I didn't raise the issue of racism.

DuiDui49 wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 12:30 pm

Just ask for one thing...skip the RACE CARD...thank you very much.

Keeping cards up ones sleeve is not the best way to solve a problem... actually it gets you into a lot more problems I'd say.

Do continue to rag on America though... some of us actually lived there and had some experience with the issues. Coming from the west coast I probably have a different outlook than somebody from the Lone Star state or the Midwest or New England for that matter... but at least we have lived in the USA and have some idea of what has been going on there.

Nope you didn't for sure,sorry my sometime bad language skills.. But you're right,it could be viewed/read like i meant you,my bad ...back to laundry ..have to help were i'm allowed without workpermit

rjj04 wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 1:36 pm

I didn't raise the issue of racism.

DuiDui49 wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 12:30 pm

Just ask for one thing...skip the RACE CARD...thank you very much.

Keeping cards up ones sleeve is not the best way to solve a problem... actually it gets you into a lot more problems I'd say.

Do continue to rag on America though... some of us actually lived there and had some experience with the issues. Coming from the west coast I probably have a different outlook than somebody from the Lone Star state or the Midwest or New England for that matter... but at least we have lived in the USA and have some idea of what has been going on there.

DuiDui49 wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 1:48 pm

Nope you didn't for sure,sorry my sometime bad language skills.. But you're right,it could be viewed/read like i meant you,my bad ...back to laundry ..have to help were i'm allowed without workpermit

rjj04 wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 1:36 pm

I didn't raise the issue of racism.

DuiDui49 wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 12:30 pm

Just ask for one thing...skip the RACE CARD...thank you very much.

Keeping cards up ones sleeve is not the best way to solve a problem... actually it gets you into a lot more problems I'd say.

Do continue to rag on America though... some of us actually lived there and had some experience with the issues. Coming from the west coast I probably have a different outlook than somebody from the Lone Star state or the Midwest or New England for that matter... but at least we have lived in the USA and have some idea of what has been going on there.

Do continue to rag on America though

..do you feel i do that?Not my intention at all..just an hopefully "mindfull"thought from me on what's going on..like i said earlyer..I don't recognize what's going on with all the "crap"going on now in my own country..15 years and counting sice i was home last time..and things seems to have gone from bad to worse..*me feeling sad*.

Sorry, I think when one sees ones country going down for so long with little hope of it reviving, perhaps one gets a bit defensive. My apologies sir.

Back to the opioid problem, trying to set aside the related or not issue dealing with race:

Doesn't every doctor/dentist have a moral (and legal?) responsibility to do what's best for his/her patient? Instead of blaming big pharma, I'd put a good amount of blame on the doctors who freely prescribe powerful drugs for things that can be taken care of with much less powerful and addictive medicines. It seems to me, there's a time and place for the heavy duty meds to be given.....cancer, horrific pain and otherwise uncontrollable pain........but prescribing an opioid based pain reliever after pulling wisdom teeth? Seems a bit much for me.

Hey my friend and fellow expat..No need to apologies,but thank you anyway.Give and take,just that we all try our best to be ..hm..mindfull..okey.
I have to say again i feel the same about the turn my homecounrty taken..down the drain.As long we can share the boat and oars..no problem with me.I don't care what country or skincolor/religion you have...Back to opioid topic..

rjj04 wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 2:22 pm

Sorry, I think when one sees ones country going down for so long with little hope of it reviving, perhaps one gets a bit defensive. My apologies sir.

parrot wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 3:13 pm

Back to the opioid problem, trying to set aside the related or not issue dealing with race:

Doesn't every doctor/dentist have a moral (and legal?) responsibility to do what's best for his/her patient? Instead of blaming big pharma, I'd put a good amount of blame on the doctors who freely prescribe powerful drugs for things that can be taken care of with much less powerful and addictive medicines. It seems to me, there's a time and place for the heavy duty meds to be given.....cancer, horrific pain and otherwise uncontrollable pain........but prescribing an opioid based pain reliever after pulling wisdom teeth? Seems a bit much for me.

http://www.newyorker.com/business/curre ... l-epidemic

http://ideas.time.com/2012/11/26/viewpo ... y-doctors/

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/10/the-amer ... signs.html

Getting back on topic with the OP’s desire to understand the high use of opioid pharmaceutical drugs in the US, we cannot shy away from including a religious component into the equation simply because some people don’t want to discuss religion, more particularly Christianity.

