Notification from the hospital: two of my patients died this week.

[Aristus]

Not COVID-related; drug abuse and the complications that go with it.

I didn't know them very well. In fact, the patient of whom I was notified today, I hadn't seen in a couple of years.

Still, one wonders if one could have done more...

If we would just stop treating drug abuse as a crime in this country, and treat it as an illness, this wouldn't happen as much...

[sinkingfeeling]

1. Aren't you going on vacation? You have earned one.

[MLAA]

2. I agree on treating addiction as a disease.

And I’m sorry two patients died before their time.

I hope you can relax soon and really use your vacation to recharge. You have certainly earned it with the stressful and often painful good work you do.

[OAITW r.2.0]

3. Sucks for you.

Having to deal with people's problems. Thank you.

[ailsagirl]

4. I'm so sorry to hear this, Aristus

[Aristus]

5. Thank you for your kind words.

[ailsagirl]

6. ...

And thank you for the beautiful photo.

[sheshe2]

7. You care about your patients and it shows.

You are a good man, Aristus.

Hang in there.

[Aristus]

9. Thank you, sheshe2.

[Desert grandma]

8. What we so desperately need is more residential treatment centers!

I believe we should turn some of these private prisons into residential rehabilitation centers for addicts. Give non violent criminals a choice, a year in a residential treatment center or prison?? My experience with addicts I have known, including some in my family, is that 30 days is simply not enough time to establish new habits and coping strategies. Many addicts in our city, and state, for that matter, have very limited resources. They also need regular therapy. Things would change if we began to treat addiction as both a physical and mental disease.

[Aristus]

10. I couldn't agree more.

Doubly beautiful.

Desert - beautiful.
Grandma-beautiful.

[jmbar2]

11. I've been pondering that a lot myself

The Pacific northwest has a huge homeless population, many with severe drug, alcohol, and mental health issues. Even if you put every one of them in a brand new apartment tomorrow, the underlying issues would likely find many homeless again in short order.

There was some discussion awhile back of returning to mandatory, long-term residential treatment for the worst off. I know that it is controversial to even suggest it, but I wonder if you got people in comprehensive treatment/rehab for a year if they would have a better chance of recovery.

Driving through Portland recently, I was simply shocked at the prevalence of homelessness and apparent addiction/intoxication/mental illness. Surely there is a better way to care for such large numbers of these folks more humanely.

[Aristus]

12. It's actually a good idea.

We could make the homeless encampments disappear overnight just by doing two things: instituting a living wage, and restoring residential mental health facilities as in the pre-Reagan era.

A lot of homeless people work, but the current level of pay isn’t enough to get them off the streets.

[Desert grandma]

13. Thank you Aristus.

I believe that in order to meet the needs of addicts, we need to have treatment facilities available when the addict is at the point where they are seeking out treatment. Too often, I have seen addicts that are receptive and willing to go to a treatment facility but are told that there is a 2 week or more waiting period. I am hopeful that this will happen at some point.

[choie]

14. Not only should we stop treating addiction as a crime,

but we need to stop treating it as a moral failure.

[love_katz]

15. Love you, Aristus.

You are a kind and loving man, and a decent human being. Sending hugs, sir. I agree that we need to quit treating drug addiction and poverty as crimes. With all the challenges facing humanity today, you would think that policies aimed at getting people back on their feet would get us a few more people capable of putting their backs into turning the civic wheel. But I guess that would be this terrible thing called socialism.

[hlthe2b]

16. Fentanyl-lacing related?

I'm fully prepared to ban fentanyl and go back to morphine use. I have reservations with the pain of bone cancer and a few other issues, but we have to start somewhere, and its use in even the most fragile elderly patients routinely (over much safer morphine) is ridiculous. I can't tell you how many ERs are doing that.

And yes, I am fully aware that the cartels and others are quite capable of producing fentanyl. But we have to stop hooking people on narcotics.