Addicts and dealers don’t care that one of the biggest snow storms of all-time hit parts of the northeast this past weekend. Neither one of them takes the day off. The addict can’t take the day off; 30 inches of snow is nothing compared to the driving force of addiction. No danger compares with every fiber of their being screaming for the next fix. The dealers on the street will be out there too, waiting for the addicts. They know they are in a “weather proof” business…nothing stops their customer from coming to market.
On January 23, the city of Philadelphia got more than two feet of snow. Aside from city workers and emergency responders, the streets were practically empty…except for the drug addicts and the people selling their drugs.
“My mother won’t let me use her car in the snow. I will be back here, though, probably more than once. I’ll figure it out,” said “J.J.,” a 47-year-old man who’d come to Kensington Avenue to buy Suboxone.
Common sense to many says that a drug addict should simply stockpile their drugs and not need to go out in the miserable conditions that a blizzard guarantees. For those of you that understand addiction, you’ll laugh at that last statement. The addict is incapable of storing or saving drugs for later…more is always better, and if you have more it means you do more!
The Philadelphia Police Department knows all too well that the drug trade and the addicts that use know no bounds when it comes to getting high. The police keep the same hours that the dealers do. One very concerning issue for police, EMTs, and Firefighters is directly related to the addict. When a storm like the one we just went through blows in, response times for everything goes down. With the recent spike in heroin overdoses, it raises the very real concern that those suffering from an overdose will die before first responders arrive during this type of event.
We know that the addict has lost the power of choice with respect to using on any given day. The disease of addiction governs every move they make. If it’s a sunny warm summer day, they use. If there is 30 inches of snow on the ground, they use. We want to help break that cycle for the addict. We would like to help grant the freedom from putting your life in jeopardy on a daily basis. When the next blizzard blows in, you can be in a warm house with people who care about you. Not risking your life with every step you take.
ARE YOU OR SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT STRUGGLING WITH DRUGS AND ALCOHOL?
CALL CLEARBROOK TREATMENT CENTERS AT 1-800-582-6241
OR VISIT US ONLINE AT CLEARBROOKINC.COM
Thank you to http://mobile.philly.com/beta?wss=%2Fphilly%2Fnews&id=366240851 for some of the information in writing this article.
