[Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with a link to the panel discussion. The discussion was recorded by Mt. Blue TV and can be seen on their website, located here.]
FARMINGTON – It was a father’s heartbreaking story of losing his daughter to heroin that brought the tragedy home for those attending a forum at the University of Maine at Farmington Wednesday night. The discussion addressed the alarming rise of the drug in Maine.
Sgt. Matthew Baker, a 29-year veteran officer with the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office, told a hushed auditorium of more than 50 people how he had tried to revive his 23-year-old daughter, Ronni, after she had overdosed on heroin.
Coming home at 2:30 a.m. after working the late shift on Feb. 26, 2015, Baker would find his daughter in the bathroom, slumped over the toilet, not moving.
Her face was blue and she was unresponsive.
“I felt her heart beat once and I started CPR,” Baker said. “Basically, my daughter died when I was doing CPR on her.” As an experienced officer and a father who knew his daughter had been using drugs off and on, “I knew it was an overdose. I knew what was going on,” he said. After calling 911, he continued CPR to no avail.
“About three hours later, I watched them wheel my daughter out on a gurney. This was the daughter who used to sit on my lap and talk about fishing with me. Now she sits on my mantle,” Baker said quietly.
Farmington Police Chief Jack Peck said he grew up in Farmington and has served 27 years with the department. In the mid-1990s, as an undercover agent with the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, he routinely bought the drugs LSD, crack cocaine, cocaine on the street in sting operations but, “I never bought heroin. Now, it had really exploded” in the number of cases he sees locally. Most disturbing is the rising number of overdose deaths in a small town of 7,760 in just the last few years. Peck listed a half dozen cases; one was a 22-year-old just two weeks ago.
Maine is experiencing a heroin epidemic, as is most areas of the U.S. The resurgence of heroin came after prescription opiate pills became much more difficult and very expensive to obtain. In 2010 in Maine there were seven deaths attributed to heroin overdoses, and heroin was far down the list of illegal drugs that were of the most concern to law enforcement and medical professionals. In just five years the number of deaths attributed to heroin, sometimes combined with its more powerful synthetic cousin fentanyl, has skyrocketed to between 160 and 170 people. Fentanyl is similar to heroin, morphine, and other opioid drugs, but it is 50 times stronger by dose, Baker noted. All of these drugs work by binding to the brain’s opiate receptors that control pain and emotions. Addicts snort and or shoot up heroin.
In response to a question of cost, Sgt. Edward Hastings of the Farmington Police Department, said locally one Oxycontin pill will sell for about $45, while a single packet of heroin, referred to as a “tab” or “ticket,” can run $20. An addict may go through $600 to $700 worth of heroin a week, he estimated.
From his prospective, District Attorney Andrew Robinson agreed at “how pervasive heroin is in our lives. It’s in every aspect of our community and it also creates victims of crimes,” like theft and burglary.
“It’s hard to decide what to do,” Robinson said of the epidemic. The traditional solution is to put someone in jail, he noted, but then they get out and continue their addiction. There’s also the alternative of a deferred disposition which offers incentive for those charged with a crime a chance to take responsibility, get treatment and show they won’t recommit crime. After a prescribed period of time of proving they are staying drug-free and out of trouble, the original charge is lowered or dismissed.
A third alternative is Drug Court, an intensive program with representatives in all aspects of the court process who with councilors overseeing treatment regularly gather to assess an addict’s progress. Of the estimated 9,000 cases in Robinson’s three-county district of Androscoggin, Oxford and Franklin, 26 people are currently in the drug court program. “It’s the Cadillac of programs,” he said.
Robinson noted of the state’s heroin use, “we’re not going to arrest our way out of this. Treatment is the answer.”
Psychiatrist Art Dingley of Evergreen Behavioral Services, a provider of emergency mental health response programs in greater Franklin County, described seeing a Drug Court session and thinking it was “amazing.”
“We need recovery-based treatment,” he said, “not abstinence-based.” He said methadone clinics continue to feed the addict’s need but offer little in how to get along without medication.
