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I was finishing the repairs on a Bobcat up at Seattle Center and putting my tools away when a woman came over to me She was about 25 to 30 or possibly younger. She was dressed in rags, baggy sweat pants several T-shirts and a sweater. Her hair was crudely cut and a mess. She asked for a cigarette and when I gave her one I looked at her hands. She was white, her hands were so filthy I could not see her skin color. Her neck was filthy too.
I've never seen anyone as bad off as she appeared to be. I asked her what she was doing there and told her she needed to get some help. She was tweaking and couldn't give me a clear answer. She mumbled any replies. After a few seconds she wandered down the sidewalk sat down in front of a tree and started talking to herself.
WTF?
We aren't doing these people any favors allowing them to destroy themselves. That individual would be a beautiful young woman in any society that was in any way capable of taking care of its people and gave a damn at all. I don't think any decent society would allow this.
I admire your conscience. It's the first step, I think, to finding solutions to our drug problem.
For sure, penalizing the addicted has not worked. Maybe it is time for people of good will to try to come up with some other alternative.
I have a couple of lifelong friends who are now struggling with addiction; both are alcoholics. One is fighting his way out while the other is relapsing and falling back in.
Both lean on me sometimes, in different ways. I have no answers for them, and I don't know what I can do except give them whatever support in staying sober I have to give at the time. Sometimes, that means going over, taking the bottle away, and taking one out for a ride in the country. Other times, it's just a conversation on the phone.
Both are persons who are good and have great ability, but doubt themselves. One is more comfortable in knowing he's a decent person than the other, but weak and in the grip of something he can't shake. The other can't shake his feelings of worthlessness, but he does try, once in a while.
I just don't want to see either die on me anytime soon. Their lives are just as important as my own. So if they are trouble to me, so be it.
true story, back in the 70s and 80s the progressive left decided that the mentally ill were having their constitutional rights trampled. So they got out and got to getting laws passed to "protect" them. that led to the opening of the doors of mental health facilities.
all those people ended up on the streets. I am pretty sensitive to this subject. I had a very close relative that was depressed and suicidal and needed to be put in a mental health facility. The dr. said his hands were tied because my relative didn't want that. The dr. couldn't help because my relative didn't want help.
He went home with drugs to help with depression but those drugs as with most of their kind, have this thing where you are more likely to harm yourself when you start taking them, and when you come off of them. My relative didn't make it to the point where the drugs could level him out. he found a gun and put a bullet in his own head.
I often want to shake the freaking hands of all those progressives that fought for my relatives constitutional right. they did a wonderful job.
Reality check. Fed reduced funding to states for mental health and the states chose not to cover the tab.
So many of those state institutions were hell holes where the ill lived in filth and were abused by state employees and other patients.
Never actually known a person with, say, schizophrenia, have you?
Schizophrenia is a spectrum diagnosis.
I know parents with adult sons who were diagnosed. Most are harmless to others, whether medicated or not. They are far more likely to be harmed by others.
You weren't in a decent society. Remember you said it was Seattle. Land of liberal zombies. Why didn't you take her home and clean her up and support her. No need to make it someone else's problem when you are the solution.
No, I'm not the solution. WE THE PEOPLE are the solution. I could help that person, correct that person. But not alone. I know how to do it but it would not be allowed in this weak minded society.
I admire your conscience. It's the first step, I think, to finding solutions to our drug problem.
For sure, penalizing the addicted has not worked. Maybe it is time for people of good will to try to come up with some other alternative.
I have a couple of lifelong friends who are now struggling with addiction; both are alcoholics. One is fighting his way out while the other is relapsing and falling back in.
Both lean on me sometimes, in different ways. I have no answers for them, and I don't know what I can do except give them whatever support in staying sober I have to give at the time. Sometimes, that means going over, taking the bottle away, and taking one out for a ride in the country. Other times, it's just a conversation on the phone.
Both are persons who are good and have great ability, but doubt themselves. One is more comfortable in knowing he's a decent person than the other, but weak and in the grip of something he can't shake. The other can't shake his feelings of worthlessness, but he does try, once in a while.
I just don't want to see either die on me anytime soon. Their lives are just as important as my own. So if they are trouble to me, so be it.
I think 2 things need to be done. Off the predators that prey on these people. Get the people out of this society.
Someone asked what I would do if I could do anything. The short answer is I'd do whatever needed to be done.
I was finishing the repairs on a Bobcat up at Seattle Center and putting my tools away when a woman came over to me She was about 25 to 30 or possibly younger. She was dressed in rags, baggy sweat pants several T-shirts and a sweater. Her hair was crudely cut and a mess. She asked for a cigarette and when I gave her one I looked at her hands. She was white, her hands were so filthy I could not see her skin color. Her neck was filthy too.
I've never seen anyone as bad off as she appeared to be. I asked her what she was doing there and told her she needed to get some help. She was tweaking and couldn't give me a clear answer. She mumbled any replies. After a few seconds she wandered down the sidewalk sat down in front of a tree and started talking to herself.
WTF?
We aren't doing these people any favors allowing them to destroy themselves. That individual would be a beautiful young woman in any society that was in any way capable of taking care of its people and gave a damn at all. I don't think any decent society would allow this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NLVgal
She told him she needed help. Where did you get that she refused help?
Also- where do you live that there are plenty of programs for the mentally ill or addicted? Because there sure as hell isnt where I live. The state has been trying to figure out what they are going to do because it's a crisis.
the question though is what kind of help was she looking for? note that she mumbled answers to the OPs questions, never gave him a straight or clear answer as to what she needed or wanted.
as for getting the kind of help she likely needs, she could start at a local hospital, if they cant help her, then they can direct her to someone that can help her. of she could start at a local church where they too could help her get what help she needs to get well. or walk into the local government office and talk to someone there who could also point her to where she needs to go. or perhaps the local salvation army office, or any number of other charities available. so unless you are in a small town, say less than about 5000 population, there are plenty of places to go. and yes i have been in small towns, like luray virginia, stanley virginia, elkton virginia, tusyan az, jackson wyoming. among others. and they ALL had places to go to get help.
None of this matters a whit.
Whatever happened, happened. It's up to us now to do something about it that is different, because what happened in the past neither worked nor stemmed the drugs in any way.
Lingering in the past, pointing fingers as to Who shot John won't ever fix a thing. Give this nonsense up, and begin thinking of real solutions instead of indulging in petty bickering. That's best left to the stupid, not intelligent people.
Reality check. Fed reduced funding to states for mental health and the states chose not to cover the tab.
So many of those state institutions were hell holes where the ill lived in filth and were abused by state employees and other patients.
Many were and are safe havens that people are forever trying to get into.
I worked in a state psychiatric hospital right out of college and have worked on Crisis Intervention teams teaming social workers and police officers over the years. I can't tell you how many times people have begged for hospitalization but there were no beds available or they didn't "meet criteria."
Many needing psychiatric hospitalization are in jails or prisons. The hospital I worked at was a better situation than people encounter there.
BTW, it was Reagan who emptied the state hospitals not the bleeding-heart liberals.
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