Well, another year rapidly draws to a close...
I know I should count my blessings but that isn't the way I feel inside. The main reason I'm afraid to complain about 2006 is that it is clear that 2007 holds no guarantees. It's all relative though. At least I don't have a major disease and I'm not dead. The present time presents a golden opportunity for me to practice what I preach about the yen and the yang and the karma and optimism conquering the pessimism and self creating the future. I must rise to the occasion! 2006 was without a doubt the most unpleasant 12 month period of my life in every aspect. If every negative thing imaginable happens in the New Year I doubt it will be any worse.
If it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger, according to Nietzsche. One thing clear to me is that we must stay focused on life and not death. The fact that tomorrow isn't promised gives the maximum value to our lives. AOL posted a photo list of over 30 celebrities that passed away over the past year. Popularity of those lost was so great that Gerald Levert and Bo the coach weren't even recognized. Then I thought of the friends, relatives, and patients that died in 2006. Adding to that list are the hundreds of young American soldiers, thousands of Iraqis, and those in Africa who aren't even thought of by most. Face it, one has to almost be insane in order to convince themselves that the world is not a depressing place.
There is, however, a time and a place for everything. Or is that really so? I used to think so but now I'm not so sure how accurate that Biblical cliche' is. There is never an appropriate time and place for crack cocaine, at least not in a sane world. I truly believe this drug will be the fall of humanity as we know it. There has never been anything in recorded history similar to the psychosocial damage inflicted by this compound. In my opinion, the effect seems to have surpassed the destruction caused by the HIV virus and AIDs. Crack is like a virus that attacks the morality and value system while slowly diminishing the mental and physical health. Socioeconomic losses are probably unprecedented. It is much more infectious than HIV and insidiously changes even those who would never touch the stuff.
I have never even seen crack but it has changed my life by interacting with those who have chosen to let it into their lives. As I have written before, it is the denial that is deadly. I've never met a crack addict who admitted to the actual severity of their condition before actually losing close to everything. Denial of this magnitude removes the addict from the world in which the rest of us live. Somehow, their problems are more important and more frequent and they are never to blame. Those who would enable their behaviors can be devoured over the course of the addict's existence. For a while the addict appears normal externally before the weight loss, agitation, and paranoia take over. Further into the disease the user's brain has been biochemically altered to a degree that they most likely will never recover from. The dopamine and other neurotransmitter levels of the brain has been distorted to a degree that the addict may experience the symptoms of every major psychiatric condition known to man on a given day. The hallucinations and paranoia of the schizophrenic are common, as well as the mania and depressive behaviors of bipolar disorder. The denial of their condition has isolated them to the point that some think they have superior knowledge to any psychiatrist about what could make them better.Their relationships are usually damaged beyond repair. All major bridges are burned. No credibility remains. In the severe stages of the addiction the user has lost all ability to parent or be a reliable spouse or friend. This person is only accepted by another in just as bad shape as they are.
I have no compassion left for people addicted to crack cocaine. This is how I have been infected. Seeing mother's neglect and lose their children is not acceptable to me. Seeing women sell their bodies didn't seem as bad when we watched it as part of the depiction of the TV ghetto.That is no longer the case since the drug has moved to the suburbs and the farms.Nothing disturbs me more than to be lied to my face. This is a major part of the training of fighting this epidemic.The only way to really help is to not enable. It saddens me to say that a self destructive gene seems to be triggered by this drug, usually in an irreversible manner.These individuals are much sicker than they appear and are much more dangerous than you would think. If you care for or love an addict, there is a rough road ahead. Until you learn to cut loose and save yourself, you too will perish with co-dependency.
One success in 2006 was initiating a system to help rid my practice of close to 50 cases who, unfortunately, could not be helped. The goal of the future is to never let them get through the door in the first place. Many doctors go to the extreme of never prescribing controlled drugs. I think a better policy is selecting patients as appropriately as possible. This is something that must be learned over time. Fixing the world is an unrealistic expectation for any individual. I think the Serenity Prayer of asking God to grant the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference says it best. To those who have supported me, I wish you the Happiest of New Years. To those who may dislike me, for whatever reason I say life is just too short so lets try and find some common ground.
