Category: Uncategorized

Rising Fentanyl Overdoses: A Public Health Crisis

The death toll from fentanyl use in conjunction with other opioids has escalated dramatically, reaching unprecedented levels since the mid-2010s, as the potent synthetic opioid increasingly saturates the market and contributes to a growing public health crisis. Nitrous oxide also became a growing concern as party-goers were ingesting the gas to get high at alarming rates causing increasing overdoses as well. GHB is the club drug preference that can be crushed up and snorted like the old standby cocaine. There’s a laundry list of opioids that continue to plague our streets. No wonder it’s so difficult for addicts to get sober and stay sober! They have to battle the temptations daily of all of the triggers out there in the world that caused them to use in the first place. It’s not just a matter of will power!

SOBRIETY IS A JOURNEY, NOT A DESTINATION

While drug abuse can change the brain, time and treatments can change it too. With the support people need to navigate triggers, relieve withdrawal symptoms, and make healthy lifestyle changes, people can heal from addiction. Researchers have developed therapies to to support recovery, which include safe, effective medications to overcome some opioid substance abuse disorders. When a person reaches the level of addiction, they have lost control over substance use. Just like any other person with a disease, they need to be able to get quality, evidence-based treatment and care. With the help of their family and support system, people with substance abuse disorders have substantially higher chances of recovery and survival.

ADDICTION IS A CHRONIC DISEASE

RESOURCES:

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

SAMHSA’S NATIONAL HELPLINE: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or www.samhsa.gov for FREE, CONFIDENTIAL, 24/7, 365 day-per-year treatment referral information in English and Spanish for individuals and families facing substance abuse and/or mental health disorders.

MEDLINEplus Health Information on Substance Use Disorders (National Library of Medicine, NIH)

www.medlineplus.gov Trusted health information on drug use, addiction, and mental health disorders from the National Library of Medicine.

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Call 800-273-8255 or text TALK to 741741. www.afsp.org 

GLORIOUS SPRINGTIME

THE KIND OF WEATHER THAT JUST MAKES YOU FEEL SO HAPPY

It was 80 degrees with clear skies today in New Orleans and you just wanted to be outdoors to enjoy the gorgeous weather. There was a nice breeze so you did not feel hot or sticky as you would in summertime. God could not have created a more perfect day! Poems, stories, and songs try to capture the grandeur of what God has created in this kind of day.

The best part about this type of day is that families gathered for picnics and barbeques along the lakefront. They broke bread together, the adults talked, and the children played. There was music and laughter as everyone was enjoying the beautiful weather. They were so happy to be able to do this after being quarantined for so long and having to wear masks for so long. It was such a joy to gather together freely without having to be masked and enjoy each others company once again.

People were also out in full force in the parks and along the bayous. There were cyclers, joggers, and paddle boaters. Young and old were partaking in all sorts of outdoor activities. It was difficult not to keep the sunroof closed on a day like today! I for one cannot thank God enough for this glorious, energizing weather!

ACTION STEPS:

  1. Plant a devotional garden to the Blessed Mother: first place a statue of the Blessed Mother in your garden, then plant flowers that grow in your area that glorify the Blessed Mother, such as roses, rosemary, marigolds, sweet alyssum, lily of the valley, impatiens, petunias, foxglove, bleeding hearts, hyacinth. Place a garden bench or swing where you can meditate and say your rosary.
  2. Pray the rosary daily!
  3. Keep a Prayer Journal and journal your gratitude to God for all of His blessings in your life as well as your special intentions.

