Deborah, a well thought out and very serious post. I am not making light of it at all, but I have to smile at most young people trying to figure out who the hell Alice is and what song that quote is from. And they have no chance of knowing who Grace Slick was, without looking it up. - Jim
Steve Gadd, my favorite drummer & a big inspiration for my drumming style. Imagine his son's inspiration, with a genius drummer Dad, finding his way behind the kit with those skills in his blood only to struggle with a drug addiction that so many lost souls have, unable to escape the grip of a devil drug so difficult to release from. Forging on, only to succumb to it one fateful day. Beyond sad & tragic for all, let alone the children tied to the famous. Crushing. Is there a solution? A hope big enough to try & tackle a problem that is growing larger through the evil out there or the bad decisions in an attempt at combating it. There are good people trying & not so good people putting on the bandaid of enabling it more.
Pray for time to show us something new & for the addicted to find the successful hope that so many fail to do before it's too late. The grip is real & so incredibly hard for the "individual" to escape.
Thank God for the humans like my Nephew trying to help guide the way. He's a treasure to all he meets as your story points out so well. Love him...love you & thank you for writing this piece ❤
I knew this would hit you hard, since you have a long history of playing drums in Vegas. It’s tragic and I pray something changes soon, before we lose more and more souls. The satanic grip is so strong both from street drugs and prescribed opioids, prescribed “to get well” from basic surgeries, to correct pain - - then there’s more pain. Insanity.
It’s really amazing to watch Ian grow doing this work. How he keeps his spirits up and loves his clients. Love you Adam. ox
We have never ending prayers that this wickedness, taking the lives of so many, is put to a stop, especially at our borders and in our medical industry which profits off of opioids and people’s lives. It takes a strong person of Christ to know what we need and many of us don’t know that addiction comes in like the devil before we even realize it’s happening. I always say it’s 20 things. We also need a country-wide plan for solid rehabs, which involves 20 things and often full “autonomy” over an addict (and/or a mentally ill person) which we no longer are allowed to put one finger on a human who is suffering and needs help. Rather that is “cruel,” which is another lie perpetrated on the people. So leaving them to rot on streets is best. It’s beyond interesting to watch our youngest transform his mind by working with the drug addicted in a small home under government bureaucracy.
It’s terrible isn’t it Jenn? :( We are praying for change and I believe it’s coming. Sending you a huge hug and tons of love for a beautiful week with the precious kiddos. oxox
A woman in my town lost her son to fentanyl/opioid OD and she started The Black Poster Project. She does to schools, churches, etc with a poster for each person who OD’ed. It’s grown so much over the years.
It’s the saddest thing to know how many parents have suffered losing their children this way. Bless her for starting this project. How would we ever live after this unless we made it our life’s work to honor our child’s life. There is purpose in this - but the devil has trampled over so many potential lives that now we hope and pray something really big, a huge change, is on the horizon. Thank you for this friend. ox
I’m sorry you are experiencing a heavy heart today Deborah. I share with you my hurt. 😔My heart goes out to all families and their loved ones who have lost someone to drug addiction. The Bible warns how Babylon the Great will use Pharmakia (which is Greek for sorcery) to fool and control the masses. The devil is working hard. 👿
It was so sad to wakeup and see another lost life to a potential of a long good life — yet it’s everyday all day for so many agonized families and friends of those gone. I know you are close to this. Whether cartels, or big pharma - God is in a huge battle with the wicked one - Satan - who, like I say, is in our face and fooling so many. But I believe we are also in a new era of historical Biblical times where we are getting a chance to change and go back to God. Love you Charlotte. ox
My Sweet Friend, Again I have been touched. Yes, The addiction crisis is real while many try to ignore it. My sister was addicted to pain Killers and had been for years. My baby girl, Robin is fighting battle every day. She ties and fails but I remind her she is trying. these are many of the silent (not Famous) lives we are battling to save, I am reminded daily that addiction runs in our family and I must be careful because I could be next so easily. Your son Ian's story touched me for two reasons. Growing up in my Preteens and Teens, We had a Neighbor who was deaf, Miss Christine, She lived alone next door I did not know sign language at the time. But I learned how to communicate with gestures which we both got really good at. Her family would call to give her messages from time to time, I learned that if I stomped on Her porch she would feel the vibration and would see if it was me and would come out. Sometimes she would be in Her back yard and see me wandering in the woods and scold me and make me go home. lol. In later Years of high school I took ASL as a course because of Miss Christine, But we had moved from the neighborhood and I rarely saw her. In the 90's I worked at a huge Medical Center where I could occasionally use ASL with Deaf Patients and kind of became an unofficial interpreter for the Deaf. I always felt good about helping someone. In 1997 My God son Hugh was born prematurely and it was later discovered he was deaf. I got more fluent in ASL by visiting him and taking classes at the School for the deaf. Even after He received a Cochlear implant, We would fall into the routine of speaking in Sign rather than talk, needless to say he hated the implant and had it removed as an adult. He said the loudness bothered him.
