With so much discussion this semester about Hurricane Katrina and the shambles it's left New Orleans in on so many levels, I thought it was interesting to find this recent episode of Drugs, INC. that discusses briefly the increases of drug abuse that have resulted.
The full episode "Hurricane Blow" aired a week or two ago and according to the National Geogaphic channel's website will air again on December 11th if anyone is interested in viewing it. Here is a brief 3-minute excerpt:
http://www.hulu.com/#!watch/427081
It states that nearly 400,000 people were displaced from their homes due to Katrina. As we know, mental health issues increased drastically following the storm. Many suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. As a result, according to the feature, many became addicted to drugs as a way to stay numb and avoid thinking about the pain and stress. One of the dealers they interviewed discusses how he personally knows many people who accept money from the Red Cross and instead of buying homes or food they would support their drug addiction. It's truly sad.
So much devestation has effected the people of this region and even now, seven years after the storm they are still struggling with what it did to them emotionally and psychologically. They need help and so I wanted to share with you some organizations in that region that are specifically working with victims of the storm and people in NOLA with drug addictions.
If you'd like to support, here are a few of the many organizations offering support to residents of this region:
REACH NOLA: http://reachnola.org/
Healing Hearts NOLA: http://www.healingheartsnola.org/
Addiction Recovery Resources, Inc.: http://www.arrno.org/
Louisiana Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters: http://lavoad.org/services/
The full episode "Hurricane Blow" aired a week or two ago and according to the National Geogaphic channel's website will air again on December 11th if anyone is interested in viewing it. Here is a brief 3-minute excerpt:
http://www.hulu.com/#!watch/427081
It states that nearly 400,000 people were displaced from their homes due to Katrina. As we know, mental health issues increased drastically following the storm. Many suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. As a result, according to the feature, many became addicted to drugs as a way to stay numb and avoid thinking about the pain and stress. One of the dealers they interviewed discusses how he personally knows many people who accept money from the Red Cross and instead of buying homes or food they would support their drug addiction. It's truly sad.
So much devestation has effected the people of this region and even now, seven years after the storm they are still struggling with what it did to them emotionally and psychologically. They need help and so I wanted to share with you some organizations in that region that are specifically working with victims of the storm and people in NOLA with drug addictions.
If you'd like to support, here are a few of the many organizations offering support to residents of this region:
REACH NOLA: http://reachnola.org/
Healing Hearts NOLA: http://www.healingheartsnola.org/
Addiction Recovery Resources, Inc.: http://www.arrno.org/
Louisiana Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters: http://lavoad.org/services/
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