Chris Christie on pro-life, addiction

ixchel · Nov 6, 2015

A link to a similar article - Death rate on the rise for middle-aged white Americans - CNN.com

CryssyD · Nov 8, 2015

I personally can't stand Christie, either, most of the time. One of his major problems is his complete lack of an inner censor--you know, that filter between the brain and the mouth that keeps intemperate thoughts from bursting out before they are properly evaluated by the frontal cortex? Christie doesn't have that, and if he wants to be taken seriously as a presidential candidate, he is going to have to develop one--he is undoubtedly entertaining, but a President needs some ability to be diplomatic; imagine Christie going off on Vlad Putin--WW3, here we come!

That having been said, Christie's speech in NH about addiction just goes to prove that the wildfire spread of pill addiction has had one beneficial effect: it has led addiction to touch many more people--and not just the poor and working class people many used to associate with drug addiction. Oh, no--addiction is reaching the wealthy and powerful, and it often starts with legitimate prescriptions; friends and family members have an injury or surgery, or kids "experiment" with the drugs-du-jour (pills, often collected from family medicine cabinets), and addiction creeps in. This seems to drive home the "there but for the grace of God go I" truth of it--addiction can reach us all, and it really isn't the result of some moral failing. Once it becomes personal, people no longer seem interested in the lock-'em-up-and-throw-away-the-key stance they may well have held before. We have needed this revolution in thinking for a long time. Let's take advantage of it.

I've long thought that this explosion of addiction would not have happened but for two major problems in our society: one, the long-time stigma on addiction, that it is a moral failing, bringing shame on the sufferer and his/her family; and two, the difficulty in accessible, affordable rehab programs that actually work. People suffering from addiction don't need a stay in a Malibu spa, and they don't need a (mainly) 12-Step-focused system that emphasizes placing blame on the sufferer. Don't misunderstand me--the 12 Steps worked for me, but only because I adjusted them to suit my personal needs, and had sponsors open-minded enough not to berate me and threaten to cast me into outer darkness because of it. If admitting addiction is seen as shameful, and good rehab is so hard to find, people won't admit it and can't find the help they need if and when they finally do admit it.

I really, really hope that this is the true beginning of an open, honest, and fruitful dialogue about addiction in this country and what we can do about it. I keep watching mass shootings happen, and lots of resulting blather about how we have to fix the mental health system in this country, and then something more interesting happens and nothing in mental health care changes. :banghead:

Sorry this is so long. Some things I just can't shut up about! :singing:

Farawyn · Nov 8, 2015

Not a Christie fan, but yea. I like it.

whichone'spink, BSN, RN · Nov 8, 2015

Here is the article in question that talks about the increase in mortality for middle aged white males: The Despair Death of the Middle-Aged American - The Atlantic

ixchel · Nov 8, 2015

I personally can't stand Christie, either, most of the time. One of his major problems is his complete lack of an inner censor--you know, that filter between the brain and the mouth that keeps intemperate thoughts from bursting out before they are properly evaluated by the frontal cortex? Christie doesn't have that, and if he wants to be taken seriously as a presidential candidate, he is going to have to develop one--he is undoubtedly entertaining, but a President needs some ability to be diplomatic; imagine Christie going off on Vlad Putin--WW3, here we come!
That having been said, Christie's speech in NH about addiction just goes to prove that the wildfire spread of pill addiction has had one beneficial effect: it has led addiction to touch many more people--and not just the poor and working class people many used to associate with drug addiction. Oh, no--addiction is reaching the wealthy and powerful, and it often starts with legitimate prescriptions; friends and family members have an injury or surgery, or kids "experiment" with the drugs-du-jour (pills, often collected from family medicine cabinets), and addiction creeps in. This seems to drive home the "there but for the grace of God go I" truth of it--addiction can reach us all, and it really isn't the result of some moral failing. Once it becomes personal, people no longer seem interested in the lock-'em-up-and-throw-away-the-key stance they may well have held before. We have needed this revolution in thinking for a long time. Let's take advantage of it.
I've long thought that this explosion of addiction would not have happened but for two major problems in our society: one, the long-time stigma on addiction, that it is a moral failing, bringing shame on the sufferer and his/her family; and two, the difficulty in accessible, affordable rehab programs that actually work. People suffering from addiction don't need a stay in a Malibu spa, and they don't need a (mainly) 12-Step-focused system that emphasizes placing blame on the sufferer. Don't misunderstand me--the 12 Steps worked for me, but only because I adjusted them to suit my personal needs, and had sponsors open-minded enough not to berate me and threaten to cast me into outer darkness because of it. If admitting addiction is seen as shameful, and good rehab is so hard to find, people won't admit it and can't find the help they need if and when they finally do admit it.
I really, really hope that this is the true beginning of an open, honest, and fruitful dialogue about addiction in this country and what we can do about it. I keep watching mass shootings happen, and lots of resulting blather about how we have to fix the mental health system in this country, and then something more interesting happens and nothing in mental health care changes.
Sorry this is so long. Some things I just can't shut up about!

Preach it! Never apologize for having some passion about something like this! It's exactly why I shared it. This guy, upper class white man, talking about addiction hitting upper class white men, might turn the heads of the right people to get better access to better care. It's horrifying to imagine that that is even necessary, to involve the rich white guys so other rich people pay attention. Stuff that's considered a problem for just the "poor people" is going to be ignored. At least it's on the radar.

Apologies if I've offended. The ignorance in our politics, that rich people and corporations have to take notice before problems are solved, is disgusting.