Drug abuse in the church

[Anonymous]

Old-Timer wrote:

I’m not disputing prescription drug abuse in Utah, but the article says nothing about how big the difference is between Utah and other states – or in Utah County. After all, it says “one of the highest” state rates, and it says Utah County is “slightly higher” than other counties.

Given the fact that all kinds of prescription drug use is higher in the western states than anywhere else generally, and given that in the studies I’ve seen Mormons generally are not prone to avoid legal prescription drugs (especially since they would be an acceptable alternative to self-medication through alcohol or illegal substances), it wouldn’t surprise me a bit if the overall usage was higher than the national average – and if the rate among teens was higher, as well, given the availability.

Again, that’s just a gut reaction, but I need to see the actual percentages, ideally side-by-side with illegal drug and alcohol rates, to make any statement about overall drug use rates.

I literally have no time right now, so if someone can find anything about that, I’d appreciate a link.

So at Brian’s request, I’ll “break off” this topic to a new thread. Ray, you are correct in your “gut reaction” about Mormons using Rx meds illicitly. Apparently misfit7 has MUCH personal/family experience here, and as I said, it was my job for about 5 years to help rehab many of them. I’m sure there are many more links, but I did find the most recent SAMHSA OAS report that gives the statistics for drug and alcohol abuse by state. The pertinent paragraph says:

“Although the nonmedical use of pain relievers among the general population aged 12 or

older remained unchanged between 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 (at 4.8 percent), a

significant decrease was observed among youths aged 12 to 17 (from 7.5 to 7.1 percent).

Utah had the highest percentage (6.5 percent) of persons aged 12 or older using pain

relievers for nonmedical purposes in the past year in 2004-2005; South Dakota had the

lowest rate in the Nation—3.4 percent. (Tables B.8 and C.“

The link is: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k5State/toc.cfm

I know we’ve discussed this before, but there is a (locally) well- accepted premise that a significant contributing factor to this issue is the great divide between the common LDS cultural rejection of homosexuality being biological rather than a choice…and the resulting feeling of rejection and cog-dis many gay LDS people experience here in the community. There is a very high rate of drug/alcohol abuse in Utah (maybe elsewhere too) among homosexuals…and this often leads to overdoses and suicides.

Really, if anybody is interested in the core issues here, get a chance to see “Happy Valley” by Ron Williams. It’s quite sad, but real. Here’s a link where you can get information about it: http://www.happyvalleythemovie.com/Story.html

[Anonymous]

Quote:

Utah had the highest percentage (6.5 percent) of persons aged 12 or older using pain

relievers for nonmedical purposes in the past year in 2004-2005; South Dakota had the

lowest rate in the Nation—3.4 percent. (Tables B.8 and C.“

I have heard similar rates for anti-depressants, etc, BUT we have to bear in mind that 30-40% of Utahns are not LDS, and that percentage is increasing.

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_2886596

Quote:

The often cited claim that Utah is 70 percent Mormon is not true – and hasn’t been true for more than a decade, according to the church numbers. While continuing to grow in actual members, the LDS share of the state population showed a slow but constant decline every year from 1989 to 2004. According to the 2004 count, Utah is now 62.4 percent LDS with every county showing a decrease.

I’m not saying that these figures DON’T relate to the LDS, just that we should be careful in associating people in Utah with Mormonism. The same article puts church attendance (LDS) at 41% in some places.

[Anonymous]

SamBee wrote:

[

I have heard similar rates for anti-depressants, etc, BUT we have to bear in mind that 30-40% of Utahns are not LDS, and that percentage is increasing.

True. But there is a pattern we see that live here…the higher the concentration of LDS (at least along the Wasatch front), the higher the Rx drug abuse. IOW, Utah County is worse than Salt Lake…

Now, the church responds with “the drug abuse is higher among inactives.” (I can find the quote if you want it). I answer, DUH! Once you start abusing drugs, you’re not gonna want to go to church! The statistic they fail to mention is that the parents are usually very active. I just know that from my experience as a drug counselor.

Again, I don’t want to blame the church for the problem (except possibly the fact that they have not been proactive enough in teaching the members how to deal with the addiction correctly). It is usually naive and ignorant parents that don’t want to admit that there is an issue…or deal with it. But of course that is the furthest from what the church is teaching….

[Anonymous]

I ask this strictly for informational purposes, not to “argue” anything:

Can someone provide stats for overall drug abuse in Utah and Utah County, including self-medications like alcohol?

Fwiw, I really don’t care about prescription use of anti-depressants, since, to me, that is a good thing. I really hate the stigmatization of prescribed drugs that help people deal with real issues like depression – and I would expect women who have more children than average, for example, who also live in the general geographic region with the highest rates of depression to use anti-depressants. I’m not interested much in use of legally prescribed medication. I’m interested in abuse of all types of drugs in totality.