SENSELESS VIOLENCE

CARJACKINGS ARE OUT OF CONTROL IN

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

On March 21, 2022, New Orleanians were shocked and horrified to hear about the murder as the result of a carjacking of 73 year old Linda Frickey. Frickey had just put her things in her car after work and was prepared to return home when 4 teens ran up to her car with intent to carjack her. The 17 year old male of the group pulled Frickey from the driver’s seat, assaulted her, jumped into the car, and sped off into traffic. Frickey was caught up in the vehicle’s seat belt and was drug by the vehicle as it sped off. The force was so great, it tore off one of Frickey’s arms before her body broke loose from the seat belt as the four teens continued to travel at a top speed. Frickey went into shock and bled to death as she was waiting for the EMS vehicle to arrive. Concerned citizens were horrified at the site and rushed to her aid but there was nothing they could do to save her. However, it was because of those witnesses and their videos as well as nearby crime cameras the teens were quickly caught by the New Orleans Police Department. It is because there was so much outrage that the New Orleans District Attorney was quick to respond and will prosecute the teens to the fullest extent of the law. The four girls in the vehicle were fifteen years old but none of them at any time tried to stop the male driver out of concern for the elderly woman they were dragging along the street and the screams they could hear from her agony as she was being drug along the way. There was no compassion shown for that grandmother who was one month away from retirement or the family that has been left behind without her.

This is the most recent horror story of its kind. It’s most unfortunate that there have been far too many other stories related to gun violence or carjackings resulting in death in New Orleans! New Orleanians were outraged to learn that with New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams had allowed far too many felony cases, many of which were violent crimes slip through the cracks. From 2019 – 2022, homicides have increased by 93%, shootings have increased by 220%, carjackings have increased by 450%, and robberies have increased by 74%. As reported by Fox 8, DA Jason Williams addressed the increase in “701 Releases” by his office in a press conference in February 2022. “701 Releases” refers to an article in Louisiana State Criminal Court that gives defendants the right to a speedy trial. It sets a time limit on how long the district attorney must file charges. In most cases, if the DA fails to bring charges, the defendant is released from jail after two months behind bars. If the defendant is already out on bond, in most cases, they are released from their bond obligations after 150 days. The number of “701 Releases” was staggering in 2021 allowing violent offenders to go free to commit more violent crimes as repeat offenders. The 17 year old male in the Frickey carjacking was arrested as an adult in a carjacking as a 15 year old by the prior District Attorney Leon Cannizarro, however, he was released along with the other offenders when DA Jason Williams came into office to repeat the same offense.

My prayers go out to all of the victims of violent crimes, their loved ones, and the citizens of the City of New Orleans who are also victims of these crimes. I pray for the criminals that they find peace in their lives. I pray for the first responders and the criminal justice system that they make the correct decisions for the good of the whole society. I pray for families, that they can foster love and support for each family member demonstrating that love from conception to the grave.

ACTION STEPS:

  1. PRAY THE ROSARY FOR PEACE: http://www.marian.org
  2. PRAY THE DIVINE MERCY CHAPLET FOR PEACE: www.thedivinemercy.org

MYSTERIOUS & CURIOUS PLACE

NEW ORLEANS MY HOME

By Sallie F. Arnoult

Father of all waters and Mother River have drawn us all to this mysterious and curious place;

We’ve traversed the high seas from many distant lands to come to this strange land we’ve come to call home;

We’ve fought the elements and toiled together side by side in strife and adversity though we’ve survived the centuries;

Our joy, our pain, blood, sweat, and tears flow with Mother River that gives life and takes life in this mysterious and curious place.


Some drawn here in freedom, others delivered enslaved, while others were driven from their homeland, we’ve built this place we call home in spite of our differences.

Intermingling throughout time, commingling our personal histories like weaving a delicate tapestry, 

we’ve woven our differences together in this mysterious and curious place. 

We do not know where we’re going until we know where we have been,

with the ebb and flow of past sins propelling us into the future of this mysterious and curious place.


Bewitched, bewildered, beleaguered, and beguiled as we move through the tapestry of the centuries in this mysterious and curious place.

The foundation we have built upon crumbling beneath our feet and the sea slowly swallowing us up, we tread water as we move forward.  Angry misguided youth ruling the streets as the Lords of Mischief and leaders turning a blind eye.

Mother River will provide for us until the sea swallows up this mysterious and curious place.