In the 1980’s our late president Ronald Reagan once said, “Let us not forget who we are. Drug abuse is a repudiation of everything America is.” Ronald Wilson Reagan, Mr. Triple Six himself, saw then what substances were doing to the country. It was generally feared that bad would go to worse as history has proven. We went from a booming crack epidemic in the 80’s to the now infamous opioid crisis in the 10’s.
We live currently in a world where it seems the term to generalize everybody would be “stressed”. We have the ambiguous anticipation of a potential nuclear war with North Korea. There’s the war on terrorism, the war on drugs, and then the overall societal war on President Donald Trump. War surrounds us but hopefully does not consume us- far too many things already do that.
In one way or another, through all the procured stress or just the sleeping giant of alcoholism awaking, the numbers of casualties for addiction and alcoholism are rapidly growing every day- and have been for years. The country is enthralled in its addictive ways while death becomes a jaded ending that more frequently occurs prematurely every day. With a new administration in office, the United States waits as patiently as possible for Trump to lead the way. The opioid crisis is here and shows no signs of dissolving.
Team Trump’s Counselor
Our 45th President of the United States declared this great nation to be in a national public health emergency as of this past October 2017. Upon the mentioning, the people’s eyes shifted to that of hope. Everybody was taken aback as the people waited for more. This was the first time that it seemed Congress was even recognizing the opioid-induced deaths occurring in front of them. A change was finally being acknowledged. Wrong.
Trump mentioned the opioid crisis in his declaration but to no avail. It’s gotten to a point where it cannot be denied at all. The evidence is stacked against the wall with the pharmaceutical corruption- but still nothing. Addicts of all ages are passing away left and right from the lack of help coupled along with the abundance of painkillers flooding the streets. If addiction is a disease that cannot be stopped, then it’s high time that its sources are.
In Comes Conway
One thing important to jot down is that Trump believes in the decriminalization or legalization of marijuana. Trump was quoted in the 1990s stating that he believed all drugs should be legalized to take power away from the drug lords and czars. Flash forward 20+ years and his statement is not of the same regards luckily.
Throughout history, our previous presidents(as well as Congress members) have stated many different views on cannabis and its effects on the nation. However, Trump has promised to protect it, while confusingly has members of his right-wing such as Jeff Sessions attacking legal marijuana. The point is that this goes well with the main focus of that the war on drugs is feeding the opioid plague- marijuana is not the prerogative. This is a representation of Trump’s government but even more, so a wonderful introduction for our leading counselor to walk in.
Kellyanne Conway steps on stage and has been put in charge of the battle against opioids. She has been sent down to fight the plagues of chemical addiction ravaging the country, but is that a good thing? The first thing that comes to mind is inexperience. On a first positive note, she and the rest of Trump’s organization are acknowledging that this drug epidemic is taking its toll on thousands of lives lost every single month. The pharmaceutical companies are the bane of existence for most chemically dependent individuals.
Hope?
The new “opioid czar” may be more hopeful than judgment calls for. Despite the white lies of her past and the lack of background in medical health, there is effort clearly being put forward. She and her team are well aware of the rise of opiates leading to heroin addiction and the drug epidemic following. She has been attending various meetings, taking notes, and gearing up a plan of attack. Whether this attack yields anything fruitful is what’ll be up for debate.
The United States is notorious for the wrongful imprisonment of addicts and alcoholics all over the country. It’s no surprise that our country leads the world in most incarcerated peoples. There are too many non-violent, low-level offenses that are overcrowding the prisons across the country. It really seems that our focus should be on prevention more so than punishment. Apparently, this is debatable to people like Jeff Session. If eyes could roll into the back of their head.
Same Old Future
As of current time, Kellyanne Conway and the President have requested to increase the 2018 budget for addiction treatment services by 2%. These are the type of things that raise the heads of addicts in slight hope. Perpendicularly, however, whenever questions are asked on the matter, it seems that very Trump-esque answers are provided.
When questioned about why more money isn’t being requested, Ms. Conway’s response was blaming the lack of votes for the bill to repeal Obamacare. Apparently, that same bill was wherein the additional $45 billion funding for addiction treatment services and prevention lay. Sounds a little fishy. President Trump and his team have been bashed repeatedly throughout his early presidency for his absence in so many important matters like such. Hopefully, the nation’s cries for help continue to drown out the mild attempts or lack thereof thus far. Change is on the horizon but distance is unknown.
Managing Your Own Crisis
Some of us have been battling this disease for far too long. It takes up every aspect of your life in the blink of an eye while leaving you penniless and broken. Addiction will eventually break everything. Recovery is that life reinforcement that shields you from the destruction. If you or a loved one has been struggling with getting a firm grasp on sobriety and need detoxification, please call 1-800-481-8457 or visit oarcstaging.wpengine.com. Our teams of specialists are waiting to help figure out what options are best for sending your life is a comfortable direction that you can proudly stand behind.
