Day 135 Question 135:

What are your thoughts on alcohol/substance abuse?

I chose this question today because yesterday on the radio and all over the news was coverage of a story out of Miami.  The story was about a man eating the face of another man right on the side of a major highway.  Some people speculate that this is a zombie apocalypse.  My opinion is that this was a very bad drug trip that took a very gruesome turn.  Both men were homeless men and at this point there are no major details about who they were or whether the attacker was under the influence in some way or another.  I wanted to include a news article I found in case some people had not read or heard about this absolutely insane incident.  I warn you though that the details are gruesome.

Police shoot naked cannibal during zombie attack in Miami

On Saturday afternoon around 2 p.m. in Miami, Florida, a police officer was forced to shoot and kill a naked man who was eating the face of another man. The story that follows involves mutilation, cannibalism, and death and may be disturbing to some readers.

The officer…approached and saw that the naked man was actually chewing the other man’s head, according to witnesses. The officer ordered the naked man to back away, and when he continued the assault, the officer shot him.

The attacker continued to eat the man, despite being shot, forcing the officer to continue firing. Witnesses said they heard at least a half dozen shots.

Neither the slain attacker nor the victim has been identified. CBS Miami later updated the public with the following gruesome statement:

Armando Aguilar, who heads the local chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police, said he has spoken with the officer who responded. Aguilar said the officer saw what the man was doing, and ordered him to stop. He said the man growled at the officer, and then returned to his meal.

Aguilar said the man ate his victim’s nose and eyeballs.

The officer then used his service weapon and shot the man, Aguilar said, but the gunshot had no effect.

Other sources confirmed that the man refused to obey, and continued his attack. Aguilar said the officer had no choice but to keep shooting until the attacker was dead.

Investigators sharing limited details about the confrontation, saying only that the two men were fighting and the officers felt they had no choice but to take deadly force.”

“With the attacker dead, lying nude on the pavement, officers and paramedics were able to get to his victim and rush him to Jackson Memorial Hospital. Police sources say the man had virtually no face and was unrecognizable.

Despite the horrific and tragic nature of the case, bloggers, zombiephiles, and zombie news sites almost immediately picked up on the story as a real-life case of a zombie attack. Zombie news site Zombie Zone News has followed the story in order to document those aspects of the event that could link it to a widespread zombie outbreak.

While the attack is of course no laughing matter, that hasn’t stopped zombiephiles from speculating. The facts are these:

1. A man was eating the flesh of another person.
2. That man did not respond to verbal orders or react to      being shot.
3. That man snarled at the police officer who intervened      in the attack.

As the saying goes: If it eats flesh like a zombie, snarls like a zombie, and doesn’t react to outside stimuli like a zombie…

In a statement issued by Miami police, authorities have speculated that the attacker was suffering from “cocaine psychosis,” which often makes sufferers exhibit crazed behavior and to feel intense heat, causing them to remove their clothing. Another theory is that the attacker was being affected by a new drug known as “Bad LSD.”

Authorities are also referring to the officer who intervened as a hero for saving the victim’s life. At this time there is no new information on the victim’s condition.

Ok, so mind you, I chose an article that focused a lot on whether or not the attacker was a “zombie”.  I never rule anything out because in my opinion, anything is possible BUT I do believe this to be a really bad acid or PCP trip or the man was just straight up psychotic.

If the man was on drugs, it shows what horrid things can happen while being under the influence.  Trust me I am no angel.  I have partaken in my fair share of drinking in the past and I was your typical college stoner.  I never took it past those things though.  I am far too much of a nervous, worrisome person and the last thing I would need is to have a freak out while on drugs.  I had a friend in college that actually took acid one night while his parents were to be out of town until the next day.  So, he drops acid around 8:00pm and starts enjoying his trip.  Unfortunately everything ended up turning on him really quick.  His parents decided not to stay overnight wherever they were and appeared back home around 11:30pm.  My friend had gone to his room to try to avoid them but immediately he started panicking and his trip turned really ugly.  I am unsure of the exact details but his parents had to rush him to the hospital and for over 60 seconds he flat lined…yes, he was dead for over a minute.  The doctors revived him and he spent a couple of days in the hospital and due to this episode, he was checked into a rehabilitation center (not by his choice).  I remember talking to him years after the episode happened and he still could remember exactly the fear and the panic that he felt.  He said it was absolutely, without a doubt one of the most terrifying experiences of his whole life.  That was his rock bottom and from that day on he gave everything up.  He may have a drink on occasion but drugs were no longer an option.

