Temperance movement of the 21st century

A few days back I was looking for information on the rash of heroin overdoses and deaths that have plagued my hometown of Pittsburgh. Since I don’t have cable TV (nor do I want it) I had to go online to get information. Most of the articles were informational with little fluff added aside from quotes from local law enforcement individuals. What was more telling, to the point of shocking, were the comments from readers on the local tragedies such as: “Give bad Heroine out to all the addicts. They are a burden to society,” “Why is the awful? They are knowingly endangering themselves.” And, my personal favorite, “Trimming the welfare rolls,” Flash forward to this past Sunday with the news of actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman who died of a drug overdose and you will find comments telling how America has lost a true genius, how awful drug addiction is and heart-felt condolences going out to his friends and families. To both camps which cry over Hoffman’s death and those which spew hatred and indifference towards the addict with equal enthusiasm I have two words for you: SUCK IT! Aside from the disease of addiction and alcoholism, and yes-they are diseases whether you choose to believe that or not, this country suffers from the disease of ignorance! I call it a disease because with many illnesses, it can be cured if people are given the proper treatment. Addiction and alcoholism have had a bad rap ever since this country was founded beginning with Puritan’s who’s ideology was instrumental in creating the Temperance Movement; the original Just Say No policy. And, if you think that America has somehow risen above its puritanical beginnings which created the Eighteenth Amendment and Prohibition, take a look the next time you are out and about in public and count how many drinking fountains you see. The drinking fountain was a direct result of the Temperance Movement, placing them in public places to lure unsuspecting drunks away from the saloon to the tempting, bubbling public waters. I have spent a few decades in this county and have seen attitudes change in great ways over the ideas of mental health and how it impacts society. People with depression, bi-polar, anxiety and even the mentally handicapped have been given new lease on life, to the extent that society has become more tolerant of these individuals and embrace the afflicted out in the daylight and support organizations and treatments which enhance the lives of those who are in need. The flip-side to this is the archaic view America still hold towards the addict and alcoholic. This country has moved beyond its Victorian era ideas of mental health and moved its ideas and afflicted out of the locked room in the attic, chained to a radiator and single mattress into hospitals and institutions and back into society. Addiction and alcoholism are still America’s dirty little secret, still chained to that radiator in the attic and the above comments show its true colors. The majority of people in this country believe that drug addiction is a choice and a simple one at that, with equally simple solutions: Stop hanging around with the wrong people, work harder and the results of your hard work will make you feel better about yourself, pull yourself up by your bootstraps and just say no. What is odd is that addiction is as prevalent and pervasive as cancer. There is hardly a family that has not been touched by it in some way. If not personally, you most likely know someone close how has a friend and family member who has once or is now suffering from addiction. And, if the addict is suffering, so is their whole family. This is a disease that swallows everyone and everything that surrounds the addict. I feel the reason why so many Americans hold the belief that the alcoholics and addicts are disposable entities in this society is plain laziness. It is easier to condemn than to understand, easier to blame than to help and always easier to judge than to look at our own defects. Although the last sentence may sound like I’m plagiarizing the Saint Francis Prayer that is not a bad place to start. So, without any real solution to such a complicated problem, I give you The Prayer of Saint Francis: Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace; Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is error, truth; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; And where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek To be consoled as to console; To be understood as to understand; To be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Frank Say is not a contributing writer to any news organization or affiliation and doesn’t give a shit what you think.