Where is the Help? - Woman Nodding out on Bus Sparks Investigation

By now you must have seen the video. We were reluctant to say anything about this video, because Sober Nation does not consider ourselves a gossip site. We do keep up with news and current events if it is recovery related. However, we have kept an eye on this story, and we decided it was time for us as leaders in the field, to leave our mark. Let us start with understanding the circumstances. I don't know how many people reading this have been to Philadelphia. If you have, you may be familiar with the neighborhood that the 66 bus runs through. The bus runs down Frankford Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia. This part of Philadelphia may be the most heroin plagued location in the country. I'm not expert on drug neighborhoods, but here is an article to give you a better idea about the heroin problem in Philadelphia. For all those who consider addiction a matter of choice and will power, well... I invite them spend a month in Kensington and see what they say about it afterwards. It is awful. Four days ago when this video went viral, the comments on the YouTube video were disturbing. They blast this poor woman. This woman obviously is at fault. There's no doubt that child services needs to step in and do something, but that is besides the point. The reaction we have seen is nothing but condemnation for this woman. People ruthlessly call her a junkie and a bad mother and the list goes on. It's funny how everyone is so quick to judge, and so reluctant to help. Here is something to know about me. I used to take the R5 bus home from North Philadelphia every day. At my feeble atempt at college, I went to Temple University, where I spent most my time getting wasted and blowing Oxy's. I can't tell you how many times I nodded out on that train, and woke up 4 or 5 train stops past my stop. This doesn't mean I'm a bad person. This woman is not a bad person, she is a heroin addict. Not once did I see a comment about helping this woman. Not one, it was all people sitting comfortably behind their keyboards, congratulating themselves for being so perfect. It makes me sad. The entire bus full of people just sat there. One guy even video taped it, and proudly made his mark on society. It is a fact, that people are way more inclined to help an animal, then a person. Look, I am all about saving helpless animals, but why do we feel so apprehensive to help other people? Does this woman look like a criminal? Does anyone reading this have addiction in their family? Has anyone seen a friend or a loved one at their lowest point? What is your lowest point? It probably wasn't far off from what this woman went through. What this tells me most is the misunderstanding people have about addiction. People are so afraid of addiction, and are even more afraid to get involved. People are afraid to admit they are addicts, and afraid to come out and be active in the recovery community. There is always debate about addiction and about what to do about it. As of right now, the solution seems to throw addicts in jail. We criminalize addiction more than any other offense. Does this woman look like a criminal? Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but to me this woman looks like someone who is sick. Sober Nation is here to help, and take a stand for people who otherwise can't speak for themselves. This woman got her daughter taken away. That is probably best, but it is unfortunate that this will probably be looked at as a criminal offense. That is stupid. This woman doesn't need to be criminalized. She needs treatment. My hope is that she gets sober, and can use this experience as a means to help others. If you need help with addiction, don't be ashamed. I needed help. Everyone I know who is sober, needed help. We all bottomed out. We all did things we aren't proud of. However, now we hold our heads high, and we have an advantage because the battle of addiction has hardened our armor. We are stronger because we have come out the other side. So I say again, if you need help... reach out! Call us. Call someone! Don't wait until it is too late. Don't wait until you do something stupid and some schmuck video tapes you instead of helps you. We will not judge you. We will get involved and help you! We will love you. All you need is love.