"When you are convinced that there's nothing left inside you, remember that you've got the entire galaxy under your tongue and the world in your bones"
I wish I could tell you who spoke these words, but unfortunately when I saved them to a sticky note on my laptop a few years ago, these details didn't worry me. What did worry me was the sickly strange feeling inside me that this feeling was one that I would have to get used to, this feeling of having people die around me far too young. This feeling of emptiness when you try to explain why it hurts that they are gone when you never even truly knew them. 2016 was a year of many tragic and soul-crushing losses, but these losses can not be chalked up to 2016 just being too "Savage" or being cruel. In all truth, we know 2016 did nothing but exist while others simply stopped existing. In a year where we have had such a dramatic amount of deaths, it's time we raise the question as to why.
None of the people that died just magically dropped dead one day. That is a fallacy. There are things that unfortunately people do throughout their lives that end up limiting the time they have left. WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE AMERICA, DRUGS ARE KILLING US. Heroin, opioids, meth, pain killers, and cocaine. All of these played some role in the tragic deaths of celebrities this year. We have gone blind to those who use drugs in the spotlight. It can be seen all up and down Hollywood Blvd. People who cope with the stress of being a star by relaxing with a line at the end of the night. We brush it off, say it is just Hollywood, say they are just living for the party and the star's life. This is what is killing them. Our beloved General Organa, played by the late Carrie Fisher was no stranger to drugs and partying, and in her own interviews she chronicles her fight with her demons, but how sad is it that we wait until her breaths are gone to now begin listening.
The impact on life expectancy is also staggering. For the first time in about 50 years, America has seen a true change in life expectancy due to heavy increase in drug abuse. An article from NPR states the following on the matter,
"the overall death rate for Americans increased because mortality from heart disease and stroke increased after declining for years. Deaths were also up from Alzheimer's disease, respiratory disease, kidney disease and diabetes. More Americans also died from unintentional injuries and suicide. In all, the decline was driven by increases in deaths from eight of the top 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. "
After identifying Heart Disease as one of the leading factors of death, (Just seen with beloved Carrie Fisher) The article also goes on to state this as well,
"The epidemic of prescription opioid painkillers and heroin abuse is probably fueling the increase in unintentional injuries, Arun Hendi, a demographer at Duke University, wrote in an email. The rise in drug abuse and suicide could be due to economic factors causing despair. "
America, it is time we talk about drug abuse. 2016 has put the conversation on the table, but many of us are avoiding it by blaming these tragedies on the year itself. 2016 didn't take any lives. It didn't rush out and stop a beating heart, 2016 has simply been present for all the of tragedies. It is time we learn from the mistakes of others and stop repeating the cycle we have been on for so many years now.
Each and every year we loose celebrities and loved ones to addiction. Each and every year we naively assume the problem will fix its self. It won't, it never will. It is simply up to us. This is "a Call to Arms" America. Step up, do your part, save a life.