“Recovery is more than not using drugs,” Dingley said and he added, “Why not more Drug Court? Because it’s expensive.” He pointed out that the number one addictive substance is nicotine and tobacco is killing 600 to 700 people a year in Maine, according to 2012 statistics. He called nicotine “a gateway drug” to heroin and that all heroin addicts smoke tobacco. While a whole lot of government funding-Medicaid and Medicare-is spent on treatment of tobacco-related diseases, which cannot be cured, little funding is allocated towards treatment for heroin addicts.
“People don’t just pick up heroin; the mind-altering starts with tobacco,” he said.
Three days ago, the initiative Operation HOPE, for Heroin-Opiate Prevention Effort, was launched locally to help guide addicts towards treatment in a collaborative program of the Farmington Police Department, Wilton Police Department and Franklin County Sheriff’s Office with Franklin Community Health Network and Evergreen Behavioral Services.
The program encourages people suffering from drug addiction to contact local law enforcement for help. People turning in illegal drugs, paraphernalia and/or misused prescription medication at the police stations can do so with amnesty.
“People can bring in whatever they have, we don’t care,” Peck said of the drug disposal program. Addicts and family and friends of addicts are encouraged to talk with a police officer, counselor or healthcare provider without the fear of prosecution.
“We just want to get them into treatment. I want to help get them the help they need,” Peck said.
Addicts have to want to get help, Baker noted. “I talked to Ronni a thousand times. It fell on deaf ears.” He added after her death, her boyfriend said they went through $3,000 worth of heroin in two weeks after she received her tax refund money.
Dingley said helping addicts get off heroin is most successful through use of a recovery motivational therapy model. The counseling begins by first engaging the addict to try and determine where they think they are. “Someone who’s thinking they may have a problem may be able to engage,” he said. From there, the addict is asked if there are any changes he or she can do to make things better.
“So if you can engage someone to succeed at that first step,” he said, you can engage them towards getting off the drug and back into life. The method used now through methadone clinics or prescribed Suboxone, also commonly used to treat opiate addiction, is “if you screw up, you’re done. It has limited success,” Dingley said. “Recovery is always two steps forward and one step back.”
Peck added that it’s important to start the conversation in school. “I still believe in enforcement and treatment rehabilitation. “It’s still important to have that conversation. If you see something, make the call for counseling, keep talking.”
Robinson said those addicts who continue to stay connected to their community are the most likely to recover. “You have reason to be a part of the community and be sober,” he said. A community that ostracizes addicts only drives them further away and they will “act like someone who doesn’t want to be a part of the community,” he said, adding: “on the other side there are people who should go to jail.”
While some people have said it’s the addict’s problem, not society’s, Robinson said the mind-altering drugs cause seismic shifts in a person’s thought process. “We don’t blame people with dementia,” he said. In ignoring that recovery treatment is essential to stopping the drug use, “you’re just putting off what we know is a growing problem.”
State Sen. Tom Saviello, R-Wilton, attending the forum said he intends to introduce a bill soon that sees to expand healthcare insurance for incarcerated addicts who want to get treatment and are currently not insured.
All of the panelists agreed that there is a lack of resources in the state, particularly the rural areas of Maine, where addicts can get help.
“There’s the will, but a gaping hole for resources,” Robinson said.
The Daily Bulldog hosted the community discussion event, which was moderated by Woody Hanstein, as part of an occasional series of forums that looks at the major issues facing Franklin County and the state.
[Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with a link to the panel discussion. The discussion was recorded by Mt. Blue TV and can be seen on their website, located here.]
To Tom Saviello, expanding healthcare to those incarcerated will only become more of a burden on the backs of the already struggling tax payers in this overtaxed state of Maine. We already pay enough for those that don’t for themselves. Enough is enough.
So heartbreaking to see anyone addicted to anything..
Oh we are such a complicated species.
It is what it “has always been and will always be.
Because we’re human.
Lets not be ignorant and judgemental about these addicts..
It could be you are one of your loved ones..
It may be some day.
Hope not.
Lets do what we can to help the addicts.(it’s ultimately up to them).
Lets NOT forget the families of these folks who are going thru a living hades,,,because they love them.
The daughter who is now on dads shelf in a jar..
Tough stuff folks.
