Song Lyric Sunday

Approaching a touchy subject like what we have for our theme today requires planning, empathy, and directness to ensure the conversation is productive rather than confrontational.  Difficult conversations matter because there’s usually something meaningful at stake that we deeply care about, and I appreciate everyone showing up for this and I want to listen to what you come up with.  

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Drugs have always been a touchy subject in most households. When I was in constant pain, I was taking more advil and hydrocodone than allowed, and I was also on a fentanyl patch that increased over the years from a 15 every three days to 150 every other day. This took fourteen years and didn’t actually work, after two failed back surgeries. Then living in Colorado, the rules changed and I had to visit a pain clinic 45 minutes away and get a triplicate prescription. Sometimes it was not available so I thought pumping up the otc would save me. It didn’t. I was offered marijuana but I wouldn’t take it. I was afraid my grandkids would know or find it – basically I was scared of it. This is only a part of my experience but if you’re in constant pain and cannot get rid of it no matter what you do, you’ll understand. I ran out of the meds, my patch fell off in the shower and it was two weeks before I could get another, so I went into something like cold turkey. I don’t remember it all. This experience makes me empathetic to others in pain. Please remember you can’t always see pain like a cast or bandage. I don’t listen to much music and “drug”songs don’t appeal, but I found this one.

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“Can’t Feel My Face” by The Weeknd is primarily about a intense, destructive addiction to cocaine, masked as a love song. The lyrics use a double entendre, where the “numbing” effects of the drug are compared to the overwhelming, disorienting feeling of being with a captivating, yet dangerous, lover.

Making Informed Choices About Substances Matters