Our problems are of our own making. (Congress, legal, drug)

[McGowdog]

Originally Posted by NeutralParty

First of all, congratulations on your sobriety.

I agree with most of what you said. The war on drugs has been a complete failure, as addiction is reaching epidemic levels nationwide over the last few years.

Most people didn't care about drug problems as long as it stayed within the inner-cities, but now, heroin and fentanyl have spread like wildfire into the suburbs and rural areas.

I'm not sure how to fix this problem, but gov't needs to step in and do something.

Thank you. I agree with you up to the point where you imply that it only became a problem when it hit the suburbs aka the white folks. Drugs and food like alcohol are not prejudiced.

Originally Posted by Dbones

lmao...Why the government? Everyone is responsible for their own choices and if it's a family member it's also partly YOUR responsibility also. What do you want the government to do that you won't complain about? Arrest drug users you'll complain, send them to detox/rehab against their will you'll complain, try to stop the flow of drugs into the country by sanctions or security measures you'll complain, heavily police the streets you'll complain, they leave the addicts alone to their own fates you'll complain. What is that you want them to do???

Beautiful. Someone gets it.

My problems are of my own making is the best statement of hole for me ever.

Why? Tell this 140+ IQ'd Electrical engineering Trump-voting idiot why that's a statement of hope?

Because it's deep down within myself that I find my own solution.

Oh, but sorry for not being smart like y'all.

Originally Posted by AksarbeN

There’s never one cause of a problem, and here we have several sources of why things are happening. We can blame ourselves, others, and the government but it’s never going to be fixed until we focus on “each” one of the sources.

Stop having adults on drugs they area a lost generation and the teenagers see adults enjoying drugs so they too want to be adults and start using drugs, alcohol, sex and the like. Adults need to cleanup their act.

Entertainers are a problem as well with their pathetic images they leave in the minds of teenagers who listen to their music, watch their shows and attempt to emulate them. Get the “disgusting” entertainers off the stage!

It took a generation or two to get where we are now so it’ll take another generation to turn it around. Adults have to start cleaning up their own act and be the role models that kids will lookup to.

Good points.

I understand why some people do drugs or drink that way, or gamble this way, etc. They are trying to raise their current level of consciousness, aka feel better.

I know a slower, safer, better path, but who will listen.

Originally Posted by texan2yankee

I have nothing about your post, but wanted to congratulate you on your sobriety. If anyone knows addiction and how hard it is to overcome, you do. Yet, sobriety can be accomplished! you prove it every day, "one day at a time".

Thank you. Life can be tough enough as it is, without adding our own self-imposed crisis to it.

Originally Posted by Colorado Rambler

15 years! Yay, McDog!

I couldn't agree with you more that our problems are often of our own making. As you know, I'm no fan of Trump, but I don't wish ill to happen to my country and my fellow Americans as a way of getting rid of the president*.

My hope is that enough voters - maybe someday even you - will come to recognize all the damage Trump is doing to our nation and vote him out in 2020. Let the will of the people be carried out - not that of the fat cat politicians.

As for America's addiction crisis, I once read that about 10% of the population have brain chemistries that make them vulnerable to addiction. If pills aren't available, they'll just turn to alcohol. If alcohol isn't available, they'll just use pot. If pot isn't available ... etc., ect.

The so-called war on drugs is working out about as well as prohibition did which was a fiasco. This is where I get mad over the nanny government thing. We are not going to solve the problem of addiction by locking up addicted Americans for x amount of time. I had a good friend who was able to stay sober and work a good job as long as he had to report to his probation officer. The moment he was no longer on probation, he went right out and got drunk and ended up killing himself. Thinking about him still brings tears to my eyes.

Our culture/society is so out of whack in these troubling times that one can only be surprised that more Americans don't turn to drugs or alcohol - taking something from the outside to make those dark feelings inside go away. It never works - not for any appreciable amount of time anyhow.

If we are serious about addressing the problem of addiction, we need to start treating people. If some folks need to stay in treatment for a year in order to get and stay sober, I say use the money to give them a hand up - not a hand out or a prison cell.

My small Colorado town has been heavily impacted by meth and opiates. My landlady's son is doing yet another stint in jail thanks to his addiction to meth - such a terrible waste.

We need to work together as both a society and a people to combat these things. Big brother government is NOT the answer to this one.

Thank you Colorado.

She and I can do what my own family members and I cannot do, get along, be friends, and agree to disagree, and agree to agree once in a while.

Not too sure weed is that bad.

Not for me, but may be ok for some. Don't know all the facts. Want to stay open-minded on that, believe it or not.

Originally Posted by Hesychios

Congratulations on your ongoing success. I truly respect that.

On the rest, you have certainly made some good points but I think that you misread the motivation of people who stand in opposition to Trump.

Yes, most of the current opponents of the Trump administration probably did not vote for him, but we as a nation have never in the past had a serious problem with a political opponent in the white house, unless that person is in some way defective beyond hope. I think Andrew Johnson was like that, and for different reasons Richard Nixon, not too many others or to such a degree.

