INTERnational Overdose Awareness day

Today, August 31st, is International Overdose awareness day. You may be wondering why I keep emphasizing "Inter" by now. The reason is pretty simple, but also extremely sad. The reason is that overdoses have now become a worldwide pandemic. Here are the stats on the picture on the left if you are unable to read them (Please note that all these stats were taken from http://www.overdoseday.com/facts-stats/) :

"• It is estimated that globally there were 183,000 (range: 95,000-226,000) drug-related deaths (mostly overdoses) in 2012, with opioid overdose the largest category.
Source: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2014 World Drug Report.

• Drug overdose was responsible for 41,340 deaths in the US in 2011. US overdose deaths have increased for 12 successive years. In 2011, and for the fourth year in a row, the number of US citizens whose deaths were drug-related exceeded the number of fatalities in road traffic accidents (33,561). Almost five people per hour died of overdose in the US in 2011. More information here.

• In 2012, overdoses in the UK (3,256) exceeded the number of deaths in road accidents (1,832).
Sources: www.ons.gov.uk; www.gro-scotland.gov.uk; www.nisra.gov.uk and www.gov.uk

• Drug fatalities increased in Scotland between 2005 and 2012, from 336 to 581 cases. In 2012, the drug most frequently contributing to overdose was methadone (40%) followed by heroin and/or morphine (38%) and benzodiazepine (34%).
Source: National Records of Scotland.

• In Ontario, Canada, there was a 242% increase in fatal opioid overdoses between 1991 and 2010; from 12.2 deaths per million people to 41.6 deaths per million in 2010. Source: The burden of premature opioid-related mortality, Gomes et al. More.

• It is estimated that more than 70,000 lives were lost to drug overdoses in European Union countries in the first decade of the 21st Century. European Union nations reported 6,100 overdose deaths in 2012.
Source: EMCDDA. Perspectives on Drugs: Preventing overdose deaths in Europe.

• In 2011, the number of people in Estonia whose deaths were drug related (123) exceeded the amount of fatalities caused in road traffic accidents (101).
Source: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).

• Countries in South America, the Caribbean and Central America reported between 4000 and 7300 drug-related deaths, with a mortality rate well below the global average, according to the The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)  World Drug Report 2014.

• Drug-related deaths in Asia are tentative because of poor regional coverage and reporting of mortality data. However, it is estimated that there were between 11,400 and 99,600 deaths in 2012 in Asia, according to The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) 2014 World Drug Report.

• Oceania, which includes Australia and New Zealand, has a higher than average drug mortality rate.The UNODC said there were between 1,600 and 1,900 drug-related deaths in 2012.

• Nearly four Australians die every day from overdose. Overdoses out-numbered road fatalities in Australia in 2012. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics overdose deaths totalled 1,427 in 2012, while road deaths, which have been steadily declining, ended the year at 1,338. (Data provided to Penington Institute by Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2014). "

Isn't it sad that overdoses have taken SO many lives? Just how long are we going to sit by, pretend nothing is happening, whilst numerous people--every day-- from all over the world are dying because of overdoses? How many more lives do drugs have to ruin for us to stand up and say "NO MORE!"? When will we finally decide to claim our nations back from the clutches of addiction?

If you or someone you know has had their lives impacted by addiction and/ or an overdose, pop on over and check out this website: www.Overdoseday.com. There you can find ways to support the war against overdoses ranging from donations, volunteering, learning the signs of an OD, to even seeking support if you have an addiction to drugs, and are ready to seek help and actively participate in changing your life for the better.  It's never too late to change, but no one can force anyone else to change. It must come within.

This post is written in honor of my brother Sean M. Arnett who was 21 years old when he fatally overdosed on Heroin.

Iκαρος ( Icarus)

     Hey all, I am most definitely still around even though I haven't published a new post in awhile.  I could go into the mundane details as to why I haven't but I shall spare you ( and myself as well haha) time and brainpower by just touching briefly on the highlights. While I do not know if I am completely healed yet, or if I will ever be, I have definitely had to face a lot of my pain and "skeletons in my closet" since I have last written. During this time of absence I have been through the one year anniversary of Sean's death, numerous arguments with my parents in desperate attempts to try and figure out who I am, I have wondered about and exhausted all the whys, and ultimately have realised that I really am, in many ways, still quite lost.  I guess, for me, writing has always been my way of thinking through and sifting all the gunk out of my mind and life...not only that but I have realized that writing makes it real for me. I have to face the pain straight in the eye and think through it. The simplest way to describe it is while it is very therapeutic for me, it also is very, very painful. I dont want to face the fact that my brother is gone. Nor will I ever want to, though sadly, I can't live in a dream world.  Life isn't like that.  Maybe it is best that it isn't easy to live in a dream world. Reality, while harsh, makes us humble and thankful for the blessings we do have. Have you ever heard of Icarus?  The boy who soared too close to the sun? The Sun's radiance melted the wax, loosed the feathers from their frame, and he fell into the sea to drown. Maybe that ancient tale has more to it than meets the eye....

