Breaking the cycle: Addiction is a battle we must fight together

Over the last few months, as far back as August, a team of hand-selected staff writers at the Goldsboro News-Argus embarked on a project to explore the local impact of the national opioid crisis.

The number of overdoses being called out to law enforcement and Wayne County EMS, and the number of obituaries we began to receive this summer of young people who died suddenly, caught our attention.

And what we found out, we are certain, will grab yours.

Now, we don't by any means intend to sensationalize the epidemic robbing our community of its young people, taking sons and daughters from their parents and siblings and spouses from one another.

Not all of these people die. Some go to jail. Some lose their jobs, their marriages and their dreams of a bright future.

And many do overdose. But thanks to Narcan and to what one law enforcement officer, not maliciously at all but accurately, categorized as "responsible" heroin use, most of them live. What's disturbing is the fact that they do it again and again.

We hope that part of what comes about from our publishing this series of reports is a willingness to come together. We hope to erase some of the stigma that surrounds addiction and to look meaningfully at the source of some of the drug use, the consequences and the people left holding the bag.

Our hearts break for the victims of this crisis, including the families shattered by the loss of life, the loss of ambition and the loss of the personhood that arises when an individual is consumed with his or her body's chemical addiction to opiate-based drugs.

We do not absolve anyone for committing crimes or injuring others with their behavior, but what we have learned is that this crisis is indiscriminate. It can and does happen to anyone, regardless of color or ethnicity, social or financial status, religious or non-secular backgrounds.

And once the addiction takes hold it is all but impossible to break.

But it can be done. The tide can turn. We don't pretend to have found the answer. In our reporting, however, we have found that there is a collective understanding that it is going to require a unified front through education, prevention and rehabilitation to accomplish that daunting task.

We hope the officials in law enforcement, the judicial system, in health administration and in legislation see this work and understand that it is in their hands as much as it is the parents, loved ones and friends of those already addicted to chart a course toward recovery.

The series that debuted today will be followed up Thursday and will conclude on Sunday. Follow along with us as we bring to the surface some of the most uncomfortable issues surrounding the opioid epidemic. And help us as we go forward. This is not the end. There will be more stories to share, new statistics to measure and, unfortunately, more losses to bear before this crisis comes anywhere close to being reined in.

But we are committed to doing our part. We hope, after reading this, you will be too.

Published in Editorials on December 5, 2017 10:00 PM