International Overdose Awareness Day - A Time to Act
Louise Stanger
is a speaker, educator, licensed clinician, social worker, certified
daring way facilitator and interventionist who uses an invitational
intervention approach to work with complicated mental health, substance
abuse, chronic pain and process addiction clients.
Yesterday,
today and tomorrow - a friend, colleague, neighbor down the street,
sister or brother, mother or father – etc. overdoses. August 31st is
heralded as International Overdose Awareness Day. This day is especially
poignant as the nation grapples with the tragic reality that 105 people
are dying daily from opioid overdoses and an untold number of folks are
overdosing.
Among
other alarming statistics, the New York Times reports the opioid
epidemic was the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of
50 in 2016, and trends show no sign of slowing down.
As
many of you know, I run a small practice which specializes in helping
loved ones, their families and entourages get much needed treatment for
AOD, etc. My practice represents a minute microcosm of the world, not
even a dot on the radar of how addiction and mental health strike each
day with catastrophic force, taking out loved ones on levels as large as
the current opioid epidemic.
In
the last three days, in my microcosm of work, my teammates and I have
experienced two young people being lost and overdosing. Each in
different parts of the country, each having angels watching over them.
Angels who were by their side and miraculously took them to a hospital
hence their lives were saved for yet another day, another opportunity
for rewriting their stories and creating possibility.
In
one instance, my teammate and I were on the phone with a family when a
police call came in. “We have taken your son to the ER, his friend found
him in a bathtub - OD’d on heroin and other drugs. He wants you to
know,” the officer paused for a split second, “I love you Dad.” We were
blessed to be present – the odds of being present during something like
that are just as high as winning the lottery.
Then
another call – a young woman who was home from treatment to take care
of business never made it to take care of business. Before she exited
off the plane her cravings and drinking began. For the last 8 months -
at the beginning of each like a rent check being due - she relapses and
binges. The binging makes her black-. She can’t remember traveling from
home to hotel, in utter disarray causing destruction to herself along
the way. My teammate and I tracked her movements as if we were seasoned
investigators following a stolen car down freeway lanes. Her patterns
now apparent and in the end we did not know exactly where she was as we
thought she was on the loose again. An angelic hotel maid found her
unresponsive with a blood alcohol level of .39. She went was
transported back to the familiar ER.
In
both instances, I was the present for the news and in each case my
teammates and I were present to hear the pathos, the fright, the traumas
and disbelief, the anger, the deep sadness these families experienced
as their loved one had - oh no not again! - relapsed. In one case, it
was I who called the weary sleepy eyed parents while the police called
mom and dad on their other phone line.
There
were angels watching over these young folks or as they say in 12-Step:
“I came to believe there is a power greater than myself,” was certainly
in play as these two thank goodness will live another day and have
opportunities to learn, to grow and to heal. The parents did not put
their superman/woman capes on for they have learned that they must stick
with the healthy compassionate boundaries they have set as they know
their loved one’s wounded with this horrible disease and that they have
the resources to heal. Maintaining boundaries like these in crisis
situations is one of the best ways they can help their son/daughter.
To
all the brave warriors out there - mothers and fathers, brothers and
sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles, partners, friends and spouses -
I want to salute you for being brave, tenacious, fierce, compassionate
and gentle win the face of this devastating disease, for learning when
to say NO!. For developing healthy boundaries and setting limits so your
loved ones may grow.
And
to all of you whose loved one lost the fight against this destructive
deadly disease, my heart cries with you. And I am thankful on this
International Overdose Drug Day and every day that we may join together
to make a difference. Blessings to you all.
To learn more about Louise Stanger and her interventions and other resources, visit her website.
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