I made a post last year about how the push to put Narcan in the hands of all first responders was going to enable more overdoses. I am not saying this is the only reason but it is one of the biggest reasons. The economic circumstances for so many people has not changed…or in many cases has gotten worse. This has been part of the reason the overdose problem is getting even worse. Now as of June 1, 2017 anyone can get narcan without a doctor’s prescription. This also does not include any medical training requirements, only a crash course in symptom recognition and how to administer this powerful drug. So now this drug is now being carried around by not even first responders but regular civilians. I can hear the , “what if you had overdosed. Wouldn’t you want somebody to help?” My answer? Not unless you were an EMT or paramedic with proper medical training.
Keep in mind an opioid overdose is rarely spontaneous. It is a choice to take more and more of the drug..unless you are addicted to the point where you can’t get away from it….”doing it for fun”. I am not against drug addiction intervention treatment either. HOwever this push for Narcan everywhere only enables folks to continue to make poor choices. As with most “feel good” response plans this has disastrous second order effects. For those who are truly addicted…I am all for this lifesaving substance…as long as it is followed up with appropriate intervention by appropriate medical professionals. Narcan everywhere however is only going to enable the further explosion of overdosing by those who wish to not be responsible for their own actions.
I think Narcan should be only administered with either an actual prescription or by properly medically trained first responders. This gives the best balance between getting the drug to those who really need it vs to those who do it because they no longer have to fear the results of poor choices. I am a big proponent of personal responsibility. If you make a poor conscious choice…you should suffer the consequences of that choice. So if an ambulance cannot get to you in time..even if you were hooked by a “friend” or some other reason…i am sorry..too bad. Yes this means folks are going to die…it also means that those who choose this poor choice of action will suffer the consequences of said poor choices.
I’ll give you a personal example. I am a type 2 diabetic because of years of poor eating habits and lack of physical activity due to my chosen field of expertise. I do not expect “diabetic drugs everywhere” like narcan folks are asking for as I am now dealing with my poor choices and having to change my lifestyle. Obamacare took my insurance away from me so I am out of meds and the physical alone is $700. The medication is not very expensive. I am not moaning here about my poor choice…I am living with the consequences of it. Why do I not have insurance? I make too much for subsidies(which do nothing to offset the monthly cost) and the costs of coverage right now would cost me more than 1k/month. That’s more than my mortgage of $755/month. I literally cannot afford two mortgage payments. What does that 1k/month get me? I have a deductible of 10k first of all. This means i have to spend 10k in medical expenses out of pocket before bronze kick in..which is 60%. That insurance does not cover the following:
- any out of pocket expense the physician charges.
- no coverage for balance billing(which many providers charge)
- no coverage for any other fees, co pay, other medical charges, equipment charges that are charged.
Only after 10k in deductibles does the 60% coverage kick in. All in all I am looking at 21k per year before I get ANY coverage. That’s more than 45% of my GROSS income(mind you Social Security is considered taxable gross income and counts in these calculations). As I am self-employed my taxes alone take a majority of the rest. So I have two choices. Shut down my business, work for somebody else who may or may not take my family dynamic into account, or reduce my income to a point that I can get all of the gov’t assistance(ebt, medicaid, food stamps.etc etc etc) and basically become a ward of the state. I do not want to live like the latter and I do not want my kids learning to live like that either. Right now any job I have been able to find would have any gains in income be immediately offset by the massive increase in daycare costs for my youngest that would be incurred by me taking a job. One day a solution that is acceptable(either my business will grow to the point this is not an issue or i will be able to find a job with enough extra take home pay that daycare expenses will be manageable) will come up. Until then I will soldier along with help from friends and family…but most importantly from Jesus Christ himself.
For those who are overdosing because you do not have to suffer the consequences for your poor choices…shame on you. The folks in this society who live with their choices have zero sympathy for you. For the ones who have a truly devastating medical condition? I truly hope you get the help you need before it’s too late. Right now resources for you are being taken by those who wish to abscond from their personal responsibility.