Thank you for shining a light on these things. Everyone knows someone who is addicted and someone who is deaf. Reaching out to either could give you a blessing that you otherwise wouldn't have. I have been there and lived it. I love you my sweet friend and you and your family are always in my prayers. Keep writing. oxoxoxox
Dear Linda, what a story :(. and what a beautiful neighbor, Miss Christine, who looked out for you. I am so impressed by you. How incredible that God planted a seed in you to learn sign language and gave you a God Son as well who would struggle.
I am so sorry for the struggles in your family. We lost a nephew a year ago to alcohol addiction. One year younger than our Ian. He was 28 at the time. Thank you for sharing your story and for reading. I know you are a blessing to many. I love you and I really, genuinely thank you for your friendship, kindness and support. I write for a small handful of encouragers and you are one of them. oxoxox
This is a similar sad story to Toby Mac's son dying of fentanyl poisoning after he purchased his first oxy on the street. And for every well known person that dies, there are hundreds of thousands of moms weeping for their dead children. Enough already!
I want so badly to educate people on this drug and many say..we don't want to know. We want to be simple concerning evil. Well then shut off Netflix!
They say that 80% comes in across the southern border but our prime minister has been in bed with China for years and with superlabs lab being found in several provinces, I'm sure more is getting into US than they say. Until we put real pressure on our governments, it will not stop.
Oh yeah, I remember that :(. It's never ending and we only hear about the famous ones. There are, as you say, so many, many weeping moms and dads. I pray, as I said before, that this is the beginning of dismantling the drug cartels, protecting our borders from human trafficking and the these powerful drug criminals, and punching back the countries that have been allowed to create super labs everywhere, basically selling drugs to big pharma for profit and power, all the while killing people. The whole thing is a mostly unseen genocide of human beings.
Deborah, a well thought out and very serious post. I am not making light of it at all, but I have to smile at most young people trying to figure out who the hell Alice is and what song that quote is from. And they have no chance of knowing who Grace Slick was, without looking it up. - Jim
Thank you @Jim J Wilsky and I totally thought that too - but the beauty of writing is to leave people googling :) lol.
White Rabbit.
Hookah was a partier.
Steve Gadd, my favorite drummer & a big inspiration for my drumming style. Imagine his son's inspiration, with a genius drummer Dad, finding his way behind the kit with those skills in his blood only to struggle with a drug addiction that so many lost souls have, unable to escape the grip of a devil drug so difficult to release from. Forging on, only to succumb to it one fateful day. Beyond sad & tragic for all, let alone the children tied to the famous. Crushing. Is there a solution? A hope big enough to try & tackle a problem that is growing larger through the evil out there or the bad decisions in an attempt at combating it. There are good people trying & not so good people putting on the bandaid of enabling it more.
Pray for time to show us something new & for the addicted to find the successful hope that so many fail to do before it's too late. The grip is real & so incredibly hard for the "individual" to escape.
Thank God for the humans like my Nephew trying to help guide the way. He's a treasure to all he meets as your story points out so well. Love him...love you & thank you for writing this piece ❤
I knew this would hit you hard, since you have a long history of playing drums in Vegas. It’s tragic and I pray something changes soon, before we lose more and more souls. The satanic grip is so strong both from street drugs and prescribed opioids, prescribed “to get well” from basic surgeries, to correct pain - - then there’s more pain. Insanity.
It’s really amazing to watch Ian grow doing this work. How he keeps his spirits up and loves his clients. Love you Adam. ox
Yikes, a totally new perspective! Thank you!
We have never ending prayers that this wickedness, taking the lives of so many, is put to a stop, especially at our borders and in our medical industry which profits off of opioids and people’s lives. It takes a strong person of Christ to know what we need and many of us don’t know that addiction comes in like the devil before we even realize it’s happening. I always say it’s 20 things. We also need a country-wide plan for solid rehabs, which involves 20 things and often full “autonomy” over an addict (and/or a mentally ill person) which we no longer are allowed to put one finger on a human who is suffering and needs help. Rather that is “cruel,” which is another lie perpetrated on the people. So leaving them to rot on streets is best. It’s beyond interesting to watch our youngest transform his mind by working with the drug addicted in a small home under government bureaucracy.