As long as chaps from away can bring this death into our state, we will lose people. Heroin will kill the user, first day or the last. It doesent change, it’s death by the gram. Coddling users and dealers has gotten us nowhere and it never will. Mr Saviello apparently likes spending Maine taxpayers money on a fools mission. I hope the voters remember this folly when election time comes around. Mainers deserve better from our elected republican reps.
We cannot treat our way out of this mess. It’s going to take a serious law enforcement effort and committed courts that punish the dealers and those selling and using this poison in our community. There has to be a serious downside to killing people for profit. Junkies aren’t members of the community to be the focus of our empathy. Rather, they and the dealers represent an invading alien force that is a defined threat to our families and our state. These felons break a myriad of state and federal laws, their efforts result in death and they profit from the sale of an illegal substance. If these folks were terrorists killing our neighbors, what would we do? I suggest that these dealers and their junky followers represent a clear threat to life and should be dealt with accordingly. Governor LePage suggested the death penalty and frankly his suggestion is spot on. It’s a tough sell in a liberal town but who would you rather see die, the dealer or some clueless twenty something.
Having 2 daughters around the same age as Sgt Baker’s, I got a lump in my throat reading of his heart-wrenching account of unspeakable grief and loss. God bless him, and Godspeed on his own journey of healing and recovery from the hardest thing a parent would ever have to go through. As this epidemic of heroin fatalities has exploded in the state, there seems to be a vocal segment of our citizenry that un-empathically espouses to the “they deserved to die” mentality. As if somehow our society benefits from some perverse idea of addiction related natural selection. I would say to those compassion-challenged individuals to look Sgt Baker in the eye and tell him to his face, instead of from an anonymous comments board posting, that his daughter’s life didn’t have value – that her life didn’t matter – and that she didn’t deserve the opportunity for recovery and rehabilitation from the horrible scourge of heroin addiction.
Law enforcement is clearly far out ahead of our Governor and DHHS on the need for improved treatment and rehab resources in our state. Where because there is un-allocated state or federal money left in a DHHS drug treatment account at the end of the year, they can somehow claim that treatment resources are adequate for addiction care in our state. DA Robinson noted that we can’t arrest our way out of this problem. But nor can we just exclusively treat, nor educate, nor legislate, nor incarcerate, nor prevent our way out of the problem. It will take comprehensive resource allocation to all of those areas in consort in order for our communities to get our collective arms around the addiction epidemic. Our Governor needs to follow the lead of law enforcement on this if our state ever has a hope of having a unified and non-partisan response to adequately address and manage this societal crisis.
This was a very informative session, my heart goes out to the officer for going through and talking about the loss of his daughter. The Hope program, Chief Peck talked about sounds very helpful and I really hope it works.
I come from a family of alcoholism and addiction. Lost a member from heroin.
I guess the term is…. thinking from a proactive rather than reactive standpoint. Why did the person first use? Curiosity? Pain, mental or physical?
Coming from a dysfunctional home was what lead to my families downfall. But ultimately it is our choice, use or choose not to.
One thing I didn’t notice in the article was since cutting back on pain prescriptions leading to cost/heroin use what is the alternative to valid pain relief? By saying ” here take this for x amount of years to manage your pain, now we are going to stop prescribing it because of wide spread abuse ” doesn’t make sense. Of course if someone is in that much pain they will do what they feel it takes, purchase on the black market.
It is good to see it out in the open and addressed.
Heartbreaking, you said it very well!
Well……………
I feel sorry for Peter. Unless he is absolutely “perfect”.
Because I believe that in the same manner in which you judge others, so shall you be judged.
And I believe this applies to me too.
God Help Us,
Peter is dehumanizing the dealers and users.
This makes it easier to kill them.
(The extreme pro abortion folks do the same thing).
These are real living people.
Are you?
Then you have the ones that claim they are in pain just to get the drugs, I know a few. It isn’t even safe for the elderly to have medications for pain especially if they live alone. This world is in a very bad way, I don’t know if there is a way to stop this.
What is the answer? My family is torn apart by this drug. It affects and hurts everyone involved. Heroin is a huge problem and here comes
Flakka and what is next after that. I do believe it starts at the Dr’s they will give almost anything if you say the right words. The drug company’s are making Millions. What happen to take 2 aspirin and call me in the morning. No they give them addicting drugs instead. We need to do something these drugs are killing people.
