Please don’t let me die!

My love,

It’s been a while since my last letter. I’ve been busy. Actually, I’ve been very busy.  I have so much to tell you.

Do you remember that little blond-haired boy who made everyone giggle at church every Sunday with his silly antics?  He is now a teenager. Can you believe that?  Well, I'm happy to tell you that I managed to get my hands on him.  Yes, it’s true. It happened innocently enough at a party.  He thought “just this once”. Ha!  How naïve.  I’m having a great time with him. His carefree nature is all but a memory.  You should see how devastated his family is. You should hear what people say behind their backs. Oh, how I love that!

When your daughter went to camp each summer, she met up with a nice young girl from Greenville. Do you remember her? What fun they had! They made such wonderful plans for the future. The sky was the limit with their imaginations. Well, I befriended that young girl recently. She is 20-years-old now, and no longer dreams of anything but me!  She has even sold her body to strangers to be closer to me. I knew I was charming, but this was amazing to see.  Her poor father is a wreck. Her mother died of cancer a few years ago. He is still grieving the loss of his wife, and now the loss of his only child. She is still alive, of course, but has become a shell of her former self.  I think she is beautiful with her hollow eyes, but he can’t even look at her without breaking down into tears. She has become the talk of the town, but not in a good way. Oh well, at least she still has me!

Oh, and you may want to dig out your good suit because you’ll need it in a few days. That kid who lived in the blue house with the white picket fence on Main Street died yesterday. I still can’t believe it! I’d been lurking around him for quite a while but he always resisted my charm. I hate it when that happens, but I waited. Patiently. With all his friends loving me, I knew it would just be a matter of time. Well, it happened finally. He tried me and fell in love with the pleasure that I brought to him. He couldn’t get enough of me.  Since he made me wait so long, I thought I’d have a little fun with him. I demanded more, more, more!! He lied, he stole, and he hurt others just to get access to me. I was so flattered and enjoyed every minute until the overdose. I am sure going to miss him.

I truly live in paradise. I am allowed to freely roam about ravaging all these people and no one is trying to stop me. Oh, there’s been some talk in the media. Politicians are giving lip service to my destruction, but nobody is really doing anything meaningful about it. Instead, they basically blame my victims and their families, while making me even more accessible.  In fact, I have a new family member arriving soon called Zohydro. Just wait until you see what she can do!  I mean, I couldn’t have it any better. It’s a beautiful thing to behold. I destroy lives, my victims get the blame, and I'm given even more power.  You can’t make this stuff up!

The best part of all is that most of my victims try me as teenagers; that wonderful time in life when brains are not fully developed enough to make rational, informed decisions. They are willing to take the risk because nothing bad will ever happen to them, don’t you know? Such sweet innocence. Such easy prey.

Of course, I couldn’t do any of this without you. I will always be grateful for the way that you glare with your judging eyes at those who are ravaged by me. How you talk about them so negatively to others. How you make mean-spirited comments online. How you think they are getting what they deserve. 

The stigma you cause ensures that my victims will not reach out for help. And, if they do reach out, it won’t be there (at least not to the extent needed to break free of me).  I’d be in big trouble if people understood my powers. They'd want to save people by getting rid of me. I would die a slow death. Please don’t let me die! Continue to be a strong, stigmatizing voice. Who cares about my victims and their families? Who needs them anyway?

Well, time to go and make my rounds. Your daughter’s college is a haven for me. I’ve become well acquainted with her best friend. It is a beautiful thing.

Affectionately yours,

Opiate 


Written by: Rose Barbour
 http://shadowsinpei.blogspot.ca/2014/06/please-dont-let-me-die.html

Addiction hurts

Few things are more devastating than watching your child suffer, knowing that they could possibly die, and you are powerless to change it. It matters not what your child is suffering from or how old they are. When they hurt, you hurt. If they died, you would be forever changed.

When any of our loved ones are suffering from a serious and/or life-threatening condition, we often reach out to family and community for support. People are always willing to help out their neighbours in need. Benefits are held, food is brought to the home, phone calls are received, cards arrive in the mailbox and visitors are always willing to listen and help in any way that they can. It certainly makes the journey a little more bearable for the person trying to get well and his/her family.

