening help us understand what is going on well enough to stem the toll of death and ruined lives? Or is this something they must endure to garner the lessons we hope for them.

Friends. Relatives. Loved ones. Listen carefully. Slowly engage talk; no lessons. No moralizations. Just listen and understand and love. Love. Care. Let them know that. Maybe they will come to you before the next dose.

Maybe?

I leave you with this thought, another anonymous:

            “Compasssion. Learn it, teach it, share it.”

I add: Live it.

September 25, 2012