DRUGS AND ALCOHOL 101

Drug overdose was the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, with 70,237 lethal drug overdoses in 2017. Opioids—mainly synthetic opioids (other than methadone)—are currently the main driver of drug overdose deaths. Opioid addiction was the driving factor of this epidemic, with 47,600 overdose deaths in 2017.

Adding Justin’s name in 2015, to the list was very debilitating to his family and friends. Here is one death of many thousands that never had to happen.

Justin, a teenager was still in high school (you can read his story below). How could such a nice young man, soon to be going off to college become a statistic in the opiate epidemic that is plaguing the United States and Canada?

Leading up to his death Justin’s story was typical for a young man in high school. In 2014, Justin was a 17-year-old teen, senior in high school, and a football player. While playing in a home game for his school’s varsity team, he received a severe football injury. Because of his injury he dealt with pain and months of rehabilitation.

During his recovery, he had to be home schooled his senior year so he could keep up his grades and graduate on time. Suffering from his injuries, Justin would be the first to admit he missed the close friendship with his team-mates, friends from school, and being involved in his school activities. His mother twice pointed out during visits to the orthopedic surgeon that she felt Justin was improving from his injury. She additionally told the doctor she believed and was concerned at times that Justin was depressed and despondent towards his parents and to life. Justin strongly disagreed with his mother’s assessment about being depressed. Even with the pain he was going through, he continued to be upbeat, knowing that next year his leg would be healed, and he would be going off to college.

Sadly, in December, Justin found out that all of the university football programs that had showed an interest in him decided not to take a chance on Justin’s condition. They started rescinding on their promise to award a full college scholarship for football to him. Justin was heartbroken. Every offer to date that he received for a football scholarship had been stripped away. Coaches apologized as they explained why they could not hold the scholarship for him. Regrettably, they admitted it was time to move forward and give another player an opportunity to play for their university. Saying that the coaches were all very quick to point out Justin could apply as an academic student to the school, and that they would give him a good reference. Justin with distain remembered a coach from an Eastern school telling him, that a recommendation from him personally; goes a long way. Sarcastically Justin pointed out to his father, he wanted to only play football, what good would a recommendation be from a coach, if you cannot play football?

Keep in mind his goals were set since he was four years of age. Part of his goals in his junior year had been met as he was offered “Letters of Intent” for full college football scholarships from many schools. He knew he was blessed and thankful to have so many offers from so many schools. Universities in the Big Ten had recruited him as well as Ivy League Schools. As Shakespeare and his father once said, “The world was his oyster”. Justin had cracked the oyster in half and was fortunate enough to find a pearl. Football was his pearl. Football was going to be and was his future.

Justin would be the first to admit, he was not the smartest ball player on the team. He worked hard to get good grades, to be a good athlete, and he supported his community by volunteering at the senior citizen’s home.

Justin and his friends believed in living a healthy lifestyle. He and his friends always looked at drugs as not being cool. Justin and his friends did not drink or do drugs. Justin had never even smoked a cigarette.

He never thought twice that anything could interfere with his plans. After all he was Justin Edward Davis. Sadly, after the accident Justin pointed out to his mother his friends had gone on doing what they like to do best, and he saw his future going in another direction.

“All is not lost” his mother was quick to point out. A few of the neighbor kids have been very supportive of him. True where Justin’s friends did not come around, a few kids did come over to visit him from the neighborhood when he got home from rehab. The same friends from the neighborhood he had known since childhood. They played together and rode bikes together when they were young, however as sports took up so much of his time, his interest, and the people he hung out with changed. Most of his friends from the neighborhood went in one direction and he was drawn to a future in sports. Even though he would never be seen with these kids when he hung out with his friends, he appreciated them stopping by and enjoyed getting to know them once again. Several of them indicated when he got better, they would enjoy throwing a football around with him and some even asked him to come by and party with them on weekends. His mom, seeing how depressed he had become had tried to encourage him to call up the neighbor kid next door and perhaps join in on the fun.

It was early January, five months since the day Justin broke his leg and five months since his life started spiraling. Still on crutches Justin had just started back to classes at his school; however, he still needed his mother to transport him to school and back home. It was a Friday and his mother had just picked him up from American History class. On their way home, his mother spotted Carlos and nudged Justin at the same time saying, “You should say “hi” to Carlos”. As she was slowing the car down to wave, she rolled the window down to say “hi” to their neighbor a boy around 17 years of age. He turned in their direction as he was walking up the driveway. As the car was slowing, Justin looked at his mom and said, “slow down and let me out, I want to hang out and talk to Carlos.”

As the car came to a stop, slowly Justin started getting out of the car and Carlos rushed over to assist his friend as he fumbled to get his book bag and jacket.

Inside Carlos’ house both boys quickly went upstairs to Carlos’ room. As they passed Carlos’ mom in the kitchen, she looked out into the hall saying “hi” to both boys.

One thing for certain, Justin had a reason not to hang out with Carlos. Justin’s neighbor was known all over school as being the rich kid that always had drugs. He had a reputation of getting “high” every day. Justin knew he was in this house, in Carlos room for only one reason. His life had changed so drastically, that now it was time to grow up and forget about sports, his scholarship, and his college career. His life as he knew it was over. Carlos was going to become his new best friend and today was the day he was going to become a different person. “You want some weed,” a voice called Justin back from his thoughts. “Sure, but I was hoping for something stronger, maybe Cocaine.” “I don’t have any Cocaine man, but I can help you, if you want to get really high.” Carlos pulled out a bag of Fentanyl. Looking at the bag, Justin saw a bag holding a very small number of broken pieces that looked like sea salt. “These little, tiny pieces of pills and powder are going to be my big high?” commented Justin.

Now, looking at the Fentanyl, Justin felt a whole lot better. “Hey, the doctor gave me Fentanyl in my IV in the hospital when I broke my leg. It did not even get me high; in fact, it was not a big deal.” “Hum,” said Carlos, “I am going to go downstairs and get some vodka from my dad’s bar, do you want anything?” “No,” said Justin, “Leave the bag of Fentanyl; I want to look at it,” besides looking at the bag, he said to himself this will most likely be all that I need. “Hey man,” Carlos whispered as he started for the door, “be careful, that stuff can kill you.” “Right” said Justin, “I told you I did Fentanyl in the hospital, trust me, I know what I am doing.”

Looking at the small amount of Fentanyl, he opens the bag and tilts the bag, so the drug pieces and powder fall on to a piece of paper. He takes his fingers and pieces of fentanyl, brushes the pieces of drugs into the look of a pill and realizes the pain pills he took at the hospital were approximately the same size as the amount of powder and pieces he had on the piece of paper.

Very carefully he slides the paper towards his mouth while he opens his mouth wide allowing the little pieces of Fentanyl and powder to slide into his mouth and on to his tongue. The taste was very bitter, and Justin grabbed a water bottle out of his book bag to wash down the bitter taste.

Waiting for his friend to return he decided to lie down on Carlos’s bed to get ready to enjoy his first drug experience. For a long time, he wondered what his first drug encounter would be like. He remembered a comment that he had heard regarding getting high for the first time. As he closed his eyes, he recalled a kid at school telling him; his first experience with drugs was definitely going to be the best. Excited, he said to himself, he could not wait for his Fentanyl high and the feeling to begin. Look at the picture of the...