The Accidental Addict... It Happens to #1stresponders

By Dr. Maryann Rosenthal Ph.D.

Today, millions of Americans suffer with all kinds of physical concerns that cause them serious pain. They are in need of pain management to help them function and are often prescribed appropriate medications to help them cope and manage their condition. However, because these drugs are so powerful and their need so great, bodies can build up a tolerance for the medications.  They then need more of the drug to obtain the same effect. Eventually they can become overly dependent on these drugs, which can have a very negative effect on their quality of their life.

Prescription drug abuse is the Nation’s fastest-growing drug problem and the “Accidental Addict” can happen to all ages and in all lifestyles especially first responders.  According to a National Survey on Drug Use and Health in 2009, more than 5 million Americans misused prescription painkillers in a one-month period. “Daily, 50 people in our nation die from unintentional prescription opioid overdoses and daily, 20 times that number are admitted to hospital emergency departments for opioid overdoses,” said John Eadie, director of the Prescription Monitoring Program Center of Excellence at Brandeis University. As outrageous as that sounds, a huge majority – more than 70% of those prescriptions were from friends and relatives.

There are many reasons for the rapid and growing abuse of prescription drugs. One is how easily accessible the drugs are from doctors, family and friends.  The other is the diminished perception of risk while taking these legal drugs.  After all, many times these drugs are prescribed for real pain and unfortunately, patients are not always good consumers and do not question their doctors when addictive medications are prescribed.  Doctors tell patients to “get ahead of the pain – if you wait, it will take longer to manage your pain.”  So your brain sends a signal that the pain is coming and you need to be prepared.  Better take another pill. And the cycle of abuse begins. These factors all add to the epidemic and deadly problem of prescription drug abuse in our Nation today. 

Politics... Are They Killing Our #1stresponders???

By Safe Call Now President & Founder Sean Riley

Wow…  Look at what’s going on.  I say this all of the time and I will continue to say this and those that work for us and work with us witness unfortunately everyday…  Politics, administrators and the government kill (literally) our first responders!!! Before I go further let me say that in order for my life to get better I had to look within and change myself before I could change anything else in this world!!! 

As I sit back and watch what’s happing to and within this great country it reminds me of my behavior when I was in addiction.  No mistaking it because I lived it, I demonstrated it and it almost killed me and others.  Makes one think doesn’t it?  Let me give you some examples.  The addict in active addiction will try and blame others, call others horrible names, make up things that are not true, throw tantrums, resort to bullying, minimizing their actions, demonstrate and protest just how wrong others are and they will go to great lengths just to prove it and many other bizarre roles which they would have never taken on except to avoid what’s really wrong…  Themselves.

As many of you have witnessed through the mainstream and social media there are many reports and posts that demonstrate the above mentioned behavior, I think we can all agree on that.  When is it alright that those that demand free and open speech and exercise it and when others do and it’s in opposition to their beliefs it is then suppressed, bullied, ridiculed and met with physical violence.  You know who does this, those in active addiction.  Is it fair for me to call everyone in America an addict, probably not, is it fair for me to say the behaviors I’ve seen (on both sides) are addict behavior???  You bet your a$$ it is.  

I Didn't Get to Say "Goodbye"...

Kevin Murphy E.O.W. 10-05-2016

I write this with a very heavy heart as my best friend Kevin Murphy from the Henderson, NV Police Department took his own life on 10-05-2016.  One of those days where you'll remember for the rest of your life where you were.  I was in Phoenix presenting when I got the call and the news of his death literally brought me to my knees.  It hurt and hurt bad.  I even struggle with the word "suicide" because that's something that doesn't happen to my friends.  I deal with people in crisis everyday and for the first time I didn't know what to do and didn't realize I was about to go into crisis.  I'll talk more about that later but I want to tell you about my best friend.

Kevin was the Director of the Henderson PD PEAP Program (Police Employee Assistance Program) and he has been with Safe Call Now since inception as not only a Peer Advocate but also an Advisory Board Member.  Kevin and I hit it off the first time we met.  Not because we both help those in crisis but because we both had genuine interest in each others personal lives and how each others families were doing.  He's one of the few people that I could talk to about life and keep "work" out of the conversation.  What made Kevin so special was his humor, his smile and his genuine care about me and how I was doing.  At Kevin's funeral one thing that was said over and over is that you always felt "safe" when you were with Kevin.  You know what?  They were a 100% right.

Anytime I flew into Las Vegas I would always tell my wife that...  "I get to see Kev this week".  Kevin always picked me up at the airport and we would spend quality time together and share about "Life".  He also always told me that I should fold any dollar bills I had in my wallet in half and I would theoretically double my money while in Las Vegas.  Really???  I'm a drug addict in recovery, that's not going to happen.  He and I would laugh and laugh, you know those laughs that come deep from your belly.  I was honored to be asked to speak at his full police/military funeral and I just knew I would come up with something so eloquent which he deserved.  To be honest, I didn't know what I was going to say because I was struggling with my own emotions.