The USA is entering into a post Christian era. The number of Christians and cultural strength of Christianity are both declining in the United States. This decline is noticeable and is affecting church life, culture, and politics.

Our young people today are brought up with no sense of the sanctity of their bodies and seem to be dead set on destroying them with alcohol, drugs, sexual immorality and obesity in ever increasing numbers.

In the Word of God, 1 Corinthian 6 speaks to the issue of glorifying God in our bodies:

“All things are lawful to me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be brought under the power of anything. “Food is for the belly, and the belly is for food,” but God will destroy both of them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. What? Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God, and that you are not your own? You were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Before I became a Christian in 1988 I was a slave to alcohol, drugs, s*x and obesity just to name a few. I didn’t believe that I was created in the image of God, and rather than serve God I sought to serve my own pleasures and devices and was on a path to destruction. Now that I have been regenerated in my spirit, I seek to please my Heavenly Father and follow the principles for clean living that He has set out in His Word. I will no longer allow my appetite for sin and the cravings of my flesh/emotions to control my behavior because God has given me the power to resist any temptation.

What we are experiencing now in the USA is purely the result of a people that have rejected God and his principles for living, and we are now paying the price for our lack of self-control. If our people sought to glorify God in their bodies, then the majority of our problems would disappear overnight, the least of which would be opioid addiction.

The healthcare industry and big pharma, in their lust for power and profits, have created and named syndromes for every kind of affliction that ails us and have brainwashed us into believing that our problems can only be treated with their medications. What we have in our country is a sin problem, and once we come to the realization that our bodies were not given to us to do with as we please, then and only then will we reject those things that lead us into addiction. America must turn back to God if it is to survive. Unfortunately, we have exported the particular variations of our sin to the entire world, and the nations of the earth have become eager consumers. The future is not going to be pretty my friends. Trust me on this one!!!!!!!

What a load of bo::ocks

...and please pretty please poster in this thread...Give us ALL a chanse to express our diffrent views,including religion and what religion may or may not to do with the opioid problem.Some would call/blame it on pretty much anything EXCEPT taking their own resposibility..As we all know..it's all about MONEY..and that YOU and I either choose to take the easy road to solve our pain..or try to take charge over our own life.Atleast that's what i think.If you don't really know what love is and to love yourself,well then you don't care much about your life and your body..or your love in life.Ask your self this:

What is your core motivation in the life you live now,please tell me.

For me it is to find peace in life..and to give moore then i take..this is what i strive for..i still slip and slide..but i'm getting better to try and except that the cleaning have to start infront of my own door..Any kind of overdoing is NOT the way to go..moderation is the key..one step at a time.18 years of backpain..been there done that..now i try to focus on..moderation..

Thanks for your input my friend Semperfiguy..

semperfiguy wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 4:30 pm

Getting back on topic with the OP’s desire to understand the high use of opioid pharmaceutical drugs in the US, we cannot shy away from including a religious component into the equation simply because some people don’t want to discuss religion, more particularly Christianity.

The USA is entering into a post Christian era. The number of Christians and cultural strength of Christianity are both declining in the United States. This decline is noticeable and is affecting church life, culture, and politics.

Our young people today are brought up with no sense of the sanctity of their bodies and seem to be dead set on destroying them with alcohol, drugs, sexual immorality and obesity in ever increasing numbers.

In the Word of God, 1 Corinthian 6 speaks to the issue of glorifying God in our bodies:

“All things are lawful to me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be brought under the power of anything. “Food is for the belly, and the belly is for food,” but God will destroy both of them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. What? Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God, and that you are not your own? You were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Before I became a Christian in 1988 I was a slave to alcohol, drugs, s*x and obesity just to name a few. I didn’t believe that I was created in the image of God, and rather than serve God I sought to serve my own pleasures and devices and was on a path to destruction. Now that I have been regenerated in my spirit, I seek to please my Heavenly Father and follow the principles for clean living that He has set out in His Word. I will no longer allow my appetite for sin and the cravings of my flesh/emotions to control my behavior because God has given me the power to resist any temptation.

