Drug Problem in America

[retiredteach]

The other day, someone at a store in our town read that a methamphetamine lab had been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining county and he asked me a rhetorical question,"Why didn't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?"

I replied that I did have a drug problem when I was young. I was drug to church on Sunday morning. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family renunions and community socials no matter the weather. I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults.

I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn't put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me. I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profane four-letter word.

I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's garen and flower beds and cockleburs out of dad's fields. I was drug to the homes of family, friends, and neighbors to help out some poor sould who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some firewood; and if my mother had every known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.

Those drugs are still in my veins; and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, or think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin, and, if today's children had this kind of drug problem, America would be a better place.

Author Unknown

[burton2019]

good post mr. g

That kind of drug today Mr. G would be worth a fortune. To bad many forgot the recipe on how to make it.

[plantsman]

Very good and very true. Sadly, though, there is a very real drug abuse problem throughout our area. It is a now a problem that weaves its way through all our society - no one is exempt from the repercussions of drug abuse. I'm particularly concerned about our youth, many of whom now seem to choose pill snorting as their preferred drug. It's an issue that must be addressed and tackled by elected officials, law enforcement, and even the general public must do their part and report what they know. Anyone have any ideas/thoughts?

[the_alienist]

This is a population that I have an increased interest in. I wonder if, with all of the additives and preservatives that we have in our food, if we are not creating people who are more likely to need a chemical to sustain or attain a feeling of normalcy and satisfaction? Because the body has not had to produce these chemicals, it doesn't know how to regulate outside forces that assail it. That's a little farther out than most people would want to venture, but still exists within the realm of possibility.
I think that the main problem with the drug use and abuse in this country is the cultural context of it all. We live in a society that is OBSESSED with instant gratification. We have more debt than ever before, less equity, and we live for the moment in our lives when we "get it all." Creating more laws, stronger policies on drug use, and making the community aware will not solve the problem. It is going to take something much larger than that, on a much larger scale. It will never happen. The media and the government have spent too much time in bed with each other and for a cultural revolution to take place, there would have to be a very significant precipitating event. IMHO. But that's just my 2 cents.

[plantsman]

Good comments. I like your point about preservatives, etc. That very well have some merit, and an idea I haven't heard mentioned before. So many of these chemicals are relatively new, and their long-term effects aren't really known. I also agree with your point about instant gratification. It reminds me of the Dr. Pepper ad, "I want it all, and I want it now." Pretty much sums up pop culture today.

No doubt we need a revolution in this country - at least one in which we DEMAND that elected officials do what's right, that they address the problems which are quickly adding to our demise as a culture. I wish such would happen, but I'm not expectant of it. Historically, cultures haven't addressed their problems in a timely fashion; they tend to sit on the sidelines (as I'm doing) and watch the total collapse of the culture.

[the_alienist]

Thanks.
[ QUOTE ]
Historically, cultures haven't addressed their problems in a timely fashion; they tend to sit on the sidelines (as I'm doing) and watch the total collapse of the culture.

[/ QUOTE ]
We are our own worst enemies.

[steer]

ya know, I'm probably going to wind up in jail, or shot, or beat up. But I've taken it into my own hands, the drug problem that is. The cops, the courts, they aren't going to do anything in this county. Every single time I hear about a drug problem, or someone doing drugs, I so kindly go out and find this person, and I give them a nice talking, and it usually leads to me picking up my 4x4 from my truck bed, and threatening to whip their [censored]. Does it do any good? probalby not, but does it make me feel good? yeah it does, because for one second, the person might think, wow some stranger would come and do this outta the blue to me and actually care about my life and those around me, just to see me off drugs. Do I care about people, I sure do, I love every single person in this world. Would I help anyone in need, yes I would.. Would I lock someone up for a month in a closet with just enough food and water to get by with to get em off drugs, [censored] right. But ya know what the shame is, those kids probably turn right around go home, and smoke dope with their parents, or snort pills with neighbors. It makes me sick, and ya know, if they wanna throw me in jail for whipping a druggies arse, so be it. Because I will, and I dont care. I see some 18-100 years old giving a minor some pills, or dope, or whatever, that's something i'll fight over and die defending my beliefs in.