Unfortunately, stigma and a lack of understanding around some illnesses prevent many people from reaching out to family and community for the support that they desperately need. One of these illnesses is addiction, which kills more people each year than car accidents. It is a disease that is as devastating and deadly as any other but those battling it and their family members often suffer in silence. Many family members develop health issues of their own as a result of the stress and pain that they keep bottled up inside. Addiction hurts.

My heart goes out to family members suffering in silence because I’ve been where they are. We hurt because we feel so alone, scared and powerless. We love our family members and want them to get well. We don’t want them to die.

I also know the healing power of telling your story in a supportive group. For this reason, I teamed up with another mother, Roni Power, to start the 3 C’s Family Support Group. The three C’s stand for: You didn’t cause it. You can’t control it. You can’t cure it. Understanding the 3 C’s is the first step to healing.

We provide a safe place for family members to share their stories with others who understand. Our meetings are anonymous. You don’t even have to give your real name if you don’t want to. The important thing is that you come to a meeting and begin the healing process for you and your family. While you do not have the power to make someone enter recovery (trust me, I’ve tried!), you can find peace and understanding for yourself while you wait.

The 3 C’s Family Support Group meets every Tuesday night at 7:00 at the Reach Centre at 223 Mason Road in Stratford.

Sincerely,

Rose

Please click here for more information on 3 C's Family Support Group.

Grandma is a drug dealer

Up until about 15 years ago, we all understood that it took a village to raise a child. Parents instilled good morals and values; doctors and dentists helped to maintain good health; police officers enforced laws to keep our streets safe; lawmakers put age limits on things like alcohol that were dangerous for kids; and senior citizens provided that extra layer of protection to children in neighbourhoods.

With everyone working together, children were given a strong foundation for life.

Unfortunately, the world has changed.

Doctors and dentists are now prescribing very dangerous prescription opiates, which are ending up in the hands of our youth.

Police officers are being arrested for being involved with drugs.

Lawmakers are failing to enact laws to keep children safe from opiates. As a result, these dangerous pills have infiltrated our communities, playgrounds, schools, and homes. A young person’s drug of choice is whatever is available. In the past 15 years, that has been opiates. It is no coincidence that the rate of addiction skyrocketed in the same ten year period that prescriptions for Oxy (the one that started it all) increased by 850%.  And, that was just Oxy!! Many more dangerous prescription drugs came on the market when pharmaceutical companies saw dollar signs.

This “free for all” continues while more youth become addicted and some die. Even though they know this, the people who can actually do something about it are doing very little. Instead, even more dangerous drugs are being approved by the FDA and Health Canada (i.e. Zohydro, which is expected to kill people immediately upon its release). Pharmaceutical companies will laugh all the way to the bank while more and more families will make their way to funeral homes.

And then there are grandparents!  Some Grandmas and Grandpas are selling their prescriptions to subsidize their incomes. They have become drug dealers in our communities. We have to do a better job of taking care of our senior citizens. They should not be so destitute that they have to sell their medications in order to put food on the table. Of course, some also do it out of greed.

Parents can’t be with their children 24/7. Even though we instill good morals and values, there are too many dangerous things out there that are beyond our control. Things that our own parents didn’t have to deal with. For one thing, children have NEVER had such easy access to drugs, and highly addictive ones at that!

Children are, by nature, curious risk-takers, which is why we put age limits on such things as driving, alcohol, and cigarettes. We, as a society, try to protect kids from themselves with these laws. We have always understood that parents can only do so much. Where is the protection against opiates (the most dangerous product of all)? We have an OPIATE epidemic because profits have become more important than people. We have also done a very poor job of treating those who are sick with addiction.

I can’t make my community safe on my own and neither can other parents. We have to get back to the understanding that it takes a village to raise a child. This “free for all” with prescription drugs has gone on long enough. Individuals, families and communities have been destroyed because of greed. It has to stop. We have to demand that more be done to fix the problem.

