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Unfortunately, this is an issue that hits real close. I grew up and live on Long Island, and I guess that epidemic is the right word for this situation. It's been rather mind-boggling how its all happened within the past 10 or so years. I do firmly believe that since it's now affecting the suburbs and middle/upper class whites, that its *mysteriously* an epidemic now. Long Island is known to be heavily segregated (thanks Levittown and white flight!) with pretty noticeable levels of economic disparity. When you're 1 of 10 nonwhite students in a HS of 800, you notice it verrrry quickly what part of the island you're at. I notice in hindsight that it was considerably easier to get pills in HS (2005-2009) than it was to get pot, and kids would just bring their parents leftover Percocet or Vicodin into school and take a few for kicks during lunch. I once had some classmate in my sophomore Bio class bring in mysterious blue pills that his father had, and he just shared it with my friend and I. I took 3 (I loving parachuted them, as it was recommended by another classmate) midway through class, and two periods later in World History, I had to write an essay. I had two sentences written, a bit of a weird wavy line, and then nothing, as I had sort of nodded off. I never really ventured any further into pills beyond that incredibly bizarre Percocet experience. The stigma of addiction is real in a status conscious area, coupled with the sheer ease of access to pills, has lead to a lot of parents burying their children. 9th grade is when I really started noticing opiates being a thing, and by senior year, we had people leaving used syringes near an elementary school and the beach by my house. Opiates became heroin fast. Seeing track marks for the first time on your close friend is something surreal. Kids would just be gone for months at "rehab" and sometimes come back clean, but then starting right up where they left off a few weeks later because you couldn't really escape it. I've personally lost a few people to heroin, and I have a lot of friends who have sought out treatment. Some are doing well, but they have a strong support system of family and friends. Others...not so much. Someone I knew is in prison for attacking his close friend and their father because of $100 bucks used for heroin. Then there was this, which happened less than 2 miles from my elementary school. This happened at a urgent care clinic I once went to (my PCP was out of town), and I distinctly remembered the signs plastered all over the waiting room stating that they wouldn't give controlled substances to first time patients. I was recently in a car accident and the way the nurse asked if I wanted any pain meds was like waitstaff recommending daily specials at a restaurant. What was even more disturbing was some people coming out of the woodwork to ask if I had any meds left over that I "didn't need" a few weeks later. The whole situation is loving horrendous and I wouldn't wish for anyone to deal with an iota of it. I see little effort being done outside of legally punitive measures. Any sort of measured progress would require acknowledging a lot of harsh realities and problems, and that simply doesn't happen on Long Island.
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Jan 24, 2016 18:35
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| # ¿ May 2, 2024 10:20 |
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