Maine citizens don’t have and should not support addicts or dealers. Maine doesent need ” free needles” or methadon for poor unfortunate junkies. One concept blindly supports addiction and the second coddles the users. Maine taxpayers should not be supporting the drugggies, their habits or treatment. It’s all wrong and it’s not our responsibility. Nor should our ill informed pols expect us to pay for this foolishness. How’s a bout all the concerned liberals out there pay for the junkies and out of state drug dealers out of their own pockets? Seems fair enough to me, kind of a bleeding heart “liberal” put your money where your mouth is analogy. I realize a lot of money is garnered off this side show by all the ancilary agencies, healt groups etc, all offering “services” but enough is enough. Arrest the users and execute the dealers. Governor LePage had the right idea.
Keep this in perspective, If you can see past the yellow journalism, if you can shoot a man on the street with a knife for being a clear threat to public safety, executing a heroin dealer should not be a departure from your credos or defensive posture. The dealer is a far larger threat to our families, our community and the users than any single assailants ever could be.
Peter,
I am never prouder to live in this country than when I see that a moron like you has his right to express his opinion. So keep it up.
Yes Peter blame the bleeding heart liberals..
I am a staunch conservative and proud of that and what it means.
What is does not mean is to be ignorant.
If you call yourself a conservative….one of us is lying.
The bible states that;
Faith is the “substance” of things hoped for,, the “evidence” of things not seen.
Faith is real…Getcha Some !!
A little bit goes a very long way………
Tip boy,
Careful who you classify as a moron…you ain’t t looking that bright.
Thank you, Daily Bulldog for hosting this important forum. I attended a similar panel discussion in that very UMF auditorium about 5 years ago, with many of the same panelists. Clearly the problem has escalated tremendously in that time. My family has become a victim of crime related to the epidemic (home broken into with theft). This drug scares me. And I believe it’s fueled by over-prescribing of prescription opiates — I’ve seen that first-hand. Thank you, also Bulldog, for providing an updated link to the MBTV recorded video. I planned to attend, but was unable to due to work commitments.
LePage for President ,Or vice. Lets get down to Business. No more Panzy footing around !!! Well put Peter. Some Boarder control wont heart either.
Quoting Peter: Keep this in perspective, If you can see past the yellow journalism, if you can shoot a man on the street with a knife for being a clear threat to public safety, executing a heroin dealer should not be a departure from your credos or defensive posture. The dealer is a far larger threat to our families, our community and the users than any single assailants ever could be.
The Jail/Prison cant even win the war on drugs…with everyone other than employees subject to search and can never leave the facility.
A heroin dealer and a knife wielding crazy man are not the same thing.
Q-tip
February 4, 2016 • 6:17 pm
Peter,
I am never prouder to live in this country than when I see that a moron like you has his right to express his opinion. So keep it up.
Agree 100%
To the people who talked of the pharmaceutical industry I again would agree 100%
With the rate Opiates have been prescribed a slew of this is to come and instead of street junkies who grew up in a culture of drugs. Your going to have white and blue collar addicts running out of legal ability to acquire their newfound vice or not wanting to keep getting a script because their wife/husband will know, and they will turn to street dealers for heroin.
Very few people become heroin addicts through a needle, almost 100% started with pills (legal or otherwise).
The dose will always have to increase if your on them forever, and most people will have problems coming off them if there not on them forever.
Good for Maine to try to get ahead of this issue, Please educate your children- the sad part of this is if you didn’t grow up around drugs and/or have never used drugs you will most likely be reciting propaganda written by and for the Fed Guberment and you will be tuned out. I don’t have a good answer for that other than to look to friends/family who may have some first hand knowledge.
Thanks to chief Peck. I think it is a solid approach
“The traditional solution is to put someone in jail, he noted, but then they get out and continue their addiction.” Equally, if not more so, true of treatment programs. Why wouldn’t it be? How many drunks, druggies, narcissists, sociopaths, or serial killers have you seen change their ways? Addicts are addicts, most of them don’t WANT to change! Exhibit A: “Addicts have to want to get help, Baker noted. “I talked to Ronni a thousand times. It fell on deaf ears.” Treatment is merely talking to addicts, who very likely just put up with it in hopes of being released back to their addict ways sooner because of it. It is quite possible that many of them don’t even want to live. Letting them run around loose endangers innocent people. How about some statistics on whether prison or treatment have cured a higher percentage of addicts? Unless it can be shown that treatment is markedly better, it is grossly irresponsible to turn addicts loose where they can endanger the public.
