On the Death of a User

Death is never an easy thing to deal with but that sorrow is compounded exponentially when the person who has passed on was a user of drugs. Suddenly, the person we loved has the privacy they cherished pulled from them. Why did this happen, people ask. The answer becomes drugs. But the truth is more complex. The person who has passed on may have been a full blown addict, an experimenter, a chipper, a self medication expert, or maybe they just liked getting high. We will never be able to ask them. And in the end, it does not really matter because we are powerless to bring them back and reassure them we accept them. We love them. We understand. We want to comfort them one more time. We want to remind them they are not alone. Even if we do not approve of their drug use, we want to remind them they are valued as a human being of worth in this world.

 In our moment of pain, we search for answers. Unfortunately, more often that not, the STIGMA of drug use is what killed many of our loved ones. How else can you explain why a 19 year old could not get effective treatment for what began as a simple infection? How else can you explain why my friend Jake died in his room and was dead for four days before anyone found him? What about the countless folks I have known who did not receive medical care until what would turn out to be the very end of their lives because of their concerns of the way addicts are treated in medical settings? Stigma, limited access to clean supplies, and restrictions on the life saving antidote for opiate overdose naloxone are allowing people to die daily.

I survived my own struggle with drugs to bear witness to the tragic death of countless friends and acquaintances. In my anger and frustration, I chose to work to end these senseless deaths. For those that are suffering today, I wish you peace.

Comments

  1. JakeJanuary 16, 2014 at 2:28 PM

    I needed that, Tracey. Thanks. His death has been really hard and weird for me.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Street150January 16, 2014 at 2:34 PM

    Great post, thanks for sharing. RIP, sadly he's just another statistic in society but so much more for us addicts who understand his struggle. I hope he's finally at peace.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousJanuary 16, 2014 at 3:08 PM

    Thank you Tracey. This one hit me particularly hard too. I feel helpless that our system is so screwed up and I wish there was something I could do. But you are doing something. So much.

    ReplyDelete
  4. hkJanuary 16, 2014 at 7:07 PM

    SP RIP :(

    ReplyDelete
  5. MichelleJanuary 17, 2014 at 7:57 AM

    Jake from the Black Tar?

    ReplyDelete
  6. NAJanuary 18, 2014 at 8:02 PM

    Rest easy SP

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousJanuary 18, 2014 at 9:12 PM

    There was something about Jake that broke my heart when I watched the HBO show years ago. He seemed so child like , innocent and vulnerable.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousJanuary 19, 2014 at 6:23 PM

    Do you know anything about Jake's mom or other family? Like how he grew up or his family?

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousFebruary 7, 2014 at 12:19 PM

    Thank you.

    I lost my little sister to an OD.

    ReplyDelete

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