This is heartbreaking, Deb. What an awful disaster. So many prayers for those who have lost a loved one to an OD.
It’s terrible isn’t it Jenn? :( We are praying for change and I believe it’s coming. Sending you a huge hug and tons of love for a beautiful week with the precious kiddos. oxox
A woman in my town lost her son to fentanyl/opioid OD and she started The Black Poster Project. She does to schools, churches, etc with a poster for each person who OD’ed. It’s grown so much over the years.
https://www.theblackposterproject.com/
It’s the saddest thing to know how many parents have suffered losing their children this way. Bless her for starting this project. How would we ever live after this unless we made it our life’s work to honor our child’s life. There is purpose in this - but the devil has trampled over so many potential lives that now we hope and pray something really big, a huge change, is on the horizon. Thank you for this friend. ox
I’m sorry you are experiencing a heavy heart today Deborah. I share with you my hurt. 😔My heart goes out to all families and their loved ones who have lost someone to drug addiction. The Bible warns how Babylon the Great will use Pharmakia (which is Greek for sorcery) to fool and control the masses. The devil is working hard. 👿
It was so sad to wakeup and see another lost life to a potential of a long good life — yet it’s everyday all day for so many agonized families and friends of those gone. I know you are close to this. Whether cartels, or big pharma - God is in a huge battle with the wicked one - Satan - who, like I say, is in our face and fooling so many. But I believe we are also in a new era of historical Biblical times where we are getting a chance to change and go back to God. Love you Charlotte. ox
My Sweet Friend, Again I have been touched. Yes, The addiction crisis is real while many try to ignore it. My sister was addicted to pain Killers and had been for years. My baby girl, Robin is fighting battle every day. She ties and fails but I remind her she is trying. these are many of the silent (not Famous) lives we are battling to save, I am reminded daily that addiction runs in our family and I must be careful because I could be next so easily. Your son Ian's story touched me for two reasons. Growing up in my Preteens and Teens, We had a Neighbor who was deaf, Miss Christine, She lived alone next door I did not know sign language at the time. But I learned how to communicate with gestures which we both got really good at. Her family would call to give her messages from time to time, I learned that if I stomped on Her porch she would feel the vibration and would see if it was me and would come out. Sometimes she would be in Her back yard and see me wandering in the woods and scold me and make me go home. lol. In later Years of high school I took ASL as a course because of Miss Christine, But we had moved from the neighborhood and I rarely saw her. In the 90's I worked at a huge Medical Center where I could occasionally use ASL with Deaf Patients and kind of became an unofficial interpreter for the Deaf. I always felt good about helping someone. In 1997 My God son Hugh was born prematurely and it was later discovered he was deaf. I got more fluent in ASL by visiting him and taking classes at the School for the deaf. Even after He received a Cochlear implant, We would fall into the routine of speaking in Sign rather than talk, needless to say he hated the implant and had it removed as an adult. He said the loudness bothered him.
Thank you for shining a light on these things. Everyone knows someone who is addicted and someone who is deaf. Reaching out to either could give you a blessing that you otherwise wouldn't have. I have been there and lived it. I love you my sweet friend and you and your family are always in my prayers. Keep writing. oxoxoxox
Dear Linda, what a story :(. and what a beautiful neighbor, Miss Christine, who looked out for you. I am so impressed by you. How incredible that God planted a seed in you to learn sign language and gave you a God Son as well who would struggle.
I am so sorry for the struggles in your family. We lost a nephew a year ago to alcohol addiction. One year younger than our Ian. He was 28 at the time. Thank you for sharing your story and for reading. I know you are a blessing to many. I love you and I really, genuinely thank you for your friendship, kindness and support. I write for a small handful of encouragers and you are one of them. oxoxox
This is a similar sad story to Toby Mac's son dying of fentanyl poisoning after he purchased his first oxy on the street. And for every well known person that dies, there are hundreds of thousands of moms weeping for their dead children. Enough already!
I want so badly to educate people on this drug and many say..we don't want to know. We want to be simple concerning evil. Well then shut off Netflix!
They say that 80% comes in across the southern border but our prime minister has been in bed with China for years and with superlabs lab being found in several provinces, I'm sure more is getting into US than they say. Until we put real pressure on our governments, it will not stop.
Oh yeah, I remember that :(. It's never ending and we only hear about the famous ones. There are, as you say, so many, many weeping moms and dads. I pray, as I said before, that this is the beginning of dismantling the drug cartels, protecting our borders from human trafficking and the these powerful drug criminals, and punching back the countries that have been allowed to create super labs everywhere, basically selling drugs to big pharma for profit and power, all the while killing people. The whole thing is a mostly unseen genocide of human beings.