Tag: New Orleans

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 

LESSONS FROM A HEROIN ADDICTED MAN

BEING HEROIN ADDICTED DID NOT DEFINE HIM AS A PERSON

PARRIS FRANCIS ARNOULT

JUNE 5, 1958 – APRIL 13, 1999

The value of a life is measured by what we contribute to society or pass on to others.

Although my brother, Parris, had all of the same advantages as the rest of the family, was highly intelligent, an incredible student, able to succeed in business, as well as help others get and stay sober, he was ultimately unable to maintain sobriety for himself. At age 40, he died of a lethal drug overdose. His poisons of choice were Cocaine and Heroin, in addition to the lethal combination Speedballs offer. Most of the people in the massive crowd at his funeral had no idea he mainlined drugs. Judging a book by its cover, he was the guy least likely to be a main-lining opiate addict.

There are 5 lessons that can be learned from Parris’ life:

  1. Parris embraced life with a joie de vivre that drew people to him.  Even introverts like myself have to be extroverted when the situation demands it. However, living each day with exuberance is a celebration of life and Parris shared his exuberance with all those who crossed his path.  He had a way of making people feel important in his company.
  2. Parris adored children and valued family.  The thing Parris despised about himself the most was the shame he carried from betraying and hurting his family.  Before he passed from this life, he asked for forgiveness and made reparations to those he hurt.  He truly understood the importance of forgiveness.
  3. Parris recognized that life is full of compromise… you have to be a giver to get anything in life.  You cannot achieve your potential by focusing on handouts from others.  You have to go out and get it yourself because anything worth having is worth working for. Parris also had a very generous heart.
  4. Parris worked diligently, making it look effortless because he worked smartly.  It’s not always necessary to reinvent the wheel.
  5. Education was paramount in Parris’ mind and he was a voracious reader. Parris recognized that an education does not end when the diploma is framed and hung on the wall.  Learning is lifelong because the world is always changing!

KNOW YOUR CORE VALUES

  • What do you care most about?
  • What have you invested the most time, energy, and emotion in?
  • What gives meaning to your life?  What gives direction and purpose to your life?

When you know the answers to these questions, you can bypass any obstacle that presents itself.  Also remember, mistakes and failures are only learning opportunities for obtaining success in the future. Prayer is powerful. Faith can remove so many obstacles in our lives and bring purpose to our being. Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in our lives are the day we are born and the day we learn why we were born.” Parris was a TEACHER and his life has served a tremendous purpose. We loved him dearly and we miss him but we feel his presence in so many ways.

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 You’re not alone!

A CALL TO VOLUNTEERISM: DO IT WITH KINDNESS

vol/un/teer/ism: (välənˈtirizəm) noun.
the policy or practice of volunteering one’s time or talents for charitable, educational, or other worthwhile activities, especially in one’s community.

THROUGHOUT THE COVID PANDEMIC, VOLUNTEERISM IS AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH IN THE UNITED STATES, AND US NON-PROFITS ARE REAPING THE ECONOMIC REWARDS!

Non-profits have shifted how services are delivered, volunteers are trained, and how volunteers can safely participate.  Volunteers sense they have participated in something at a time of crisis giving them a feeling of solidarity enabling them to muddle through the often-devastating news delivered routinely by the media and through their own personal losses.

WHAT WOULD MOST COMPEL YOU TO BECOME A VOLUNTEER?

• Personal development?
• Breaking free from negative feelings?
• Social interactions? Feeling of solidarity?
• Learning new skills? Career enhancement?
• Expression of pro-social values?
• Religiosity or spirituality?

Religiosity and spirituality have significant bearing on volunteerism. There is an emphasis on pro-sociality and the benefits of benevolence towards those less fortunate than us. Those who are religious or spiritual tend to volunteer at a higher rate than those who are neither religious nor spiritual in nature.

Hebrews 4:16
Let us then draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in the time of need.

