Are You Tired Yet?

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired. I’m tired of doctors over prescribing, pharmaceutical companies developing new and more powerful opiates, and their continuing marketing practices. I’m tired of law makers taking their sweet time changing the laws, not only as it pertains to doctors and pharmaceutical companies, but also the changes that need to be made to punish drug dealers with stiffer and more lengthy jail sentences. In fact, if someone overdoses they ought to give the drug dealer the same sentence as the overdose victim: death.  In my opinion, some doctors should fall in to the same category as drug dealers.  So guess what…give them the same sentence!
 
I’m so tired of parents not listening, not believing addiction can happen to their child, and even not believing when it’s staring them right in the face.
 
But most importantly I’m tired of death. I’m devastated to share that we lost another young man last week. He was found in his bedroom by his brother. He would have been 23 years old this August. The last time we heard from him was June 6th and he told us he had relapsed. We begged him to come in so we could help him through this but we never heard from him again.

The passing of anyone is always heart breaking but it is particularly tragic when a young person dies of an overdose because we know that just maybe it didn’t have to end up that way. We do know, that sometimes, it is going to happen, and no matter what we do, we simply can’t stop the madness that addiction brings.
 
As I sit here thinking about this young man and his family, I can’t help but ask myself, could we have done more as an organization and am I personally doing enough? The answer is never a definite “yes” or “no”, the answer is always, “keep pressing forward, the fight is not yet over”. What I do know is that P.A.I.N. and I will continue to press forward to help those individuals and families struggling with addiction. As I sit here mourning this young man, I have to keep in mind all of those we have helped over the years, those we help set on the right path to recovery, and those who are now living productive healthy lives.
 
As I’m writing this, news came over my phone that David Feherty, a former pro golfer and now a golf analyst sent a tweet that his oldest son just died of an overdose. He was 29 years old. Tired Yet?

I am.
 
We've been given a task and we are going to see it through all the way to the end. We are going to see it through the good times and bad, through the tears and heart break and yes, through the joy, laughter and happiness that sobriety brings. We are going to continue this fight by telling the truth about addiction to parents, doctors, lawyers, law makers, school districts and to anyone else that are within ear shot. I’m going to fight against crappy treatment centers that give false hope and charge outrageous fees just so they can line their pockets and I’m going to promote the good ones that actually care and know what they are doing. I’m going to expose doctors that are over prescribing all in the name of pain management. After I expose them and they want to come and get me, so be it. Come and get me, I welcome the fight because I’m tired and now I’m pissed off. If you thought I was mad before, you ain’t seen nothing yet!

Are you tired yet? If you are, then get mad. There is nothing wrong with being frustrated about something and taking a stand. It’s what you do with the anger that counts. I sincerely hope you will join me in this fight!