Am I the only person in the world who is sickened by graphic images of children witnessing the impact of their parents’ addiction on social media? In case you’ve been without Wifi for the last month, let me catch you up. In September, the East Liverpool, Ohio Police Department released a disgusting photo of two adults slumped unconscious in the front of an SUV while a toddler boy sat in his pajamas in the back seat.
Then recently, a video surfaced on Facebook of the exact moment a man in Youngstown, Ohio told his eight-year old son that the boy’s mother died of a heroin overdose. And, lest we think this phenomenon is confined to Ohio, another video is floating around depicting a crying toddler (again in jammies, can we get these kids some clothes?) trying to wake her mother, who has apparently overdosed, on the floor of a dollar store in Massachusetts.
In all three cases, the addicts are painted in the worst possible light. I’m not saying they don’t deserve to lose custody and face criminal charges as well as a lifetime of guilt. But why is it okay to expose these families to public scrutiny just because they’re addicts? We would never see the police post a picture of a murderer standing over a body or a prostitute in handcuffs. Why should drug addicts be singled out in this way? It would never occur to a father who had lost his wife to breast cancer to break the news of Mommy’s death on social media in the name of raising awareness—because it’s disgusting and insensitive. These types of viral social media posts just perpetuate addiction stereotypes and offer a target for public ridicule.
Not Easily Scared Straight
This shit sickens me on so many levels. First, I am a recovering heroin addict with a small son, so it hits close to home. As if I didn’t already have ample motivation to stay clean (life gets pretty good after 15 years of hard work in recovery), the idea that a kid my son’s age would have to face the emotional trauma of witnessing an overdose makes me nauseous. Then, for those kids to be exploited by the police, press, their communities and, in the case of the boy in Youngstown, his own father is abhorrent.
I’m glad at least some of the mainstream news coverage of these tragic photos and videos supports my indignation. Recently CBS News ran a story challenging the effectiveness of these brazen tactics to raise awareness of the heroin epidemic and get addicts to quit using. The article quotes April Caraway, the executive director of the Mental Health and Recovery Board in Ohio’s Trumbull County, who wisely stated, “The research isn’t showing that these scare tactics are very effective. Those struggling with addiction already see the dangers of heroin up close.”
Put Your Phone Away and Help!
What the hell were the people who took these photos and videos thinking? (“Hey, here’s a great example of human tragedy, I should take some pictures.”) It’s disgusting to consider that the police were snapping pics when they could have been helping the couple in New Liverpool. Or more importantly, they should have been getting the little boy out of his car seat and into the arms of a family member or social worker who could give him a hug and a drink of water instead of taking his fucking picture (great, now I’m crying). And what about the goddamn people at the dollar store in Massachusetts filming that poor little girl instead of getting her to a safe place and calling the ambulance?
At least the father who thought it would be a good idea to have somebody film him breaking the news to his kid that “Mommy died last night” has an excuse for being so irresponsible. He’s just 90 days clean and it’s (ahem) uncommon to have good judgment in early recovery. He thought it would help others to see the impact of heroin on his family. It seems like he got so caught up in his crusade, he lost sight of what would be best for his son. Hearing your mom died is probably the worst moment of your life—having that pain broadcast by your own dad to the entire world is just inhumane. He probably should have called his sponsor before posting this video.
Beyond neglecting the immediate needs of the kids featured in these photos and videos, I just don’t get how this type of graphic content helps anyone. In the cases of both East Liverpool and Massachusetts, the local police and press made statements justifying releasing the content to the effect of “We wanted the public to see what we are dealing with.” But what’s the point of raising awareness if no solution is offered? Are we talking about counseling for these kids (because they need it) or treatment for these publicly-shamed bad parents? No.
Missed the Vein
It seems to me that these pictures are actually reinforcing negative stereotypes about addiction and bringing out the worst in people instead of inspiring positive change. I was particularly shocked to see so many of my Facebook friends ghoulishly sharing the Liverpool, Ohio pic. The comments ranged from stuff like “Another casualty of the disease” to “These people should be shot.” And, looking at the picture, it’s easy to understand why people would think so. Luckily, I have learned that engaging in heated debates on Facebook makes me feel (and look) like a psycho, so I used the handy-dandy “Hide post—see fewer posts like this” feature. But what is really shocking is that most of these ghouls were other people in recovery—a group that I would generally expect to have empathy for suffering addicts and their kids.
So, if this type of content is not encouraging positive change in those who are using heroin and making the public hate addicts (even more), what’s the point? I can also tell you from my own experience that a graphic picture like the one from the East Liverpool PD wouldn’t have phased me a bit in my addiction. I would definitely not be crying about it (feelings, what are those?). I lost several friends to overdoses in my late teens and early 20s and guess what I did? I kept using. Because I was numb and that’s what addicts do. And those were my friends! Not just some anonymous people on social media. If the goal of this crap is to reach addicts and inspire them to get clean, then these sensationalized posts have completely missed the target.
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