Tip I’m also proud of what our country was and I’m embarrassed by what liberals have done to it. Your personal attacks aside, I and other concerned citizens will continue to voice our concern on how and where our tax dollars are wasted. As Maine trends more conservative you can expect more push back to your less than stellar approach to coddling drug dealers and junkies in our communities.
Pure, drug dealers are killing our citizens. A knife wielding individuals could kill a citizen. It’s the same threat. Do the math, if you can.
Maine has embraced a liberal ghetto culture of late. We are reaping the fruits of ghetto culture when we see heroin dealers in our state. Think Detroit, the Bronx, Newark or new Haven. Welfare centric communities where politicians pander to the minorities for votes and the police are powerless because they are limited by a pervasive PC culture. This is what liberals bring to the table and this isn’t a road Mainers want to go down.
Tobacco is the gateway drug to heroin?? Can we finally say we’ve heard it all?
This is such a serious issue.
So thank you, Peter, for your hysterical use/invention of the phrase “liberal ghetto culture.”
You old, white rascal, you.
Alcohol can kill you, it can ruin your liver and kidneys before you die. Medicare pays for your care. Your taxes pay for Medicare.
Nicotine can kill you. It can ruin your lungs before you die. Medicare pays for your care. Your taxes pay for Medicare.
How is it that it’s “O.K.” to use your taxes to pay for treatment of alcohol and nicotine users, but not o.k. to put any money into paying for treatment for heroin users?
Sandy,
Heroin possession, use, sale or transport is a federal and state level felony. Food, tobaacco, alcohol and stupidity are actually legal in our country. That’s the difference.
Nice answer, Peter.
Peter,
You may disagree with the premise, which is certainly your right and your prerogative, that we have an emergency care system, and a mental health care system, and an addiction care system, and a social services system that intrinsically values treating people rather than judging them.
Regardless of causation or provocation, legality or illegality, and without regard or prejudice based on ones political persuasion, racial ethnicity, or social status. In doing so, it reinforce the roles that empathy, compassion, and mutual respect engender as core values of a civilized society.
I’m guessing that if a drug dealer got your son or daughter hooked on heroin, and they overdosed and died, some of you might not feel quite so much “empathy, compassion, and mutual respect” for him!
Putting people in jail for 1-3 months is sometimes the only option available. Jail serves as a wake-up call and detox facility of last resort. Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings should be available daily, not weekly, in the jails, with incentives to attend built into the ‘good time’ laws. This program is free. There is no excuse for not implementing a program that is free. One NA meeting a week is as good as no NA meetings a week. For at least the first 90 days of attempted recovery, daily attendance with daily attendance and support is necessary for the program to have a chance to work. There are people who will attend for the ‘good time’ or because attending is less boring than sitting in a cell, but even these, down the road when they are ready, sometimes benefit for having a connection to the program.
Drug courts, at this time, seem to be the most effective treatment programs, especially for addicts who are too far gone to be able to stay on track without them. Meanwhile, there is no excuse for the jails not implementing the ’90 meetings in 90 days’ free treatment model immediately.
Those of us with time in recovery need to come out of the woodwork and step up to the plate to help the jails and the community deal with this problem. The 12th step requires of us that we reach back into the pit in the wake of our own recoveries and give something back. Too many of us are not doing this.
This is not the first time Farmington has experienced a heroin epidemic. There was one here in town in 1968-1972 that addicted 20-30 people most of whom eventually recovered, a few of whom went on to be ‘lifers’ and ended up dead. May of the residents who experienced this are still here in town, in their 60’s and 70’s now with decades of success in sobriety behind them — teachers, professionals, business owners with this dark little secret none of them wants to talk about. But, it needs to be talked about because the important lesson these people have to teach us is that most addicts eventually recover and go on to lead normal, useful, contributing, productive lives. In the 1969-1972 cluster, about 80% recovered and 20% did not. Most recovered through 12-step programs which were all that were available at the time. Others grew up and grew out of it. Adolescence and early adulthood (16-27) is a rough time for all of us. The rate of recovery spikes at around age 24-28 with most of the 80% from the 1968-1972 cluster recovering during this developmental period.