I hate that something like that had to happen to my friend and I hate that he hit rock bottom but I am so glad that his rock bottom was it for him.  He learned his lesson and he went nowhere but up from there.  He improved his life drastically and moved forward.  My ex-boyfriend has hit what I believe to be rock bottom and he still has yet to change his ways.  After my ex and I broke up, his mom and I remained friends.  We would have dinner on occasion and just chat about things that were going on in our lives.  She always felt that I was the best thing that could have happened to her son but he was just in a bad place and alcohol was controlling his life.  She wished we could have been together but she knew the relationship was nothing but toxic.  This relationship made me fall into deep debt and very deep depression.  This relationship changed my life and although it was awful and painful and excruciating, I am glad it happened.  I needed it to happen in order to get to the place I am now.  That was my rock bottom and thankfully I came out on the other side.  My ex however has not and I hate to even write these words but if he does not change his ways, I do not believe he will make it to 40 years old (he just turned 30 in January).  About a year and a half ago I had dinner with my ex’s mom and she told me that her son (my ex) had been in the hospital for a week.  She hadn’t told anyone any details but she wanted me to know.  He had been at work (bartending-which was the last job he needed to be doing) and he started throwing up violently and he could not stop.  He left work and went home (he lived with his mom) and continued to throw up.  She gave him stuff to settle his stomach but nothing was helping.  She finally decided to bring him to the emergency room and shortly after being admitted, he was diagnosed with pancreatitis (a normal person’s levels in their pancreas is about 70, his was 9,000).  The doctor even told his mother that the next 24 hours would be critical and he was unsure whether or not he would make it.  He did make it and he spent the next 7 days in the hospital.  Over the seven days, my ex detoxed and it was a very horrific scene (I was not there thankfully-at this time we were not speaking).  While in the hospital room he had severe hallucinations and thought he was in a bar.  He was propositioning nurses sexually and asking them to bring him drinks.  He looked at his mother and thought that she was a waitress.  He didn’t know who she was.  Throughout the course of seven days he pulled out at least 4 IV’s which left blood splattered all over his room and a guard needed to be outside of his room on a 24 hour basis because he started to get violent and very angry.  He threatened his mother and even got right up in her face before a guard had to pull him away from her.  He started to get better and his pancreas levels had decreased significantly.  After seven days he was due to be released from the hospital.  The doctor came in to talk to him and his mother about follow up appointments.  My exes mom asked the doctor his he thought her son needed to be checked into a rehabilitation facility.  The doctor told her no.  They left the hospital and he stayed sober for one day.  The following day he went on a total bender and from that day on I had to separate myself completely from the entire situation.  Everything about the situation was unhealthy and I could no longer be witness to it or be a punching bag for someone that was constantly under the influence of alcohol or drugs.  It is impossible to help someone that has absolutely no desire to help themselves.  I hate that because my purpose in life is to help people but sometimes you need to take a step back.  I needed to take a step back in this situation.

Alcohol and drug abuse can do ugly things to a person.  I dated two alcoholics (yes that would be my fault because it was my choice) and both times I found that I, myself, would drink too much.  If I couldn’t fix them then why not join them.  It was usually easier to get along with both of them when we were both three sheets to the wind.  I didn’t have the drinking problems that they did but I knew I was on the verge and I needed to jump ship if I didn’t want to end up in a deep, dark place.  I quick drinking 18 months ago and at that time both of these people had been out of my life for a significant amount of time.  I quit drinking to become physically healthy and to just not have to deal with hangovers or the day after depression.  The thought of these two people have ran through my head over and over again though and I am beyond thankful that I have come out on the other side.  I cannot imagine what life would be like if a substance controlled me like that.

I could tell a million stories on this topic and some could include my mishaps and troublesome ways and others could include events I have witnessed.  Either way, alcohol and substance use is one of those things that I believe is only meant for the strong minded.  It is something that could turn ugly really fast and a lot of people believe that they can control it when in fact they cannot.  I do not criticize people for socially drinking and if someone were to smoke pot on occasion (as long as it isn’t all day everyday) I really could care less.  It is when someone has to rely on a substance to function.  There are a couple of people that I know that I so desperately want to ask when the last day was that they DIDN’T have a drink.  I already know that neither of them would be able to answer that question because it was that long ago.  It is truly sad what these substances can do to people.