5 ms·

Suicides, Drug Addiction and High School Football

26 points by montrose 9y ago

OliverJones 9y ago
One wonders whether opiod decriminalization and treatment, Portugal-style, would have a positive effect on this little town. They seem to have tried everything else. Maybe it's worth a try.
- jingleheimer 9y ago
  "there is no problem so bad that you can’t make it worse" - NASA
- Aloha 9y ago
  "You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing after they have tried everything else." - Winston Churchill
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
- ficklepickle 9y ago
  While legalization can be part of a solution, it is only a tiny piece. Legalization without a broader societal change could be damaging. We also need to change the way we look at and deal with mental health in our society. The addiction pandemic is a symptom of a sick society. We treat the symptoms, rather than the cause, at our own peril.
stickfigure 9y ago
Ironic that high-school football is being looked to as a solution, while at the same time football is being linked to CTE, depression, and mood disorders. Not to mention the frequent debilitating injuries mentioned in the article.
- ams6110 9y ago
  It's not football per se of course, it is belonging to a team, having positive activities to fill spare time, and access to a reliable adult role model (the coach).
  - toomuchtodo 9y ago
    Then form a community service group, not a sports team. Build housing for the homeless, maintain community infrastructure that has been languishing, participate in agricultural coops, those sorts of things. Cohesion is built through the journey through a shared struggle or towards a common goal. Build some trade skills while you're at it? Bonus!
    - higuys032018 9y ago
      What you said sounds lame and boring. Running fast, yelling as loud as possible, and knocking into other people from time to time sounds like a great time. I'm sure "cohesion built through the journey through a shared struggle" reads very strongly on a resume, but try telling that one girl in class that you're building trade skills on your way towards a common goal.
      - deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
      - stickfigure 9y ago
        What you said sounds lame and boring. Snorting a bunch of cocaine and heroin, having unprotected sex with cheerleaders sounds like a great time! ...thus the article. Maybe we can figure out something fun that won't kill them?
        anonnyj 9y ago
        Competitive team video games.
      - 9y ago
anoncoward111 9y ago
Sorry, there's better comraderie in a Robotics club than there is getting spinal chord injuries on the field.
- laretluval 9y ago
  It really depends on the person.
- vanjoe 9y ago
  When I was in highschool and having a rough time (nothing like these kids are going through) then I really liked hockey because for 60 mins only the game mattered, none of the other bull shit. I don't think I could get that at a robotics club, maybe you could.
  - closeparen 9y ago
    Theater (stage management, sound mixing, lighting, etc) had a similar quality for me. There's something a lot more satisfying about live work, especially when the whole rest of your life is project-based.
  - ams6110 9y ago
    Yeah it all depends on the kid. Some kids love playing football, others love hockey, rugby, baseball, soccer... Or chess club, robotics, band, theater.... There's no one approach that works for everyone.
    - anoncoward111 9y ago
      I highly doubt chess club will give me any broken bones. Band, however, did give me tinnitus (seriously)
- optimalsolver 9y ago
  Is this the most HackerNews-iest comment of all time?
  - 9y ago
gt_ 9y ago
I wonder that the reasons given for the suicides are. The article doesn’t have a single hint as to what they may be. Of course, we can hardly be certain of the motivating factors, but it seems like a place to start in considering solution.
- ams6110 9y ago
  I would infer that it's a large number of absentee parents, either working multiple jobs, or drug-addicted, in prison, etc. Why that leads to suicide I don't know, but teens don't generally have a great sense of the long term. If their future looks bleak now, they don't have the life experience to understand that "now" is temporary and circumstances can and often do change and work out OK in the longer term.
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

26 points by montrose 9y ago

One wonders whether opiod decriminalization and treatment, Portugal-style, would have a positive effect on this little town. They seem to have tried everything else. Maybe it's worth a try.

jingleheimer 9y ago
"there is no problem so bad that you can’t make it worse" - NASA
Aloha 9y ago
"You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing after they have tried everything else." - Winston Churchill
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
ficklepickle 9y ago
While legalization can be part of a solution, it is only a tiny piece. Legalization without a broader societal change could be damaging. We also need to change the way we look at and deal with mental health in our society. The addiction pandemic is a symptom of a sick society. We treat the symptoms, rather than the cause, at our own peril.

stickfigure 9y ago

Ironic that high-school football is being looked to as a solution, while at the same time football is being linked to CTE, depression, and mood disorders. Not to mention the frequent debilitating injuries mentioned in the article.

ams6110 9y ago
It's not football per se of course, it is belonging to a team, having positive activities to fill spare time, and access to a reliable adult role model (the coach).
- toomuchtodo 9y ago
  Then form a community service group, not a sports team. Build housing for the homeless, maintain community infrastructure that has been languishing, participate in agricultural coops, those sorts of things. Cohesion is built through the journey through a shared struggle or towards a common goal. Build some trade skills while you're at it? Bonus!
  - higuys032018 9y ago
    What you said sounds lame and boring. Running fast, yelling as loud as possible, and knocking into other people from time to time sounds like a great time. I'm sure "cohesion built through the journey through a shared struggle" reads very strongly on a resume, but try telling that one girl in class that you're building trade skills on your way towards a common goal.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
    - stickfigure 9y ago
      What you said sounds lame and boring. Snorting a bunch of cocaine and heroin, having unprotected sex with cheerleaders sounds like a great time! ...thus the article. Maybe we can figure out something fun that won't kill them?
      - anonnyj 9y ago
        Competitive team video games.
    - 9y ago

anoncoward111 9y ago

Sorry, there's better comraderie in a Robotics club than there is getting spinal chord injuries on the field.

laretluval 9y ago
It really depends on the person.
vanjoe 9y ago
When I was in highschool and having a rough time (nothing like these kids are going through) then I really liked hockey because for 60 mins only the game mattered, none of the other bull shit. I don't think I could get that at a robotics club, maybe you could.
- closeparen 9y ago
  Theater (stage management, sound mixing, lighting, etc) had a similar quality for me. There's something a lot more satisfying about live work, especially when the whole rest of your life is project-based.
- ams6110 9y ago
  Yeah it all depends on the kid. Some kids love playing football, others love hockey, rugby, baseball, soccer... Or chess club, robotics, band, theater.... There's no one approach that works for everyone.
  - anoncoward111 9y ago
    I highly doubt chess club will give me any broken bones. Band, however, did give me tinnitus (seriously)
optimalsolver 9y ago
Is this the most HackerNews-iest comment of all time?
- 9y ago

gt_ 9y ago

I wonder that the reasons given for the suicides are. The article doesn’t have a single hint as to what they may be. Of course, we can hardly be certain of the motivating factors, but it seems like a place to start in considering solution.

ams6110 9y ago
I would infer that it's a large number of absentee parents, either working multiple jobs, or drug-addicted, in prison, etc. Why that leads to suicide I don't know, but teens don't generally have a great sense of the long term. If their future looks bleak now, they don't have the life experience to understand that "now" is temporary and circumstances can and often do change and work out OK in the longer term.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]