I know I should count my blessings but that isn't the way I feel inside. The main reason I'm afraid to complain about 2006 is that it is clear that 2007 holds no guarantees. It's all relative though. At least I don't have a major disease and I'm not dead. The present time presents a golden opportunity for me to practice what I preach about the yen and the yang and the karma and optimism conquering the pessimism and self creating the future. I must rise to the occasion! 2006 was without a doubt the most unpleasant 12 month period of my life in every aspect. If every negative thing imaginable happens in the New Year I doubt it will be any worse.
If it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger, according to Nietzsche. One thing clear to me is that we must stay focused on life and not death. The fact that tomorrow isn't promised gives the maximum value to our lives. AOL posted a photo list of over 30 celebrities that passed away over the past year. Popularity of those lost was so great that Gerald Levert and Bo the coach weren't even recognized. Then I thought of the friends, relatives, and patients that died in 2006. Adding to that list are the hundreds of young American soldiers, thousands of Iraqis, and those in Africa who aren't even thought of by most. Face it, one has to almost be insane in order to convince themselves that the world is not a depressing place.
There is, however, a time and a place for everything. Or is that really so? I used to think so but now I'm not so sure how accurate that Biblical cliche' is. There is never an appropriate time and place for crack cocaine, at least not in a sane world. I truly believe this drug will be the fall of humanity as we know it. There has never been anything in recorded history similar to the psychosocial damage inflicted by this compound. In my opinion, the effect seems to have surpassed the destruction caused by the HIV virus and AIDs. Crack is like a virus that attacks the morality and value system while slowly diminishing the mental and physical health. Socioeconomic losses are probably unprecedented. It is much more infectious than HIV and insidiously changes even those who would never touch the stuff.
I have never even seen crack but it has changed my life by interacting with those who have chosen to let it into their lives. As I have written before, it is the denial that is deadly. I've never met a crack addict who admitted to the actual severity of their condition before actually losing close to everything. Denial of this magnitude removes the addict from the world in which the rest of us live. Somehow, their problems are more important and more frequent and they are never to blame. Those who would enable their behaviors can be devoured over the course of the addict's existence. For a while the addict appears normal externally before the weight loss, agitation, and paranoia take over. Further into the disease the user's brain has been biochemically altered to a degree that they most likely will never recover from. The dopamine and other neurotransmitter levels of the brain has been distorted to a degree that the addict may experience the symptoms of every major psychiatric condition known to man on a given day. The hallucinations and paranoia of the schizophrenic are common, as well as the mania and depressive behaviors of bipolar disorder. The denial of their condition has isolated them to the point that some think they have superior knowledge to any psychiatrist about what could make them better.Their relationships are usually damaged beyond repair. All major bridges are burned. No credibility remains. In the severe stages of the addiction the user has lost all ability to parent or be a reliable spouse or friend. This person is only accepted by another in just as bad shape as they are.
I have no compassion left for people addicted to crack cocaine. This is how I have been infected. Seeing mother's neglect and lose their children is not acceptable to me. Seeing women sell their bodies didn't seem as bad when we watched it as part of the depiction of the TV ghetto.That is no longer the case since the drug has moved to the suburbs and the farms.Nothing disturbs me more than to be lied to my face. This is a major part of the training of fighting this epidemic.The only way to really help is to not enable. It saddens me to say that a self destructive gene seems to be triggered by this drug, usually in an irreversible manner.These individuals are much sicker than they appear and are much more dangerous than you would think. If you care for or love an addict, there is a rough road ahead. Until you learn to cut loose and save yourself, you too will perish with co-dependency.
One success in 2006 was initiating a system to help rid my practice of close to 50 cases who, unfortunately, could not be helped. The goal of the future is to never let them get through the door in the first place. Many doctors go to the extreme of never prescribing controlled drugs. I think a better policy is selecting patients as appropriately as possible. This is something that must be learned over time. Fixing the world is an unrealistic expectation for any individual. I think the Serenity Prayer of asking God to grant the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference says it best. To those who have supported me, I wish you the Happiest of New Years. To those who may dislike me, for whatever reason I say life is just too short so lets try and find some common ground.
