FC: As national media descend, the heroin catastrophe at Philly library worsens
- Thread starter mn78psu83
- Start date
World wars used to take our young people in droves. Now it is drugs. Every week the obituaries show teens and young adults who over-dosed. Very sad that our political leaders and medical professionals created this mess. It is everywhere, not just Philly. When have you seen so many young adults in the obits? Truly a major national problem affecting every neighborhood.
While I would not hold the drug manufacturers, government and some prescribers blameless, broken down, dysfunctional families had a lot to do with creating this mess. Like when kids grow up in a home where Mom has a rotating series of " boyfriends " and they party and get high a few nights every week. Some of these familes are into the second and third generation of this parental BS.
The drug epidemic has hit lots more than the dysfunctional family. It kills without discrimination to social status or wealth. I'm sure the dysfunctional have a higher percentage but it hits everywhere. I lost a great friend who never took anything that wasn't prescribed. He fell asleep and never woke up at 34 years old. Very sad situation. Mother and father were both teachers from a well to do family.
I'm sorry to hear about your friend.
My point is that when kids grow up like this, there is often nothing in their experience that would lead them to say " No " when they are offered drugs.
The problem is people getting a hold of drug they have no idea is so addictive and dangerous.
As someone who enjoys the occasional mind altering substance I know exactly how it happens. I went to extraordinary lengths to make sure I didn't fall in the trap.
It doesn't matter what your family background is. When you don't know any better you'll do something without understanding the consequences. Pharmaceutical grade heroin, or oxy, is dangerous to play with.
No, it absolutely does matter what your family background happens to be. Yes, anybody can become addicted, but if you grow up around hard drugs and get exposed to them often and at an earlier age you are far more likely to go down the path of addiction, especially if you have absent or bad parents. After 25 years of seeing this at close range, I have noticed that if people can make it into their mid 20's drug free, they are usually going to be OK as far as substance abuse.
If only, we'd have a ton more people running around with anxiety issues and paranoia.
LdN
Quite true. The Kensington area is a "working class" area that is NO LONGER working. Many can't afford to move out.
No jobs for those that are not college capable. A great deal of depression, anger and hate in the area.
Not sure what the short term answer is other than continued welfare.
bwifan
Well-Known Member
Talking to my kids who are very open with my wife and myself about the drug problem in schools today, it's every background and economic level. Big problem around the Philadelphia area is many parents not involved in their kids lives and giving the kids money "to go out and have a good time..." with their friends. Born and raised in central bucks area before moving to FL my kids said the wealthy kids parents throw $100 at each of their kids on both Friday and Saturday nights. They expect their kids and their friends to go to the movies and get some pizza. Instead the kids roll with a fresh c note to philly or their dealer for hits of heroin. The parents go out to dinner and party with their own friends and have zero clue that their kids are walking a very dangerous line. From what I can gather this is the same in each county surrounding philly... Montgomery Chester etc.
My next door neighbors daughter got addicted to heroin. Father was a high ranking police officer and mother a trauma nurse. Parents made sure their shifts were so 1 parent was always home with the kids both day and night. Daughter still ended up getting hooked. She is vey open about it and has been clean for about 7-8 years now. Scary as hell hearing her describe this addiction.
My next door neighbors daughter got addicted to heroin. Father was a high ranking police officer and mother a trauma nurse. Parents made sure their shifts were so 1 parent was always home with the kids both day and night. Daughter still ended up getting hooked. She is vey open about it and has been clean for about 7-8 years now. Scary as hell hearing her describe this addiction.
That doesn't explain why it's now an epidemic.
Those people were always at risk, what changed? Widespread access to pharmaceutical grade heroin in pill form.
We are in the middle of a societal break down and the drug epidemic is just one of many factors. One political party is responsible for 80 percent of it but I'll save that discussion for the test board. None the less a sad situation for us all.
The problem today originated in Big Pharma the practice of medicine. Physicians prescribed pain kills like M&Ms and people got hooked quickly. States only recently established rules about docs using a database to track patients' drug history. Once opioids are taken away, people turn to the options most affordable on the street...heroin.
Lost a 68 y.o. brother in law this way...former business owner and D1 football player. First used pain killers playing at Pitt in the 1960s. Was addicted more than 30 years.
Lost a 68 y.o. brother in law this way...former business owner and D1 football player. First used pain killers playing at Pitt in the 1960s. Was addicted more than 30 years.
It truly stuns me that we make a terror attack in London front page news while this epidemic gets scant headlines. This is not a 2017 issue but will be multi-generational. It's not as sexy as terror but short of some mega event will take far more lives day by day.
Yes, I've thought the same thing but we need to remember that you have the potential of terrorists flying planes into the U.S. Capitol, not to mention a dirty bomb.
The recent terror in the UK was a long time coming. The British literary magazine Granta had an article in 2008 about homegrown Islamic extremism in the UK that scared me shitless. Here's a link to a discussion of this article:
https://granta.com/the-rise-of-the-british-jihad/
Yes, the recent terror in Liverpool and London weren't mega events, as you say, but that article spooked me big time.
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