So not only do we have the distinguished title of being the meth/pain pill capital of Ohio, we now add the illustrious title of “unhealthiest county”. So essentially this article tells us that we are the fattest, smokingiest, dumbest, and poorest folks in the state. Well that’s just great.... for an outsider’s perspective it seems that the good and hardworking people in Southern Ohio are hard to find. But you can count on finding a shitbag/lazy/drug and/or food addict on every corner . Is this really true? If so, what are you doing about it?
I was born and raised here..and I’m proud of that fact. For about 8 years I moved away for college and the military and I was fortunate enough to land a job to move back here. Portsmouth had its problems when I grew up here, but damn when I came back it seemed the entire region was going down to path of destruction that Charlie Sheen would envy, with pain pill addiction leading the charge.
Here is great article by the Cleveland Plain Dealer on Scioto County:
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2011/02/prescription_drug_epidemic_bri.html
Here is my favorite piece;
"a handful of licensed doctors pump out prescriptions for an estimated 35 million pain pills a year to an ever-mushrooming population of pill-crazed patients who come from near and far just to cop.
Do the math, and it comes to roughly 460 pills for every man, woman and child in this county of 76,000 residents, according to 2008 state pharmacy board statistics.
Stories of crimes committed by addicts in this community awash in pain pills float like ghosts through the air: Thieves dug the wires from the pitching machines for the Little League out of the ground twice recently to sell for scrap. The gumball machine was broken into at the Portsmouth health department for $20 in change. The manhole covers have disappeared off city streets"
WTF? So why has a once proud community known for its hard working reputation received national attention for being a magnet of sick, fat, drug addicts? I’m sure there are several contributing factors that led to our current status (for real, we are worse than Pike County?! Damn..have you ever been to the Waverly Wal-Mart on the first of the month? It will make you appreciate the New Boston Wal-Mart with a quickness, and that’s a bold statement).
Obviously, you have lack of employment opportunities and no local industry being top of the list. And we all know how this cycle plays out, if you’re unemployed you’re far more likely to get on drugs or welfare, most likely both…and being a drug addict ain’t so good for your health. So the two problems compliment one another quite well. These are the quick answers you’ll get from reading any political science/economy text book. But the real answer is the far majority of the people of Scioto County have become complacent and weak (and just because you have a good/staple job and aren’t snorting oxys up your nose doesn’t mean you’re not at fault either).
Scioto County is microcosm for a much bigger problem in America. We are a society of convenience and finger pointers, once strong we are turning weak.…looking for other people to blame for our problems. It’s mommy and daddy’s fault because they weren’t around enough, it’s our government’s fault, my boss doesn’t like me, insert whatever weak excuse you want. Zac Even Esh aptly names this the “pussification of America”. Go to this link and you’ll see first hand what I’m talking about. Lil Johnny did 60 pushups at school and now his mom wants to sue.
http://zacheven-esh.com/blog/physical-education-the-pussification-of-america/
Could it be, just maybe.... it’s your fault? Maybe your kid’s teacher knows what he/she is doing and your kid needs his ass whooped, and while we’re at it..maybe little Johnny shouldn’t be glued to the XBOX, and his little ass should go play outside.
Maybe you’re overweight because you eat doughnuts and park your inactive self on the couch, and it’s probably not a “thyroid problem” either.
Maybe you didn’t get a raise, because you didn’t work harder than the next guy.
Maybe our town is the most drug infested, weakest, unhealthiest place in the state, because you didn’t do anything about it. You did nothing to stop it, you let it happen. Everybody always wants to bitch…but not that many people are willing to step up and do something about it.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" Edmund Burke
You can say “it’s not my problem”…but that’s too easy. You’re better than that. You do live here, this is your community. You can make a difference. Or you can sit back and let it go all to hell…pick a side, but saying it’s your problem is a cowardly thing to do.
What can you do? I don’t have the specific answer, that's for you to figure out…but I do know this… doing nothing is unacceptable. Start with being a strong example for friends/family/coworkers to follow, be a better parent, be a little league coach, go volunteer, donate time/money…get involved in your community. Everyone needs that person to help them in their time of need...be that person.
There are those who “rage against the dying of the light”. Those who choose the hard road over the easy path…these people are the members of PSKC.
These people are more than just members of a gym....they are actively engaged in their communities, they are teachers, judges, correction officers, pee wee coaches, doctors, nurses… the body and mind are not separate entities. Strong bodies make strong minds. They use PSKC as the source of their strength to help their community.
For far too long, we’ve been devastated by the disease of weakness…now is the time for strength. Come get your body strong, which will make your mind strong…which will better equip you to make your community strong. You have a choice….pick a side, your community is in desperate need to good people, don't let evil triumph.
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