In my lifetime there has never been a president elected who did not pivot toward being the president of all the people, and the people would give a new president a chance. Normally it has to do with policies and a willingness to work with both sides of the aisle for the greater good.

That can not happen this time, and it is entirely because of Trump himself. Yes, people will insult him, that is normal in politics, but he gives everyone too much ammunition.

It isn't that his stated policies are all so bad, some are and some are not. Most people can work with a lot of what he proposes.

The five (or is it six?) currently running investigations on Trump or his associations attest to the man's unsuitability. Trump was well known to be a bad egg before he ran for office, how bad no one could have guessed. He really surprised me.

No man is above the law. People who care about this country can not overlook this. We deserve to know the facts with unimpeded investigations into all of these questionable issues. The people who occupy the highest offices in the land should deserve our trust. We must have justice in our republic.

Thanks, and wrt Trump, I don't think he will ever get his chance.

All I can say to that is, y'all will get yours when this "is over", just you wait.

That's a political resentment, not a personal one. There's a difference.

[Colorado Rambler]

Originally Posted by ChrisCUSA

Since you started a P&OC thread about you, I'll comment about you.

It's sad that a recovering alcoholic, or drug addict or whatever, is still a supporter of "Don-the-con".

Congratulations for having enough remaining braincells to (somehow) post on the Internet.

I'm guessing you are proud that you're one of the 60 million plus Americans that voted for the donald. I think that if you weren't so damaged, you wouldn't be so proud of that.

Hopefully, our country will "carry on". Our institutions have shown their resilience dealing with the election of the donald. Once the donald is kicked to the curb, it will be another test of our country to figure out how to deal with the persevering deplorable's.

Your response to McGowdog's post is a perfect example of the growing divide that is quickly becoming a chasm between Americans these days. I'm in recovery myself and I have 3 entire brain cells left - more than enough to post a reply to your mean spirited response to McDog.

I am a progressive and I have absolutely no use for Trump, but I respect McGowdog's opinions even when I don't necessarily agree with him about every last thing. I'd love to see this country a little less polarized and I'm sick and tired of the so-called culture wars. Most of the people in my small town are Trump supporters, but that hardly makes them evil anymore than being a progressive means I want "open borders" or that I somehow hate my own country.

Given the nature of the CD politics forum, it's easy to go overboard and make unnecessary attacks on the people on the other side of the question. I can be very snarky myself, but it's actually much more rewarding to reach out to others whenever the opportunity should arise. You should try it sometime.

Originally Posted by McGowdog

Thank you Colorado.

She and I can do what my own family members and I cannot do, get along, be friends, and agree to disagree, and agree to agree once in a while.

Not too sure weed is that bad.

Not for me, but may be ok for some. Don't know all the facts. Want to stay open-minded on that, believe it or not.

You are most welcome, McDog. I've had to block some of my family members on Facebook because they get so nasty over politics. Yet you and I have been able to find some common ground. It can be done - at least sometimes.

I agree that weed is probably less harmful than alcohol and it's certainly better than resorting to oxy's. I actually use a mj tincture from time to time to help me with the pain from a spine energy. On the other hand, I have a friend who is supposedly in recovery yet smokes pot 24/7. I've never seen a person smoke as much as he does. He actually foregoes groceries in favor of buying pot. I guess it just goes to show that those of us in recovery should be aware of some of the roads we may be tempted to go down, telling ourselves that everything is OK when nothing could be further from the truth..

And I actually consider you to very open minded - except in regard to our current president* of course.

[McGowdog]

Maybe I'm addicted to orange cheetos.

[animalcrazy]

Wow congrats McGowdog on your 15 years of sobriety. I personally can't understand the addiction to opioids. I took 120 Oxycodone over the course of two months after I broke my arm and shattered my wrist last May. I was terrified that I would come out of it addicted, but, I took my last one and never looked back. I guess my brain chemistry is just does not have that addictive component. I was also raised by two alcoholics and I'm not addicted to alcohol either. Why do some of us succumb and other's don't? My brother is an alcoholic and was homeless on a beach in Florida.

Yes I have dear friends that are Trump supporters and unfortunately, I ended a Facebook friendship with one because of his whack job Trump supporting friends. Radical ideology be it from Isis, the religious right or a deranged Trump supporter is not a good thing. I do not want the stock market to crash, I have too many good friends that are being hurt by the down turn. It has nothing to do with Trump, and you know how I feel about him. He will come and go, our great country will still be here when he's gone.

Just as you said, we are the core of our problems, and voting out Trump is an appealing idea to most of us. I haven't found anyone that wants our country to fail because of Trump, but a whole bunch of us feel like he's doing a pretty good job of it on his own. I hope for another blue wave in the senate in 2020.

