Grassroots Activists Are Leading The Way On The Addiction Crisis

On Thursday, the three major television networks suspended their daytime programming to broadcast the testimony of former FBI Director James Comey. This extraordinary step showed that nothing else was more important, even advertising revenue. It’s safe to say that we are somewhat distracted as a country right now. You can feel the hysteria in the air. The tension is crackling, like static electricity. But no matter what happens in Washington or how bizarre our national reality may be right now, the greatest health crisis of our time continues to unfold and proliferate. Breaking news may suspend talk shows and soap operas but it has no effect on a drug craving. It can’t keep someone breathing as they gasp their last breath in an overdose. The collateral damage of the circus in Washington is that no real, meaningful progress has been made to develop a unified approach to deal with the addiction crisis—and the cost is lives lost. If you want something done, you’ve got to do it yourself. It looks like we are on our own. That’s incredibly clear to those of us who are working to fight this public health crisis. Addiction policy is lagging while families, communities, grassroots organizers, and nonprofits are on the cutting edge of saving lives. In this case, change is bubbling from the bottom up, not the top down. But without leadership and cooperation from the White House, there’s only so much we can do. People keep dying. Obituary columns are f...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news