I review my “year” in the spring. Maybe it’s because spring is a time of new beginnings. Trees become multiple shades of green, yellow and red. Flowers brighten yards and neighborhoods. I don’t have a green thumb, but I have had a single crocus bloom every spring for more than 15 years. (Another of God’s miracles!)
I particularly like to remember the good things that emerged during more difficult times of the year. Top of the list this year is my new great-nephew, who is amazing!
I’ve also seen folks help one another with big and small things. More than once a young person going into the grocery store has offered to load my groceries into my car. (I buy in bulk!) People smile and nod, many of them wave when you let them in line at a traffic light. The list could go on.
Every day, I look for something that will make me smile or laugh out loud. This week it was a young lad walking with his grandmother. He stopped midblock to stare in awe of the giant cement truck that had stopped next to him. His face reflected sheer joy!
Finding those fun and encouraging things gives me the strength I need to continue to address the flip sides of those coins: poverty, gun violence, abortion, racism – unfortunately, that list can go on, too.
The Ohio Department of Health’s mortality data reports that 5,083 Ohio residents died of accidental drug overdoses in 2021. That breaks the previous record of 5,017 deaths in 2020. The worst year before the COVID pandemic had been 2017, when 4,854 Ohioans died.
Substance abuse not only negatively impacts the health and well-being of those who abuse substances and their families, but also leads to high societal costs. The National Institute on Drug Abuse estimates that abuse of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs costs the United States more than $740 billion annually through costs related to crime, lost work productivity and health care. (https://www.drugabuse.gov/drug-topics/trends-statistics/costs-substance-abuse)
Today, Ohio has fewer drug users than a decade ago – but exponentially higher rates and numbers of drug deaths.
Yet, there is good news. There are solutions that not only benefit the health and well-being of those struggling with drug abuse and addiction but also lower public costs. One such program is The Refuge. Its four-phase, 13-month residential addiction recovery program has had amazing results.
Founded in 1999 as a residential ministry in rural Vinton County, The Refuge continues to expand to serve not only the 75+ men in locations across central Ohio, but their families, churches and communities as well. There is no cost and no insurance needed to be a part of this ministry. Learn more at https://therefugeohio.org.
If you know someone who is struggling to reclaim his life, contact The Refuge.
I have worked with The Refuge for years and support its mission whole-heartedly. This Christ-centered program inspires transformation. The staff members are highly effective in assisting participants to successfully address the key social determinants of health including continuous employment, housing stability, reliable transportation, reducing the use of emergency rooms for substance-related reasons and reducing involvement in the justice system.
Will some people still struggle with drugs? Yes. However, with support from programs such as The Refuge, more children will have parents, more mothers will have sons, more people will show up for work, fewer people will be handcuffed and jailed, fewer people will be murdered or become homeless. Imagine.
PS: The Office for Social Concerns thanks those at Reynoldsburg St. Pius X Church who made our 43rd Senior Citizen Celebration Day Mass and luncheon such a success. Special thanks to Father David Young, Deacon Joe Lemay, Cyndi Williams, Michelle Carey, John Pottkotter, Tom Holliday and the youth and adult volunteers. God bless!