So do you want the country to fail if the Democrats gain control of the senate as well? I hope not.
You stay strong and kudos for over coming a very difficult obstacle Tell me your secret so I can finally beat this sugar addiction. It's my crack.

[PilgrimsProgress]

Originally Posted by NeutralParty

I'm not sure how to fix this problem, but gov't needs to step in and do something.

When manufacturing jobs were given to China and other countries, that is when our drug problem worsened. Most people are proud and want jobs, not welfare. When self-esteem plummets because people feel useless, drug use rises. It will be interesting to see stats over the next few years in areas where jobs have returned to see if drug use falls.

[McGowdog]

Originally Posted by animalcrazy

Wow congrats McGowdog on your 15 years of sobriety. I personally can't understand the addiction to opioids. I took 120 Oxycodone over the course of two months after I broke my arm and shattered my wrist last May. I was terrified that I would come out of it addicted, but, I took my last one and never looked back. I guess my brain chemistry is just does not have that addictive component. I was also raised by two alcoholics and I'm not addicted to alcohol either. Why do some of us succumb and other's don't? My brother is an alcoholic and was homeless on a beach in Florida.

Yes I have dear friends that are Trump supporters and unfortunately, I ended a Facebook friendship with one because of his whack job Trump supporting friends. Radical ideology be it from Isis, the religious right or a deranged Trump supporter is not a good thing. I do not want the stock market to crash, I have too many good friends that are being hurt by the down turn. It has nothing to do with Trump, and you know how I feel about him. He will come and go, our great country will still be here when he's gone.

Just as you said, we are the core of our problems, and voting out Trump is an appealing idea to most of us. I haven't found anyone that wants our country to fail because of Trump, but a whole bunch of us feel like he's doing a pretty good job of it on his own. I hope for another blue wave in the senate in 2020.

So do you want the country to fail if the Democrats gain control of the senate as well? I hope not.
You stay strong and kudos for over coming a very difficult obstacle Tell me your secret so I can finally beat this sugar addiction. It's my crack.

I'm on a weight loss program of my own now, am down to 209 lbs and have 14 lbs to go.

I don't eat no bread, potatoes, corn, pasta, rice, nor candy, cookies, cake, etc.

Ya just do it and the scale rewards you for it.

Originally Posted by redwood66

Congrats on 15 years!

As to the rest I can only control myself and no one else. Nor do I want to.

Thanks and true that.

[redwood66]

Congrats on 15 years!

As to the rest I can only control myself and no one else. Nor do I want to.

[Catgirl64]

Originally Posted by McGowdog

Take drug abuse for instance. "US prescriptions of opiod drugs increased 300% between 1999 and 2008"

Doctors overprescribe drugs to their patients', they sell the access to the dealers, then it's on.

Back when the US removed the ingredient for Meth from shelves, the Mexican cartels took over.

Drug abuse has become a game of whack-a-mole.

Take D.C. for instance. They have so much security since 9-11, they are the most policed city on the planet. Meth, crack and heroin have been virtually removed. So cheap to make but still expensive to buy PCP took it's place, despite the fact that users strip down naked, get their guts slashed, and continue to try and kill people, while gouging their own eyes out. Folks, we got a problem.

Our problems are internal. The problem is not "out there". The problem is deep down within ourselves.

Take for example, your own beloved family member. Somewhere in your own midst, maybe under your own roof, or in your own immediate family, or extended family, or someone in your church, or other social circle, is a disgusting Trump supporter.

So, you would rather the stock market fail and the Nation in general to stumble just to keep Trump from getting a win.

The cartels are not who is killing your drug addicted aunt.

No, "Our troubles are of our own making."

I'm sober 15 years today. At least I've got that going for me. At no time have I found it necessary to flip off a liquor store, nor to solicit one.

Carry on.

The good stuff first: congratulations.

Now, on to the rest.

What on earth does this have to do with who does or does not support Trump? I live with a Trump supporter, and I do not consider her disgusting. I do consider many of her views to be misguided, and I am sure she feels the same way about many of mine.

I'm happy to hear that you don't feel the need to flip off liquor stores, but aren't you sort of verbally flipping off Trump's critics every time you say " Not My Pwesident! Waa!" You have done this in 230 of your posts to date. I looked it up, because sadly, it's the first thing that leaps into my mind when I see your name on a post. No real counterargument, just taunting people who don't share your views.

No one I know wants to stock market to fail, or the nation to stumble. There is a difference between fearing it may happen and wishing it would.

I am truly happy for you that you are now sober. That's something to be proud of, but the rest of your comments really don't make any sense to me.

[No_Recess]

Originally Posted by Catgirl64

I live with a Trump supporter, and I do not consider her disgusting. I do consider many of her views to be misguided, and I am sure she feels the same way about many of mine.

I should move in. That way I could be the voice of reason for both of you.

[Catgirl64]

Originally Posted by No_Recess

I should move in. That way I could be the voice of reason for both of you.

I'd have to think about it. Do you cook?