IMPORTANCE & BENEFITS OF VOLUNTEERING:

• Nurtures an active body and mind
• Combats depression
• Counteracts the effects of anxiety, anger, and stress
• Strengthens self-confidence
• Bestows a sense of purpose
• Generates a sense of fulfillment and belonging
• Creates bonds to new friends
• Improves social and relationship skills
• Can facilitate career advancement by learning valuable skills or gaining career experience in a new field

Kindness:
From the Greek, Chrestotes (khray-stot’-ace), meaning, morally, excellence in character and demeanor; as well as gentleness, goodness, and kindness. Chrestotes sustains an extensive presentation of excellence in conveying gentleness and kindness in all interpersonal relationships, as in the kindness embodied by Christ.

Galatians 5:22
…the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, mildness, and chastity.

ACTION STEPS:

  1. Determine what would compel you to become a volunteer.
  2. Determine what kinds of organizations you may want to volunteer with in your community.
  3. Determine what are your strongest skills you bring to an organization.
  4. Determine how much time you have in your schedule to realistically commit to your volunteer efforts.
  5. Most importantly, do it with Chrestotes in your actions and your attitude!

Bella’s Journey

In Loving Memory 4 February 2011 – 27 February 2021

BLESSED

PSALM 103: 1-5

Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all my being, bless His holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits;

He pardons all your inequities,

He heals all your ills.

He redeems your life from destruction,

He crowns you with kindness and compassion,

He fills your life with good;

your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Bella was my world… 7 pounds of pure love and affection.  She was a beautiful spirit, accepting of strangers as if she had known them for a lifetime, yet she was fiercely protective of me at all times. Not only my constant companion, but my sweet Bella was also a little angel sent to introduce me to one of the most influential friendships since my father’s death in 2002.

After we have suffered losses in our lives, we often become introspective, looking inward for answers to long held questions.  With a family history of addiction, mental illness, trauma, and psychological abuse, I had many unresolved issues following the death of my father.  In many ways, my father was kind, loving, and generous.  Pops, whom I dearly love, had a gregarious personality and could be great fun to be around. However, if you did not comply with his wishes failing to do what he told you to do, he could be quite indifferent towards you to the extent of being sometimes unfeeling in his attitude and abusive with his words.  That left many scars on me personally resulting in two bouts with cancer since his death.  In 2003, I had Thyroid Cancer resulting in chronic hypothyroidism from a thyroidectomy which fortunately is a manageable situation that I can live with for many years to come.  However, in 2010, there could have been a completely different outcome to my Ovarian Cancer diagnosis.  The tumor I was carrying around grew to be 22 pounds before it was discovered that I had Ovarian Cancer after having complained of the same symptoms to my doctors for over 2 years: bloating; constipation; feeling full quickly at mealtime despite consuming very little food; lower back pain; and pressure in the pelvic area.  My OB/GYN at that time said that my ovaries were “pooping out” and my Endocrinologist saw those symptoms as vague relating to a multitude of health issues.  Ironically, my father would repeatedly say that I would not have treated my brother on drugs with “tough love” the way I did if he had had cancer and neither of them lived to see me go through cancer twice.  Today, I am blessed to say that I am over 10 years clear of Ovarian Cancer, but it was indeed a rough road at first.

The Lord blessed me by sending this little angel into my life on April 2, 2011, on the night of Mom’s 81st birthday.  Bella was an 8-week-old Yorkie weighing only 2 pounds who won our hearts over immediately. She helped me recover from chemotherapy and subsequent abdominal hernia surgery.  Bella has also assisted me to where I am today with generalized anxiety and a major depressive disorder in addition to inattentive ADHD.  Ultimately, Bella would introduce me to one of the most influential people of my life: Mr. Calvin “Cal” Moret.