I have no idea what the stats are, so I am asking. No hidden agenda.

[Anonymous]

Old-Timer wrote:

…Fwiw, I really don’t care about prescription use of anti-depressants, since, to me, that is a good thing. I really hate the stigmatization of prescribed drugs that help people deal with real issues like depression… I’m not interested much in use of legally prescribed medication. I’m interested in abuse of all types of drugs in totality.

Perhaps I’m missing the point, and I don’t live in Utah so I don’t know, but I kind of thought the “theory” of the abuse and the theory of this thread was that Utah has such a high rate of abuse of legally prescribed medication is because they WON’T use the typical drugs that many other cultures use to “cope” with the stress of life like alcohol, tobacco and coffee because they are “evil” and “violate the gospel”. I don’t “think” that Utah has any higher rate of alcohol use than any other state, but I don’t think that is what this about – at least that is my opinion on the topic. Is this topic about alcohol and illegal drug abuse, or just perscritpion drug abuse, or both? Many TBMs (I know you don’t like that terms, but it has to go here) feel that prescription drugs don’t violate the WofW so they use and abuse, and some get addicted. They are also more readily accessible (mom medicine cabinet), where it is quite difficult for youngsters to get beer because the guy behind the counter at the corner store might also be the 1st councilor in the bishopric, and there is a huge stigma placed on those who DO violate the WoW. I don’t know this, but I kind of feel like Ray stated earlier – “it’s just my gut reaction”?

I’ve heard all these stories and rumors about the problems of prescription drug abuse, but honestly I couldn’t verify any of it. I’m going to look up some of the links provided by Rix tonight.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, cwald. I’m not trying to dispute anything in my questions; I’m really just trying to see the big picture the best I can. I agree totally that the non-use of alcohol for some members would lead to increased abuse of prescription drugs that are readily available. I don’t doubt that at all. Since I think that’s a given, I’m interested in the overall drug abuse issue – the big picture, if you will.

Honestly, I asked because the title of the post is “drug abuse in the church”. I always like to try to see everything in its fullest form possible, so I probably would have asked regardless, but since the title didn’t specify just prescription drug abuse . . .

[Anonymous]

This is a gut-level observation without reference to any studies or numbers. I could see how in Mormon culture there might be a tendency to gravitate towards using prescription drugs (illegal use) as a form of self-medication. Alcohol is by far the most common form of self-medication in geneal historically, but there’s a cultural inhibition towards that and other “illegal” drugs like marijuana.

Prescription drugs are “legal” in a sense … sort of. And they are not specifically prohibited by the text of the WofW nor the cultural, contempory interpretation of it today. Drink a beer to relieve stress = bad. Take some Oxycontin = gray area. So the choice would tend to gravitate towards the gray. It’s not so bad right? They could still get a temple recommend, etc.

I’m not saying this in an accusatory way, just a practical observation. People will do what they are going to do in the most palatable way.

[Anonymous]

Brian Johnston wrote:

Drink a beer to relieve stress = bad. Take some Oxycontin = gray area. So the choice would tend to gravitate towards the gray. It’s not so bad right? They could still get a temple recommend, etc.

I’m not saying this in an accusatory way, just a practical observation. People will do what they are going to do in the most palatable way.

I’ll answer a few of the posts, but quote Brian. Yes, the statements above are correct in my experience. There were so many of my clients that explained to me (in rehab) that the reason they started the (opiate) drug abuse was because they could “get away with it.” No smell, no being seen buying beer, etc.

And yes, when you comb through the statistics, Utah is right at about the average wrt substance abuse — “illicit drugs,” below average, misuse of RX drugs, the top of the heap. So this is what so many here have assumed and posted…you are correct.

However, one point I was trying to make — and I think misfit7 was too — is that there is a dramatically more devastating outcome when you get addicted to Rx meds (mostly Oxycontin these days). The deaths from this type of problem are significantly greater than all other substances combined.

The common pattern is that a person starts with pain pills, then when they can’t get, or afford them anymore, they are forced to transition to heroin (relatively cheap). The physical dependence with opiates changes the person’s state of being to the point of always lying, stealing, etc…just to get the drug and avoid the painful withdrawls. Quite often, since the addiction leads to poor sleep patterns, the person combines opiates with benzos (valium, xanax, etc.) and alcohol. The mix is often fatal as it shuts down the cardio-pulmonary system…IOW, they go to sleep and never wake up (ala Michael Jackson…).

So, yes, the overall substance abuse rate in Utah is average, but the type of abuse is much more damaging than the others.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, rix. That makes a lot of sense – and it’s a good way to discuss it when I talk with others.

[Author]

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