Fentanyl. A Killer.

I recently ran across an article that was widely distributed on news sources from around the country. A child had 100 bags of the deadly poison in his bedroom. What he was doing with these no one is positive of. I have seen too many people in the recovery community die from drug usage, laced with Fentanyl. It may be more of an epidemic than even the COVID 19 scare that we have endured for nearly two years.

The issue with Fentanyl is that it is an ingredient that is used to increase the volume of a drug that is used illicitly. Originally used as a pharmaceutical synthetic opioid, it’s distribution and production has widened significantly. It is packed into different drugs to increase the overall volume, so that there is more money to be made from a sale. And it is apparently easy to obtain.

Countless people die from fentanyl usage each year in the United States. In 2017, 68% of the 70,237 U.S. drug overdose deaths involved an opioid. Some of these involved Fentanyl and some did not. Regardless, it is an extremely toxic chemical that kills people. It became a leader in 2021.

Schools and Churches are Oblivious.

From the article cited above, it is clear that the school that the young man attended was completely oblivious to the usage and ownership of the drug. As a profession Pastor, I was also completely unaware of the epidemic that surrounded me. Families of our church had Fathers who were addicted to opioids. Mothers were addicted to alcohol. Children could find ways to obtain and use all of the above. But I was oblivious. Maybe it is that I didn’t want to know. I kept my head buried in the sand, as this was easier than trying to deal with the issue that ran rampant in our culture.

As I entered the recovery community, it was clear to me that opioid usage is on the rise and may be more difficult to recover from than any other drug available. It is often an over prescribed drug that is readily available, and often abused. When a person deals with pain in any part of their body, the medical community has often turned to these pain relievers to provide a remedy. This is dangerous and addictive to those that receive this treatment. As a person becomes addicted to opioids and the supply runs out from the pharmacy, they may turn to street drugs to offset the availability issues that they are experiencing. Fentanyl off the street is a killer.

It’s time that the church begin to recognize that addiction is clearly within the four walls of your building. Each and every week someone walks in with a physical addiction to a medication, a substance, or alcohol. If the church fails to recognize and address this issue, people will continue to die. Families will be destroyed. And the entire purpose of the church becomes a sham when these things are not addressed.

What to do?

There is clearly a problem with awareness. Obviously, there is a problem with usage. Recovery is unlikely without resources. A church must build awareness by being open to talking about the issues that are confronting people in the faith community as it relates to substance abuse. Clear and concise options are necessary for people to be able to engage recovery. It is important that a church have a recovery option available for those that are struggling to maintain sobriety. If this is not developed, the killers will keep on killing.