Hooked!

This is coolbert:

Thanks to USA Today a story from nearly one year ago now. Senior general US Army officer hooked on pain killing opiates coming clean and telling his story:

"General's story a warning about use of painkillers"

"Lt. Gen. David Fridovich talks about dependency on pain meds following injuries associated with his post in special forces, and his rehab and recovery."

"Standing before a packed hall of 700 military doctors and medics here, the deputy commander of the nation's elite special operations forces warned about an epidemic of chronic pain sweeping through the U.S. military after a decade of continuous war"

General Fridovich for a period of FIVE YEARS AN ABUSER OF OPIATES! Injury causing severe pain the relief of which can only be obtained through the use of the most powerful narcotics addiction being the result!

And too from the same article this very misleading and dangerous headline that has the potentiality to cause a lot of further damage!

"OFFICIALS: Up to 35% of wounded soldiers addicted to drugs"

"An internal Army investigation report released Tuesday revealed that 25% to 35% of about 10,000 soldiers assigned to special units for the wounded, ill or injured are addicted to or dependent on drugs"

A headline misleading in that it suggest [?] that about 1/3 of ALL wounded soldiers from the Iraq and Afghan wars are addicted to analgesic addictive drugs. NOT SO! One-third of those 10,000 soldiers assigned to a special unit treating the "wounded , ill or injured" having a problem with pain-killers and NOT 1/3 of all wounded soldiers across the board!

Comments:

*  Surely General Fridovich as deputy commander of U.S. Army Special Operations possessed a very high level security clearance! Continued drug use at whatever level even if using prescription analgesics is normally a bar to having a security clearance NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE?

* By his own admission General Fridovich describes his mental faculties and personality as being changed for the adverse. Reason was clouded and his thought processes not clear, again by his own admission. This cannot be good!

* Doctors were aware of this problem, this addiction, this dependency, this difficulty and still approved General Fridovich to continue his duties in an unabated manner? Once every five years all career personnel must submit to a full physical exam to include a detailed questionnaire and also random yearly drug testing. Medical personnel cannot have been in the dark regarding General Fridovich and his condition?

* You CAN NEVER GET ENOUGH OPIATES! Relief from pain can be obtained only by greater and greater use of more increased dosages of whatever opiate drug is being taken. Where EXACTLY was General Fridovich obtaining these ever increasing amounts of the various drugs he was taking? I like to think NOT from the illegal drug market but I fear so! Continued use of pain-killers only too masking the pain  - - MUCH WORSE INJURY AND LIFETIME DISABILITY A BECOMING A POSSIBILITY!

These special operations troops are especially susceptible to injury by the very nature of their duties. In particular, parachuting while carrying an excessive load is most dangerous, damage to the various joints of the body a terrible risk. Special forces and ranger personnel during training and a performance of duty  also required to maintain a level of fitness and push their bodies way beyond the normal in a manner quite similar to that of the modern professional athlete!

coolbert.