The Chronicles of Loving A Heroin Addict: Drug Facts Week: A Harsh Reality

Friday, January 27, 2017

Drug Facts Week: A Harsh Reality

Billy Before Overdose

Remember I said a few weeks ago that I have saved bits of stories and ideas for posts just setting in my draft folder?

I found this among them. It was saved from a Facebook Group post some months back and is definitely worth mentioning and of course they said share it.

This is National Drug Facts Week.

What better way to end the week than to tell you that this addiction isn't a fairy tale and to share something that is real about heroin and addiction.

Heroin addiction can and will kill you and if it doesn't it can
leave you in a state of mind in which your brain no longer functions the way it used to. That is what this post is about.

This folks, is one of the harshest realties of the disease of addiction in particular addiction to heroin. This is the disease in which so many addicts fight each and everyday as well as those of us on this side of the addiction. We who love an addict also fight each and every day of our lives.

This is a reminder to many of us that but for the Grace of God go each and every one of us. Although our son lived a time in active heroin and opioid abuse, he chose to live. He chose recovery.

So many others have lost their loved ones to this disease, to overdose and to heroin. Then there are those whose family member lived, but will not come back to them functioning the way that they used to.

Billy After an Overdose

This was posted by Rhonda Sue Moorhous on the Facebook Group, I Hate Heroin.

"This is my baby brother Billy Matthew Porter Richey. He overdosed on September 20 2013,just four days before my son Shawn passed away from an OD.

This is Billy after an overdose. Billy was on life support and in a coma. He remains in a vegetative state and is now in a nursing home. He moves his hands and arms a bit and tries talking not realizing we can't hear him because of his trachea.

We would appreciate some prayers please. Please say a prayer that he continues to heal please and please share this story.

WE NEED PRAYERS AND PLEASE SHARE THIS IT COULD POTENTIALLY SAVE SOMEONES LIFE."

The harshest reality of this is that this is how Billy will spend the rest of his life. Narcan can be a life saver but when someone has overdosed and their brain has been without oxygen for a period of time there is no guarantees that a person will ever be the same again even after Narcan is administered.

For Rhonda, her brother Billy and for her family I pray for healing for you and your family. I am sharing this as part of Drug Facts Week so that others know this is the harsh reality of loving an addict. Nothing is promised to any of us but when we love someone struggling with this disease this can also be the reality. To anyone struggling with addiction today, please reach out to someone. If you love someone struggling with disease, if you have done everything you can, please reach out for help.

This story is from Rhonda Sue Moorhous posted to a group with permission to share it.
pictures in this post belong to: Rhonda Sue Moorhous

2 comments:

AnonymousJanuary 27, 2017 at 7:34 AM
My heartfelt prayers go out to Rhonda and her family and for Billy. May God bless you all and hold you tight. My heart aches for them.
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What Are Our Issues In Berkeley County/Martinsburg WV? We have no clear solutions!!!!

Besides this heroin epidemic?
We really have no clear solutions to the problem or so it seems on this side of the addiction...

1- The high numbers of Overdose and Preventable Death Our numbers of OD's and OD causing death continue to rise.
Drug use and the disorders that go along with it are still going untreated.

Our town officials and the local media need to stop using the catch phrase, "Dispelling Rumors" when referring to this heroin epidemic here! What rumors? There is no place for the word rumors in the discussion about this heroin epidemic. The numbers we have is data and statistics!!!!

2-We have No Drug Treatment Here We need treatment on demand. When someone is suffering a heart attack or a stroke they go to the hospital. That person will get triaged in the ER, tests are run, they will go to the ICU for further medical care. They are under constant medical supervision 24/7 and will get the best of all medical care. When someone is suffering from heroin addiction and they go to the hospital they get Narcan, often laughed at and put down, called a junkie and later released back to the streets where the cycle of drug abuse continues. When a person is suffering from a heroin addiction they shouldn't have to say they are suicidal and going to kill themselves to get access to a treatment facility. It should be available to them when they need it!

Something is clearly wrong with that!

3-We continue Criminalizing Those Who Are Addicted
We have a judicial system in this country that continues handcuffs instead of help! The intent is that the spiraling addict will "get it together" without any treatment induces harm, it cost money, causes recidivism and is no way solving the real problem.

4-We have No Harm Reduction- No Needle Exchange

5-No Community Awareness but plenty of NIMBY: Not In My Backyard
Mentality

6. Drugged Driving: Drug Driving Is Becoming A Huge Problem in all of WV. The numbers are only increasing. Driving while intoxicated (Alcohol) used to be the biggest problem on the roadways. Now you don't know who may be on the roads under the influence of powerful drugs like heroin.

7. Not only does the "Heroin Highway" go through this town but, Martinsburg's (WV) new nickname is Little Baltimore

8. This epidemic affects everyone. We need more Awareness here. Community Awareness, Youth Awareness and Parent Awareness. We must make people face the reality that the prejudice and injustice in literally killing people and that is data proven!

9. STOP The Stigma relating to heroin abuse. If we had Community Awareness we wouldn't have the stigma here.

10. We need to end the discriminatory practice and policies that often discriminate people with substance abuse problems and those who abuse with a criminal record excluding them from finding suitable jobs, their rights and opportunities. Many of these policies even those who have recovered.

11. We need a Strategic Public Health Awareness Campaign here.

12. More Awareness Is Needed to the problem which involves everyone on the same page, at the same table and in the same room to come up with solutions.

13. We need more youth awareness in our community.

14. More Parental Awareness Needed

15. We need to STOP the silence about this heroin epidemic here. We need to SPEAK the truth about heroin and this epidemic and we need to START the conversation!

It Will Take The Entire Village

If you are not part of the solution, then you are the problem.

In the beginning of all of this- the heroin, the epidemic- many years ago they said cigarettes was non addictive. Then in the late 80's came OxyContin. We were told that too was non addictive. Now weed is being marketed as, non addictive. Haven't we learned yet that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results? When will we ever learn?

Some Positive Initiatives Happening in our Community..

The Recovery Resource Center opened. It's located at 400 W. Stephen St in Martinsburg. Kevin Knowles is the Recovery Services Coordinator.

The #wvdayofhope

On Dec. 6, 2016 Martinsburg City Zoning Approved the Detox Center which will be located on Wilson St. in Martinsburg.

Important Upcoming Events

Mark You Calendars:

If your group has an event coming up, please let me know!

Update on Narcan Classes:

Classes will not be held every Friday now. They will now be held the first Friday of the month (starting May 6th) at the Martinsburg health department at 3:00. Whoever wants to attend needs to call the health department and sign up.

The third Friday of the month (starting May 20th) there will be on at 6:00 at Callahan Counseling Services 1020 Winchester Ave. There is no need to sign up for this one.

Callahan Counseling is located at 1020 Winchester Ave in Martinsburg, WV. This class starts at 6 PM. Visit Narcan Training of the Eastern Panhandle for more information

If interested in taking the Narcan Classes please sign up. Lately there has not been a lot of attendance. If this continues it is likely the local classes will stop.

Every Sunday Evening Nar-Anon meeting @ 6PM The group meets at Trinity UM Church on Martin St. in Martinsburg

Find a NA or Recovery Meeting Here in Martinsburg