i am a medic for a volunteer service. We had a attemped suicide OD yesterday that just about broke me. This young man was 17. He is known to have many drug problems and trouble with the law. (I live in a town of 2000 so we know everyone) We got to the house and he had taken 260 different pills that had just been filled. His mother found him. He was breathing, but thats about all. He is now in a coma. He had a suicide note next to him dated and a time on it. We found him 2 hours after he had written it. The note was very detailed about where he wanted to be buried and who needed to be there. He also had clothes picked out for himself. What bothers me is why cant a kid or a adult look for help and maybe prevent this. I see alot of OD patients but most screw up. You get a chance to talk to them. This one I had no chance. I know that I cant change anyones idea of life but I can sure give it a try. I prayed long and hard to get a answer to why and my higher power says just what I just said. It was his choice! By his condition I doubt that he will recover. It looks like it will be prolonged by the coma. May our higher powers be with all those that are still suffering. I have found a better life in NA.
As someone with recurrent major depression, I have to say that, for me, by the time I'm suicidal there is very little ability to "choose" left. The drive to complete the act is visceral, primal, not an intellectual excercise on managing a bad emotional state by deciding to check out. This kid is in the worst possible condition, and I really feel for you, having to deal with the painful powerlessness that those who care have to go through. Thank God there is solace in NA, and in the higher power of our understanding.
__________________
From dying and surviving to living and thriving. LeeU
I just posted about my friend who also is an addict who was arrested. He was found hanging in his cell.....he has been in a coma,braindead for the past two months....he will be taken off of lifesupport tomorrow morning.(Sat morning).
Sad....
__________________
we might die from medication but we sure killed all the pain, but what was normal in the evening by the morning seems insane
Hi Wop, I was responding to Marigolhead's comment about her two friends that have passed. Let me elaborate. It's a given that we are sick people trying to get well in here. With that said, one of the things that we need to do, in order to make these changes in ourselves, through working the steps, so that we don't have to use, is to remove ourselves from the people places and things that we used with/near/around. We are told to "stick with the winners" in regards to hanging out with successfully recovering people (and functional non addicts). Our tendency is to continue to chose sick people to hang out with, because that's what we've been doing since childhood. And we wonder why these sick people are doing unthinkable things. It's a lot easier to make new friends. I know that that may sound cold and hard, but this is a life or death choice for us. The trouble with friends with issues and drama is that we get sucked into it and it brings us down. Our disease want that to happen so that we'll feel bad enough to use over it. If I've got to make a choice between staying clean and living and associating with sick friends, guess which one is going away?
Dean .... I cant believe what you have said about my two friends... this was before I became clean..... I never used with them but they did abuse narcotics. I understand you have to keep a distance from such people but you were just cruel. I am also a man and not a woman. I have 22 months clean and I do that with the help of my higher power and the help of my friends in NA. I will keep the other person in my prayers
Marigold, sorry for the gender mistake, but I didn't say anything about your friends other than that they passed, which is what you elaborated. I've known a lot of people, in and out of the program, that have passed (many have taken their life) over the 22 years that I've been in the program. With only 1 out 20 people getting and staying clean, you'll have to walk over a lot of bodies to keep your seat at the meeting table. That's the cold hard truth about this disease, it kills people. It was the death of my closest drinking and using buddy "Ronnie" that helped me turn the corner, in '89, after having relapsed for 2 years. I know that I felt sad about it at the time, but my expectations were misplaced. The guy was doing heroin, od'd, and aspirated. He didn't want to live and is were he wants to be now. I'm sorry about your friends. My message wasn't about them, it was about making good choices, as far as friends go.
-- Edited by DeanC on Wednesday 10th of June 2009 07:04:24 AM
I decide each day NOT to be one of those that this disease/addiction kills because it damn sure almost did, many times over.
Jails institutions death OR recovery there's the choices, plain n simple .
Simple ? no if it was simple there'd be a helluva lot more people staying clean this is like a marriage till death do us part that's how I look at it and i'm not good in relationships LOL but this time I make concessions, I remain patient and tolerant, I work hard for what I have every day sometimes its by simply staying clean through a process thats uncomfortable and challenging. I love being clean and sober and when you love something you take great care of it .
We are adapting our lives to this program not the program into our live, things we used to run from we now face and we do that by sharing with others who can usually relate to our feelings, this is alllll about feelings for us and facing them rather then running.
I USED because of how I FELT and I ran from how I felt today I let myself feel and go through the normal process that comes with that and I am able to do this by using a power greater then myself, the group support and a higher power its not all about ME anymore yet it is about ME, me staying clean having a good life and sharing that with others.
When someone shares there sharing there experience strength and hope for YOU and for themselves no ones here to hurt anyone else just here to support.
As someone with recurrent major depression, I have to say that, for me, by the time I'm suicidal there is very little ability to "choose" left. The drive to complete the act is visceral, primal, not an intellectual excercise on managing a bad emotional state by deciding to check out. This kid is in the worst possible condition, and I really feel for you, having to deal with the painful powerlessness that those who care have to go through. Thank God there is solace in NA, and in the higher power of our understanding. 