What we are experiencing now in the USA is purely the result of a people that have rejected God and his principles for living, and we are now paying the price for our lack of self-control. If our people sought to glorify God in their bodies, then the majority of our problems would disappear overnight, the least of which would be opioid addiction.

The healthcare industry and big pharma, in their lust for power and profits, have created and named syndromes for every kind of affliction that ails us and have brainwashed us into believing that our problems can only be treated with their medications. What we have in our country is a sin problem, and once we come to the realization that our bodies were not given to us to do with as we please, then and only then will we reject those things that lead us into addiction. America must turn back to God if it is to survive. Unfortunately, we have exported the particular variations of our sin to the entire world, and the nations of the earth have become eager consumers. The future is not going to be pretty my friends. Trust me on this one!!!!!!!

semperfiguy wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 4:30 pm

Getting back on topic with the OP’s desire to understand the high use of opioid pharmaceutical drugs in the US, we cannot shy away from including a religious component into the equation simply because some people don’t want to discuss religion, more particularly Christianity.

The USA is entering into a post Christian era. The number of Christians and cultural strength of Christianity are both declining in the United States. This decline is noticeable and is affecting church life, culture, and politics.

Our young people today are brought up with no sense of the sanctity of their bodies and seem to be dead set on destroying them with alcohol, drugs, sexual immorality and obesity in ever increasing numbers.....

Presumably you intended to preface your post with "In my opinion...." Yes?

Udon Map wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 5:15 pm

semperfiguy wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 4:30 pm

Getting back on topic with the OP’s desire to understand the high use of opioid pharmaceutical drugs in the US, we cannot shy away from including a religious component into the equation simply because some people don’t want to discuss religion, more particularly Christianity.

The USA is entering into a post Christian era. The number of Christians and cultural strength of Christianity are both declining in the United States. This decline is noticeable and is affecting church life, culture, and politics.

Our young people today are brought up with no sense of the sanctity of their bodies and seem to be dead set on destroying them with alcohol, drugs, sexual immorality and obesity in ever increasing numbers.....

Presumably you intended to preface your post with "In my opinion...." Yes?

I assume that every post on this topic is just the poster's opinion. Would you have us all preface our posts, or just those that have a religious connotation?

Paul,did you read THIS:

...and please pretty please poster in this thread...Give us ALL a chanse to express our diffrent views,including religion and what religion may or may not to do with the opioid problem.Some would call/blame it on pretty much anything EXCEPT taking their own resposibility..

If you don't have anything else to bring to the Opiod Table..kindly stay away..Thank you.

Udon Map wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 5:15 pm

semperfiguy wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 4:30 pm

Getting back on topic with the OP’s desire to understand the high use of opioid pharmaceutical drugs in the US, we cannot shy away from including a religious component into the equation simply because some people don’t want to discuss religion, more particularly Christianity.

The USA is entering into a post Christian era. The number of Christians and cultural strength of Christianity are both declining in the United States. This decline is noticeable and is affecting church life, culture, and politics.

Our young people today are brought up with no sense of the sanctity of their bodies and seem to be dead set on destroying them with alcohol, drugs, sexual immorality and obesity in ever increasing numbers.....

Presumably you intended to preface your post with "In my opinion...." Yes?

semperfiguy wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 4:30 pm

-- snip --

What we are experiencing now in the USA is purely the result of a people that have rejected God and his principles for living, and we are now paying the price for our lack of self-control. If our people sought to glorify God in their bodies, then the majority of our problems would disappear overnight, the least of which would be opioid addiction.

The future is not going to be pretty my friends. Trust me on this one!!!!!!!

You are welcome to believe in fantasy (the act of imagining something) as it helps you act in a rational, non destructive manner

But your statements bear not much resemblance to the current situation.

You will find the religious people have the same problems, obesity, morbid obesity, addiction to drugs both legal and illegal etc. So the belief in a god has little to do with the situation.

In my opinion the problem is mostly to do with the, primarily American, deification of, and rationalisation as the good of, greed. This goes through every part of American culture, certainly including the "god bothering" or religious part, as they expect you to pay them (whoops tythe) 10% of your income.

