[Powderworks] NMOC: Dee Dee Ramone is dead.
Kate Adams
kate@dnki.net
Fri, 07 Jun 2002 21:24:13 -0400
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Thank you Glitch!
I was growing a little frustrated with the "I don't understand this in the
least but I think its stupid, a moral failing or a damn shame that people
take drugs at all" responses to this tragedy. Well meaning and
compassionately rendered responses - but utterly naive!
A great deal of drug abuse is secondary to self-treatment of undiagnosed
mental illness. Some of this occurs because easy access to street drugs
(and their ever changing price and increasing potentcy) make it easy to
kill the pain or shut up those goddamn voices or remove paralyzing
inhibitions with a cozy warm heroin rush than to submit oneself to other
methods of relief. Some of it occurs because submitting oneself to the
mental health system in this country is much more difficult, due to hurdles
of cost and stigma and burned-out or clueless practioners, than smoking
another joint or snitching a clean needle from the bio lab. Even when the
mental illnesses are diagnosed, the treatments are not always effective or
appropriately rendered, leaving the person involved in a position where use
of illegal drugs feels and seems easier and more effective or simply more
independently anonymous than dealing with the side effects of lithium.
In any case, drug abuse and addiction are complex phenomena, and all the
Nancy Reaganisms and DARE propaganda in the world won't change that. Yeah,
there are those who are just living fast and dying young and throwing their
clueless partykid lives down the toilet for a few fast thrills, but
lifelong addicts have lifelong issues that transcend wanton youthful
recklessness. And not all are like William S. Burroughs, who somehow
survived to his forties and suddenly woke up amid the wreckage of his life
and stayed more or less clean for nearly another half century! Even those
who should know better simply know no better way to handle their
demons. Sometimes what looks like a stupid accident resulting from
wantonly careless behavior is actually a suicide - be it a fast one or a
slow one.
May Joey and Dee Dee have a good long jam in the afterlife! Long live the
Ramones!
At 08:40 PM 6/7/02 -0400, Glitch wrote:
>Just to argue the other side of this, I don t know that I would call
>overdosing on heroin avoidable. Speaking as one who s been there, when
>you are experiencing unbearable psychic pain you will do anything to make
>it go away. Anything. And you re not in a position to see what s right
>or wrong anymore or to help yourself out.
>Not to condone drug use in any form. I don t. But I just don t think it
>s as easy as Just Say No. I think there are a lot of complex societal
>factors going on that contribute to despair and addiction and make for a
>very lethal cocktail. Unavoidable? I think not. Very sad? Definitely.
>Anyone agree with me Bruce?
>No flames please -
>
>--Glitch
>"when will i be yours...when will i be mine?" --midnight oil
*******************************************************
Kate Adams
Gradual Student
UMass Lowell
*******************************************************
Remember your childhood
Remember the journey
Hope is what you say and do
-Midnight Oil
(Minutes to Midnight)
*******************************************************
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Thank you Glitch!<br>
<br>
I was growing a little frustrated with the "I don't understand this
in the least but I think its stupid, a moral failing or a damn
shame that people take drugs at all" responses to this
tragedy. Well meaning and compassionately rendered responses - but
utterly naive!<br>
<br>
A great deal of drug abuse is secondary to self-treatment of undiagnosed
mental illness. Some of this occurs because easy access to street
drugs (and their ever changing price and increasing potentcy) make it
easy to kill the pain or shut up those goddamn voices or remove
paralyzing inhibitions with a cozy warm heroin rush than to submit
oneself to other methods of relief. Some of it occurs because
submitting oneself to the mental health system in this country is much
more difficult, due to hurdles of cost and stigma and burned-out or
clueless practioners, than smoking another joint or snitching a clean
needle from the bio lab. Even when the mental illnesses are
diagnosed, the treatments are not always effective or appropriately
rendered, leaving the person involved in a position where use of illegal
drugs feels and seems easier and more effective or simply more
independently anonymous than dealing with the side effects of
lithium.<br>
<br>
In any case, drug abuse and addiction are complex phenomena, and all the
Nancy Reaganisms and DARE propaganda in the world won't change that.
Yeah, there are those who are just living fast and dying young and
throwing their clueless partykid lives down the toilet for a few fast
thrills, but lifelong addicts have lifelong issues that transcend wanton
youthful recklessness. And not all are like William S. Burroughs,
who somehow survived to his forties and suddenly woke up amid the
wreckage of his life and stayed more or less clean for nearly another
half century! Even those who should know better simply know no
better way to handle their demons. Sometimes what looks like a
stupid accident resulting from wantonly careless behavior is actually a
suicide - be it a fast one or a slow one.<br>
<br>
May Joey and Dee Dee have a good long jam in the afterlife! Long
live the Ramones!<br>
<br>
At 08:40 PM 6/7/02 -0400, Glitch wrote:<br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite><font face="Verdana" size=2>Just to
argue the other side of this, I don t know that I would call overdosing
on heroin avoidable. Speaking as one who s been there, when you are
experiencing unbearable psychic pain you will do anything to make it go
away. Anything. And you re not in a position to see what s
right or wrong anymore or to help yourself out.<br>
Not to condone drug use in any form. I don t. But I just don
t think it s as easy as Just Say No. I think there are a lot of
complex societal factors going on that contribute to despair and
addiction and make for a very lethal cocktail. Unavoidable? I
think not. Very sad? Definitely.<br>
Anyone agree with me Bruce?<br>
No flames please - <br>
<br>
</font><font face="Verdana">--Glitch<br>
"when will i be yours...when will i be mine?" --midnight
oil</blockquote>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
*******************************************************<br>
Kate Adams<br>
Gradual Student<br>
UMass Lowell<br>
*******************************************************<br>
Remember your childhood<br>
Remember the journey<br>
Hope is what you say and do<br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>-Midnight
Oil <br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>(Minutes
to Midnight)<br>
*******************************************************<br>
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