Yesterday I had two things happen that I wanted to write about besides my usual daily offering. As some of you may know from reading my posts, I lost my oldest daughter almost 10 years ago now to suicide due to her drug addiction. I have been very outspoken that all of these addicts you see have people who love them and want them to be clean.

We have a local Facebook group that shares news from around town. It’s usually people who listen to police scanners and put up the “news” for other people. The scanners are public access, but not everyone has the time or the inclination to listen to it constantly. At times, it goes beyond just the local news. A few weeks back a picture was posted of a truck that was involved ina theft. Someone pointed to another person’s Facebook page, basically accusing them. The trucks didn’t match at all, but the person used that opportunity to say a lot of libelous and damaging things against the person they were accusing. I happen to be acquainted with the person and I know there are issues, but I also knew right away that it wasn’t his truck. The admins should have taken the accusatory comments down, but didn’t, instead using it to tell people not to throw accusations out willy-nilly.

Yesterday someone put up crime statistics and blamed it on “junkies.” Yes, our town has some higher crime statistics. A lot, though, are because we are a tourist town. We get a lot of visitors who get bagged for DUIs and assaults that have to do with alcohol. I would venture a guess that more of the crimes involving personal injury or worse is the result of alcohol and not drugs. I responded as I usually do, that these “junkies” they denigrate have people who love them and want them clean. The original poster doubled down on his initial post, saying it was a fact that “junkies” are out there stealing catalytic converters, etc. and he doesn’t care what anyone’s feelings are. I told him he was a horrible human being and blocked him.

In any theft situation that happens, people are fast to blame the thief, and rightfully so. That’s only one half of the equation, however. They would not be stealing things if people weren’t willing to buy them. Who is buying all of these stolen catalytic converters? I have theories, but won’t publish them because they are just theories. May of the same people who get upset about “junkies” stealing things also have no problem buying things that “fell off the truck.” I have had that situation with two people I”ve known in my life. If they get burglarized they would be all upset but had no hesitation in buying things that were likely stolen.

If there’s no market for stolen goods, people would not be able to steal to support their habit.

You can’t have it both ways. You can’t be part of the problem and then point fingers at everyone else. If you buy things from suspicious sources, you are part of the problem. Just because you see an advantage in paying less than retail doesn’t make it “okay.” In fact, if you were caught with the stolen items you would be guilty of receiving stolen merchandise. I don’t buy the “I didn’t know” excuse. People who do this know damn well what they are getting into, they just see it as an advantage and don’t think they would ever get caught. However, if people steal from them “that’s different.”

Yes, addicts have people who love them and want them clean. They are faulty human beings just like all of us. Everyone has made choices that could have had questionable outcomes and resulted in a different life. Some of it is biological. I don’t know why my daughter became an addict. I do know that it was something that wouldn’t be easy to kick. Whereas my biology is such that things I tried back in the 1980s didn’t have a hold on me. I quit smoking with no issue when I was pregnant with her and only went back a couple of times due to stress. I can take or leave alcohol. I know that everyone is not as lucky as I am. I don’t condemn them for it.

Have some compassion and don’t be part of the problem.