To those of you out there who do not want to spend the money, who would just as soon do nothing and let this generations of addicts die off by natural selection because, ‘Once a junkie, always a junkie,’ there are people in your iown community among the 80% that recovered that you interact with on a daily basis with no idea that at one time in their lives, they were addicts. That’s why they call it ‘anonymous,’ but maybe we should not be so anonymous. For the sake of our own pride, we hide, which leaves the community with the mistaken impression that addicts are are worthless for life — and addicts with the impression there is no hopefor them and they are worthless for life.
90 meetings in 90 days in the jail. Its a start and it costs the community nothing.
Dennis,
Empathy, compassion and mutual respect are admirable individual traits. However, the costs associated with extravagant social programs are destroying our state. We spend roughly 80 plus percent of every taxpayer dollar on welfare and education. Both are bottomless pits of spending, poor performance and abject waste. Add the costs associated with drug addicts to the mix. The whole package with medical specialists, mental health services health etc, this a profit center that bills the Maine taxpayer. They make money and we pay the cost.
This is a small part of why are taxes are off the chart. Follow the money. The costs associated do nothing for our bottom line or the junkies and all the time, we are supporting felons, criminals for lack of a more PC term. I’m reminded of Ben Franklin, a founding father, who said societies best interest is served when we do less for those in poverty because them they will be forced to do more for themselves. Consider it a self help mantra from one of the architects of our nation. The more you encourage dependence on government the more you will get.
Blame the dealer, blame the addict, blame the lack of law enforcement, blame the rehab centers? When do we realize this way of “managing” social issues is a part of the problem? The solution is not as binary, it requires a holistic approach and a mature community dialog, not a debate. The difference is that I debate enforces the binary solution and has a winner/loser outcome. A dialog is a conversation using open thoughts, insight, and active listening skills to root out a solution.The root of the addiction issue is that some people are open to trying an addictive/dangerous drug that makes them feel good, as brief as that may be, it reflects an unhealthy environment that makes them feel the need to escape. Abuse, negativity, lack of life fulfillment, biological/ environmental metal health, lack of community support. . . Think, educate, and get together with your family and friends because we are all responsible for each others environment and making sure that it is supportive and healthy. I hear people talking to each other like they are disciplining a dog, why? We are all the support network for each family member, friend, and community. It’s foolish to think that the police or rehabs are the only “solution” because they are not, they are merely the net that catches and tries to contain or rehabilitate people who have no other community support. You want to save taxes? tell your friends and family that you’re there for them if they need help. Words can move mountains. If an addict goes to jail or rehab they will be released and need the support of their community to remain on task. If they are rejected or abused by family and friends they will most likely look for an easy escape back into old habits. Check in with your friends, family, and even a stranger if you think they need help. Support and encouragement can make a huge difference to someone struggling with addiction. I commend Art Dingley, Sgt. Matthew Baker, Farmington Police Chief Jack Peck and District Attorney Andrew Robinson for stepping up with the courage and leadership to open this dialog. Thank you.
Many thanks to “Anonymous” for the true testimony of someone who’s been addicted. Expert advice such as this should be heeded. It’s a very ‘civilized’ approach that is sorely needed for healing.
Maybe they can use the money they confiscate from dealers to fund treatment for addicted people
Kicking a strong, long-term addiction has,nothing to do with imprisonment, rehab, or family or community support. There are all kinds of ways to attempt it, but only one way that works, and that is self-discipline. You can’t preach that, or teach it, or give it to someone. The addict, whatever the addiction, has to want to quit more than they want to continue. Unless they do, trying to quit, or trying to get them to quit, is a waste of time. It’s not easy, and it’s not fun. Even if they DO “quit” for a time, unless they are committed to quitting, they’ll probably go back to it. I smoked for many years, a pack or more per day. Tried quitting many times, even quit for weeks on end, but went back to it.
