The Campaign for Awareness

Day 872.

It’s past midnight and my brain is racing. 

I tried to bath in epsom salts, but the Chinese medicine that is to accompany it, is missing. Maybe George has it.

My body is now failing me and the sleep that I surely need evades me. So I’m outside again, in our spot, writing to expel what notions are rushing through my brain.

My gut has started to fail again.

My knee is buggered again, and yes, it is connected.

I must take care of myself.

The campaign for awareness, the amount of our suffering stigma we need to stop, the call to action that we require. AOC and her techniques and the #metoo campaign are rushing through my head.

I’m thinking how can I use social media to create a massive wave.

There’s so much out there, how do we make an impact?

I’m happy to take a picture of myself and write “my son.”

But how do we impact without making everyone so anxious? How do we take that to the next step?

What do I want?

I want to show how many millions are affected.

Then what?

There has to be more to the story. 

Collect stories.

Collect vox pops - is that word old fashioned?

If we unite. If we show we are millions - that could translate to votes. But what would we want out of it?

To show, by example, that illegal prescribing is the end of your career. To show that all walks of life are hurt. 

So many don’t actually know Purdue pharma. 

First I must go and reach out to those suffering and get them on board.

Make a lovely film.

Make a lovely connection with these people.

You need a famous spokesperson.

You need Twitter.

A legal defense team.

Millions of dollars.

Funds raised by actors, writers, directors in the film industry.

Tell people that opioids/opiates rewire the brain. 

Opioids disrupt the normal function of the brain.

Lofexidine.

HEAL, who funds it (NIH, who are they?)

How fast can a brain be hijacked by oxy, etc.?

“Understand the science and the stigma will just melt away,” says Dr. Ruben Baler (NIDA Maryland) 

How many of us have taken stuff we shouldn’t?

How many of us have taken alcohol?

How many of us have taken opioids?

“From the moment of first use it changes the wiring of the brain,” says Vivek Kumar from the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor.

“Opioids are particularly problematic, though, because of the speed at which they can take over the brain. The brain only functions normally when opioids are present.”

So what do we want?

Medical insurance companies to cover non opiate treatments for pain.

FDA to step up and unapprove opioids for chronic pain.

Educate doctors - literally direct at them what it is like to have a kid with a broken arm, because if they are prescribing Vicodin, they don’t actually know.

For people to know/understand that they must question doctors and take responsibility for themselves.

Redefine pain as a vital sign. It means you need to lie down, not take a pill and carry on.

Stop the glorification of being stoned or drunk - Harry Nelson, The United States of Opioids

If you see someone who’s in need of help, speak up - Lady Gaga

Medication - all medication - has side effects.

And to recreational use...

I don’t even know what drove Luke to start using.

Maybe ask Rara, Max, Mark, John, Juan, Estelle, Greg, Lizzy, Ian, V, Marshall, Elridge, etc. etc. etc.

Maybe devise a questionnaire?

And what would you ask?

First drug?

Timeline?

What was going through your head?

Why is this of use?

And to the grieving mums...

Is something being done?

Does their insurance cover treatment?

How are you coping?

Is the same cycle repeating in the grieving population?

Make a T-shirt that says “My boy” and text underneath that says “was killed by opioids” 

“my boy”

“my cousin”

“my brother”

“my sister”

“my friend”

“Stop the stigma”

“Reject the stigma”