Mr. Cal, as he would become affectionately known to me in a fatherly way, was a genteel Creole man who lived two doors over from us with his loving wife, Mrs. Berenice.  He frequently worked either in his woodshop on all sorts of projects or in his yard when Bella and I would go out for walks.  Bella would always find him to tell him hello and we would begin conversing.  He was a most interesting man, like a Renaissance man with a host of talents and expertise.  Mr. Cal, in his younger years during World War II, had served as a training officer for the Tuskegee Airmen, an accomplishment that had gone completely unacknowledged until his sunset years when President Obama awarded the Tuskegee Airmen the Congressional Medal of Honor in 2007.  Throughout his life, Mr. Cal perfected his woodworking skills, writing skills, and was a member of a Barbershop Quartet in addition to many select Creole social organizations.  After Katrina had decimated Moret Press, his family business, leaving him feeling much like a shell of his former self, his faith in the Lord and the recognition he received for his service in World War II ignited a new purpose in his life: delivering inspirational talks to students and young professionals on the importance of keeping the focus of God, family, morality, human dignity, and respect in their lives.  My many long conversations with Mr. Cal helped him develop the focus of his talks and he unknowingly aided me in resolving many of the issues I had with my father.  I knew deep down inside that these issues needed to be resolved or they would only continue to be burdensome to me not my father.  When we lost Mr. Cal, I continued to enjoy my friendship with his wife, Mrs. B, until her death this year.  I will always treasure my memories of Mrs. B and Mr. Cal.  Bella will forever be tied to these cherished memories.

Sadly, I had to put Bella to eternal rest on February 27, 2021, because she was going into kidney failure.  She had developed diabetes and Cushing’s Disease of the pituitary gland becoming increasingly sick.  I did not want to see her suffer any longer than she already had, but if love alone could have saved her from what she had already been through, Bella would have never suffered a day in her life.  Mrs. B went into kidney failure from hyperglycemia as well and passed into eternal rest on July 7, 2021.  My relationship with the Mr. and Mrs. Moret went full circle within 130 days of the 3,619 days Bella was such an integral part of my life.  When I lost Bella, I did not know how I was going to move forward.  It is my faith in the Lord, my devotion to the Blessed Mother, and my appreciation for all the gifts He has given me that gets me through each day with courage!  There will be no other Bella, but Bella’s journey has fortified in me that I have an enormous capacity to love and be loved. I feel Bella still watching over me!

COURAGE

DEUTERONOMY 31:6

Be brave and steadfast; have no fear or

dread of them, for it is the Lord, your God, who

marches with you; He will never fail you

or forsake you.

LAGNIAPPE: Greet each day with gratitude in your heart, a smile on your face, and kindness for others.  Live each day enthusiastically, with passion!

I Know What it Means to Live in New Orleans and Love It

… this mysterious and curious place along the Mighty Mississippi River, which drew us all here.

When I read the stories I reposted by Our French Oasis, I saw in them the roots of New Orleans culture.  Couple that with Spanish culture and Afro-Caribbean culture, and you have the foundation of our Creole heritage.  Later came Cajun, American, Italian, German, Irish, Jewish, Latino, and other influences.  I do not think others realize it but French, Spanish, and Afro-Carribean languages were spoken here long before English was our native tongue.  English was made the official language after the Americans made the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

Peoples of African ancestry have made the most profound and lasting influences on our culture.  Initially brought to Louisiana as slaves, there were also Free People of Color of mixed ancestry, known today as Creoles.  Although slavery is a hot button political issue today, it was the foundation for the economic engine that ran our state in the beginning of our existence. They gave their lives for the place we call home.  The women who worked in the plantation homes had a greater influence on the residents of those homes because they reared the children and cooked the meals, much like housekeepers throughout the ages.  These women introduced ingredients from Africa and African dishes to our tables while using native ingredients as well.  Our music was born out of the pain of these people.  Worship is elevated to another level with this music.  Many of the glorious structures around us were built by slaves and their descendants.  Most of the masters of the trades were once of African descent.  Folks would have to move around with blinders on not to see all of the Afro-Carribean influences on the development of New Orleans… this mysterious and curious place along the Mighty Mississippi River, which drew us all here.

Before we were all drawn here, this area was inhabited by Native Americans.   The Mardi Gras Indians were born out of the inter-relationship of these natives and the slaves.  The costumes of the Mardi Gras Indians take a year and many beaders to construct.  Each year these costumes have a different theme and are expertly designed.  They embody the profound and lasting influences people of Native American as well as African ancestry still have on New Orleans today.