     What if our struggles make us who we are? What good is a dull knife? What can be cut with shapeless metal? Nothing. What can grow from soil that has not been introduced to a little bit of rain? What is a human without pain...what are we to say if all we have known is joy but no pain? We wouldn't be able to know what joy is without the unpleasant experiences in our past. How would we know just how amazing this gift of salvation is without experiencing the hopelessness human depravity brings? Is not too much of a good thing detrimental? I guess my point is, yeah, I have been through so much and on nights like this, I just want to curl up and shield myself from the world and all the pain it brings...but I am also grateful.  I have not been spending as much time in the presence of the Lord as I should be, in fact, I don't think that I have spent some quality time in His word in months. How wretched I am...how I take for granted this amazing gift of salvation that I so utterly do not deserve. Yet, tonight, I found myself back in the presence of the Lord, back in His word, back thirsting for Him. Pain keeps us from soaring too close to the sun, and ultimately, if payed attention to, can be just what we needed to save us from life's overpowering radiance....

How Far Does It Go?

As Christians, we say every Easter that we believe in Christ, that we trust Him with our lives, both here on Earth and in eternity. We say that we give our lives to follow Him, and that we will trust Him in every aspect of our lives.
    As I sang at two services this sunday, each packed to the brim-- possibly totalling at least 3100+ people-- I was reminded that, probably half these people saying the affirmation of faith just see them as words. Just as words on a paper handed to them as they walked into the sanctuary for one of the three times marking a year's passing. The third and probably last time until the Christmas eve service and possibly one of the Christmas Concerts. All these people say they believe, but just how deep does that belief go? I say I believe, but just how deep does my belief go? Does it go as far deep as a broken heart? As the wound of a sudden jab that reminds me people are not always as they seem? Does it go as far as the hot coals of grief?  Does it combat even the deepest despairs of depression and spar with the sharpest pangs of anxiety with the Sword of the Spirit? Tonight, as I find myself with a wounded heart, I pray so....God provides always...so therefore I know so. It may take some time before I can truly grow to that point in my belief but I know that God will provide with the faith to make it through...
     This past Holy Week has been an interesting one. I have had so many amazing chances to witness, and I also have had a great deal of uncertainty and suspicion in a new, budding relationship of mine (which tonight was just confirmed to be true). So while I am hurt in that aspect, I have hope because I know, in one way, I found out soon enough and was protected from an even deeper wound. God is good even in those seemingly miniscule ways that we don't even notice until we sit back and really appreciate life, the good and bad of it alike. It's when we look at the good and bad alike, it's then we realize just how far our belief goes....

A Year of Change

    This is an old post that I had started writing on New Years eve and didn't ever finish it until now. A friend of mine just found out a good friend of his took his own life unexpectedly today and it has moved me to finish it now.( 2/5/14)
     Sorrow allows us to experience joy. It is a strange thought but really consider it. Sorrow makes the joy in life much sweeter, and if you did not have sorrow, you would not know joy. Joy would be completely indifferent to you. You can not know how sweet the taste of joy is without first experiencing the bitterness of sorrow. More importantly you wouldn't know how good God is, even in the pain. God is good even in the deepest depths of sorrow. He's still sovereign even when we can't see it and we just want to shout at Him, screaming "where are you?" "Why me!!?".
    For awhile that statement, "God is good even in the midst of sorrow" irritated me. How could He be good in this horrible pain? How could He even possibly be good in the midst of so much pain- when everything else was falling apart in my life, including myself- how could He be good  in the midst of so much pain? After all isn't He supposed to be protecting me from it? Isn't He supposed to answer my prayers to take the pain away?
    My answer (*which is not perfect) is a mix of systematic theology and personal reflection.  He's good because He is God and He can not be anything other than good. For Him to not be good would be contrary to His wondrous character. It seems so simple and almost too simple but since God is never changing, always faithful and wise, and never acts in a way contradictory to His character, He can not possibly be a "bad god" or an "unkind god". It is easy to understand this in the context of mere knowledge, yet not easy to apply to our hearts and spiritually understand. Until that is, we experience sorrow,and therefore search Him even more. We then finally realize, to find our joy in Him, all we have to do is just set the gaze of our souls upon Him. He has already persued us with His love this whole time, speaking through both our joy and pain. All we have to do is just listen and let Him in. We will then see His goodness. C.S. Lewis once said, "We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world" Once God shouts to us in our sorrow, we will be so much more attentive to the whispers of His melodious voice in the pleasures of life. The times of joy that He has gifted upon us will be that much more evident because we have the experiences of sorrows to compare them to. Faith is not looking inward and trying to find Him in us, it is looking outward and finding our joy in Him. He's already been there chasing us- all our lives- with His steadfast love and mercy.  All we got to do is remain still and focus on Him.

Spoonfuls

*Another old blog post that I forgot to publish a few weeks back! Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy it. *

Hey there!

Goodness, it has been a while since I've written an actual blog post. Needless to say, I've been pretty busy and a lot has happened since my last post.

Humility is, without a doubt, a bitter - sweet gift.  It's the putrid tasting medicine that just a whiff of its smell makes your stomach churn. It's the best kind of medicine at any rate, strong enough to shake man from sinful pride and starts to work within, healing the temple of the heart and fighting the disease rooted in its cells. Sometimes we just need God to plug our nose and shove the spoonfuls of medicine in our mouth. Thankfully, that's happened to me and quite frankly is still. It's good for me though. It maybe quite uncomfortable but I'm learning slowly to accept it. My issue hasnt been an issue of just blatant pridefulness but an issue of letting people in and accepting help when I clearly need it. I thought I could do it all but obviously, I was wrong ha ha.

Before I conclude this post, I want to say that I appreciate your continued prayers and support for my family and I more than y'all will ever know.  Thank you so much.