You’re going to want/need to continue your habit just as much or more while you try to quit as you did before (because it’s mentally and/or physically painful), and your will to quit has to overcome it, period.
You have to ABSOLUTELY quit, no cheating, commit to NEVER touching that stuff again, or you’re just kidding yourself. And nicotine alternatives, methadone, etc., are just a different way of continuing the addiction. You are an ex-addict only until you touch it again, at which time you are again an addict. It can easily take 5 years to break an addiction, and I’m sure many start again even after that long. I’m proud to say I haven’t touched tobacco since 1997, and there is no way I ever will. I KNOW I would have died years ago if I had not quit, as I came VERY close to it many years later. Don’t tell me it’s harder to quit some other addiction, if you can’t quit one you have reason to believe will kill you, or ruin your life or your family’s lives, they’re all the same.
What is the root of all evil?
Not money.
It’s the “Love” of money.
Selling Drugs is evil.
Why do they sell them…
The money.
Politics are corrupt and evil.
Why?
Big money’s influence.
Contrary to some saying all addicts die of drugs.there are many many of us who have overcome and recovered..for many decades now ( sorry Peter..wrong again).
Seems Peter just says anything to convince us all to just terminate anyone who would cost him an extra cent in taxes. He says all addicts are doomed so..
Why does he make things up like that?
His Money.
I’m personally thankful for people who love people more than they Love money.
After stumbling into addiction 35 tears ago..I got healed up / recovered / stayed sober , happy and successful.
Oh and did I mention how thankful I am.
I am !!
Here is another Thanks to “Anonymous”. The drugs are here and not going away to soon. My Family has been torn apart by this. Nobody wanted to talk about it or just pretended it wasn’t happening. It can happen to anyone anywhere. I believe we need to be open about it and that is very hard. Its an addiction and the I feel the more we learn about it maybe we can help. I have done a lot of research and I belong to some groups that has help me understand it a little more. I will never complete understand it because I am not a user but for my family I can help some of them understand it. A family member got 10 years for being a user(among some other things) They are serving 5 years for it. Yes I believe that is the best place for them but not 5 years. I am more scared for them when they get out because now that they have a felony charge for drugs it will be hard to get a good job among other things. Yes there are meetings to go to but with no job, no vehicle how to get there. Most apartments wont accept you if you have a felony. Most jobs wont accept you because you are a felony. Most state aid wont accept you because you are a felony. I believe getting clean is the easy part its trying to start your life again is the hard part because of the felony charge and so many people don’t believe in second chances. So what do some of them do they go back to the drugs its a bad circle yes. I hope and pray things get better. I have my faith that lets me believe so. I love an addict but hate the drugs
My condolences to Sgt. Baker.
You all are doing good work, no matter how frustrating battling addiction may seem.
I do agree with a lot of what anonymous has to say in the comments, also.
From my own personal experience with addiction, once I got started I could not make enough money working to cover the cost. So doing what needed to get what I needed was a requirement. Being as wacked out as I was I still had a tinge of feelings down deep, and selling drugs eventually ended up being a less guilt laiden method of keeping supplied. In my addiction that worked and made perfect sense to me. This is a free country and I am only doing a service for others while making a percentage, it made perfect sense to this self centered active addicts thinking. I am saying this for the reason to let Andrew see how some folks think and that I am greatful for eventually getting detained long enough that I was willing to ask for help. I was in a little cold cell in the old prison in Thomaston with the water in the stainless steel toilet icing over. That is how cussed stubburn I can be. I had asked God for help and what I got was a little library cart that had among its items an AA Big Book and a Bible I read those books yet still used what I could get my hands on for a while still. I got transferred to a different prison and they had a councilor that had started a Narcotics Anonymous meeting there. I went to that, participated, continued the day I got out and haven’t used since. It will be 25 years soon and I still go to meetings and do different types of service. I’ve held the same job for ten years, haven’t had law enforcement trying to hunt me down, participate in civic organizations, have been on town committees, and school boards. I’m your neighbor that you can trust today, why because someone cared enough to show me and others a solution that works, when we are ready. Some don’t have to hit that low a bottom and others never do and die. It works. Hugs