Your comment reminds me of an episode of Joe Rogan with Johann Hari [1], talking about what really causes addiction and the failures of the "war on drugs."
He states, "The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, the opposite of addiction is connection." (18:08)
The former U.S. surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, declared loneliness an epidemic, and just wrote a book on it [2].
I believe the biggest challenge we face in the United States centers on emotional health. How do we feel? Whom do we trust? Who do we think loves us? How do we rebuild trust? How do we apologize and forgive? How do we grieve?
I watched a 60 Minutes episode talking about some of the pharma reps trying to convince doctors to prescribe more opioids [3]. One rep, Alec Burlakoff, had this interchange with the interviewer:
> Bill Whitaker: You're preying on these people--
> Alec Burlakoff: Yeah, because they're desperate. They'll try anything. And they may get relief from Subsys initially, But we all know what's gonna happen. We know. We've been doin' this long enough. We know how it ends.
> Bill Whitaker: And that is?
> Alec Burlakoff: It ends in addiction, withdrawal, pain, suffering, and even death.
> Bill Whitaker: And you didn't care about that?
> Alec Burlakoff: Back then, I was numb to that.
This reminds me that while I often think that the people who feel disconnected are the ones using the opioids, very often the ones selling them also feel disconnected. How did this man get so numb to selling products that he knew were causing so much pain and suffering to others? How did he get so numb in life in general? More importantly, how do we help him feel more alive?
I agree, I don't think the Department of Justice, especially with a focus on punishment rather than rehabilitation, can lift us out of this hole. I believe it will require a focus on emotional health, on repairing relationships, on helping us feel less distant, more close, to our friends, family, neighbors, and fellow Americans.
He states, "The opposite of addiction is not sobriety, the opposite of addiction is connection." (18:08)
The former U.S. surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, declared loneliness an epidemic, and just wrote a book on it [2].
I believe the biggest challenge we face in the United States centers on emotional health. How do we feel? Whom do we trust? Who do we think loves us? How do we rebuild trust? How do we apologize and forgive? How do we grieve?
I watched a 60 Minutes episode talking about some of the pharma reps trying to convince doctors to prescribe more opioids [3]. One rep, Alec Burlakoff, had this interchange with the interviewer:
> Bill Whitaker: You're preying on these people-- > Alec Burlakoff: Yeah, because they're desperate. They'll try anything. And they may get relief from Subsys initially, But we all know what's gonna happen. We know. We've been doin' this long enough. We know how it ends. > Bill Whitaker: And that is? > Alec Burlakoff: It ends in addiction, withdrawal, pain, suffering, and even death. > Bill Whitaker: And you didn't care about that? > Alec Burlakoff: Back then, I was numb to that.
This reminds me that while I often think that the people who feel disconnected are the ones using the opioids, very often the ones selling them also feel disconnected. How did this man get so numb to selling products that he knew were causing so much pain and suffering to others? How did he get so numb in life in general? More importantly, how do we help him feel more alive?
I agree, I don't think the Department of Justice, especially with a focus on punishment rather than rehabilitation, can lift us out of this hole. I believe it will require a focus on emotional health, on repairing relationships, on helping us feel less distant, more close, to our friends, family, neighbors, and fellow Americans.
[1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDpjvFn4wgM [2]: https://www.amazon.com/Together-Connection-Performance-Great... [3]: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/opioid-epidemic-pharmaceutical-...