Silent Killer

During this COVID-19 pandemic, there’s an unspoken epidemic that’s going on. It seems to have crept up on unsuspecting families and young, healthy people. We’ve known about it for a while, but it hasn’t been brought up. I’m talking, of course, about the epidemic of drug use. Just like viruses, drugs don’t discriminate by class, income, race, or even religion. Anyone can become a victim and all it takes is one time, one mistake, one hit, for drugs to get a hold of someone.

Many teens and even young adults use certain “soft” drugs recreationally thinking that it’s safe. They may be under the impression that if they know who they’re buying the drugs from, then the product is reliable. What a misconception.

Any type of drug is dangerous. The detrimental effects on the body can be long lasting and can even alter the bodies and the brain’s chemistry. Soft, gateway drugs such as marijuana are sold with additives to make the product more addictive to users, such as opioids. Unsurprisingly, opioids are even more diluted with different powders, additives, and tranquilizers, which can potentially make an overdose treatment much more complicated. One thing to remember is that the person who sells, or even makes, the drugs doesn’t care about the customer. They care about the money in their pockets. That’s a well-known fact.

But why do people need to resort to drugs? There may be many opinions, but one reason is certain, to enter an alternate reality. People need an escape from whatever is haunting them. Any addiction is really an escape. If we think about it, even our phones are a sort of drug. They provide an alternate reality; they allow us to find distraction in our day-to-day. The ripple effects of drug use are catastrophic in a family dynamic. So many parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, and even children suffer because of one silly mistake made by someone who thought drugs would solve their problems. When in reality they created many more new ones.

Opioids have been in our communities and it’s up to us to help put an end to this chapter. This story can have multiple endings but the best one is where people get more involved with their loved ones and find out what’s going on in their lives. Speak to them, hear them out. Don’t criticize them. Be accepting and offer constructive and productive solutions.

If you know anyone who uses any drugs, intervene. Intervene, intervene, intervene. Do not sit idle as our brothers and sisters fall from this epidemic. We are Hashem’s children and this is not how our Merciful Father would like to see us act. There are many resources available. Call 311 or reach out to your local Rabbi’s. In my experience, ‘Amudim’ has been an excellent organization with many resources. Let’s all take care of one another.

By Mike Shalamov, MBA, EMTP