Basically, we need to start caring about each other again.

Sincerely,

Rose

http://shadowsinpei.blogspot.ca/2014/05/grandma-is-drug-dealer.html
 

Leaving the City of Regrets

Leaving The City Of Regrets

By Larry Harp

I had not really planned on taking a trip this time of year, and yet I found myself packing rather hurriedly. This trip was going to be unpleasant and I knew in advance that no real good would come of it. I'm talking about my annual "Guilt Trip."

I got tickets to fly there on Wish I Had airlines. It was an extremely short flight. I got my baggage, which I could not check. I chose to carry it myself all the way. It was weighted down with a thousand memories of what might have been. No one greeted me as I entered the terminal to the Regrets City International Airport. I say international because people from all over the world come to this dismal town.

As I checked into the Last Resort Hotel, I noticed that they would be hosting the year's most important event, the Annual Pity Party. I wasn't going to miss that great social occasion. Many of the towns leading citizens would be there.

First, there would be the Done family, you know, Should Have, Would Have and Could Have. Then came the I Had family. You probably know ol' Wish and his clan. Of course, the Opportunities would be present, Missed and Lost. The biggest family would be the Yesterday's. There are far too many of them to count, but each one would have a very sad story to share.

Then Shattered Dreams would surely make an appearance. And It's Their Fault would regale us with stories (excuses) about how things had failed in his life, and each story would be loudly applauded by Don't Blame Me and I Couldn't Help It.

Well, to make a long story short, I went to this depressing party knowing that there would be no real benefit in doing so. And, as usual, I became very depressed. But as I thought about all of the stories of failures brought back from the past, it occurred to me that all of this trip and subsequent "pity party" could be canceled by ME! 

I started to truly realize that I did not have to be there. I didn't have to be depressed. One thing kept going through my mind, I can't change yesterday, but I do have the power to make today a wonderful day. I can be happy, joyous, fulfilled, encouraged, as well as encouraging. Knowing this, I left the City of Regrets immediately and left no forwarding address. Am I sorry for mistakes I've made in the past? YES! But there is no physical way to undo them.

So, if you're planning a trip back to the City of Regrets, please cancel all your reservations now. Instead, take a trip to a place called, Starting Again. I liked it so much that I have now taken up permanent residence there. My neighbors, the I Forgive Myselfs and the New Starts are so very helpful. By the way, you don't have to carry around heavy baggage, because the load is lifted from your shoulders upon arrival. God bless you in finding this great town. If you can find it -- it's in your own heart -- please look me up. I live on I Can Do It Street.

I did not write this excellent piece, but I LOVE it and wanted to share it with you. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Sincerely,

Rose

http://shadowsinpei.blogspot.ca/2014/05/leaving-city-of-regrets.html

I'm Tired Dear Lord

I’m Tired Dear Lord

By: Rose Barbour

I can no longer carry the weight

Of such a heavy burden

I’m tired Dear Lord

And my heart is hurting.

That little child you gave to me

Who I love beyond words

Is now someone I don’t recognize

Flying higher than the birds.

He is a slave to a disease

That is devastatingly cruel

Lord, I’m trying to protect him

Isn’t that the rule?

In complete desperation

I stay up late each night

Praying for the answers

But I just can’t make it right.

Everything I’ve tried has failed

His addiction keeps on winning

I’m on a roller coaster ride

And my head is spinning.

I am exhausted, sad and

Have nothing left to give

I ask you Dear Lord

Please let my child live.

Save him from the grips

Of the demon’s hands

Please bring him back home to me

For I no longer can.

A mother’s love is a blessing

But sometimes it’s not enough

I need some help from you, Lord

This life can be so tough.

Please give me guidance

On what I’m supposed to do

Please help my heart to heal

From all it has been through.

I’ve met so many great parents

Who are living through this hell

Please open your arms to them

And heal their hearts as well.

Amen

http://shadowsinpei.blogspot.ca/2014/05/im-tired-dear-lord.html

Beautiful song version of this poem: https://youtu.be/YP6QFtY78sY