If you could manage to change the American society view of "greed is good (or god)" then you might be able to reduce the problems it has created.

Opioid addition, because it makes money for some and pushes the costs to others.
Obesity, mostly caused by processed food makers research into how to get people addicted to the high salt, sugar, fat products that generate huge profits.
Gun deaths, mostly caused by the greed of the gun makers, who want a frightened society who can be convinced that more guns make them safer, despite evidence showing that frightened people (with guns) are usually much less safe. For an example of this just look a Canada which is a less scared society.
USA 10.5 deaths per 100,000 with Homicides and suicides almost equal 1.12 guns per person
Canada 1.9 deaths per 100,000 with Homicides ¼ the number of suicides and 0.3 guns per person.

All the above examples are justified by greed is good America as are the extreme disparities in income.
Poor people are generally less well educated.
Poorly educated people are easily convinced of many irrational things.

If the USA had a well educated society it would probably help.

semperfiguy wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 5:26 pm

Udon Map wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 5:15 pm

Presumably you intended to preface your post with "In my opinion...." Yes?

I assume that every post on this topic is just the poster's opinion. Would you have us all preface our posts, or just those that have a religious connotation?

In my experience, religious discussions attract a higher percentage of zealots who speak with complete certainty about the correctness of their beliefs and the misguided beliefs of others.

God morning everyone reading this excellent Forum thogether with the excellent Forum members !

zealots..hmm never heard that word before so i had to Google it ...

a person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other ideals.

I learn something new everyday..well i'm not going to answer this,Semper if he so wishes..

Thank you everyone that have /going to write write(ten) something in this thread..hopefully we can ad some moore today..

Have a blessed and happy day today..BTW,when did you give your wife a flower last time and said the words "Tank you honey for everything you as my wife enhance my Farang life with.??..Just a thaught..time for a cup of coffee..

Udon Map wrote: ↑

July 13, 2017, 9:11 am

semperfiguy wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 5:26 pm

Udon Map wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 5:15 pm

Presumably you intended to preface your post with "In my opinion...." Yes?

I assume that every post on this topic is just the poster's opinion. Would you have us all preface our posts, or just those that have a religious connotation?

In my experience, religious discussions attract a higher percentage of zealots who speak with complete certainty about the correctness of their beliefs and the misguided beliefs of others.

sometimewoodworker summed it up nicely. If the contention is that a loss of religious belief in America is causing the ills, that contention is definitely not backed up by the data. Just go to a site like nationmaster.com and you can see
the that the higher the percentage of "believers" in a country, the higher probability is that that country will have
higher criminality, higher corruption, lower educational achievement, lower longevity (health), lower GDP per capita, etc, etc. Just about every metric of a good society is negatively correlated with religious belief. Now, that doesn't mean that more atheism causes a healthier society, but it certainly is not the opposite. Atheism/agnosticism are indicators of a better society. Could America be different? As sometimewoodworker said the "greed" factor seems to be a big component in my opinion, but I don't have data on that. Certainly there is no way to use .facts to come to the conclusion that lack of religious belief is bad for a society. Look around you here in Thailand, with what must be at least 90% of "believers" and then look at the outcome in the society. The less credulous people are the less chance they will be conned by people like Trump and Hillary.

.."You will find the religious people have the same problems, obesity, morbid obesity, addiction to drugs both legal and illegal etc. So the belief in a god has little to do with the situation. ...or you could choose to say/try to explain it with that their FAIT is not strong enough to fight with "darker side"..my take on it.

sometimewoodworker wrote: ↑

July 13, 2017, 8:27 am

semperfiguy wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 4:30 pm

-- snip --

What we are experiencing now in the USA is purely the result of a people that have rejected God and his principles for living, and we are now paying the price for our lack of self-control. If our people sought to glorify God in their bodies, then the majority of our problems would disappear overnight, the least of which would be opioid addiction.

The future is not going to be pretty my friends. Trust me on this one!!!!!!!

You are welcome to believe in fantasy (the act of imagining something) as it helps you act in a rational, non destructive manner

But your statements bear not much resemblance to the current situation.

You will find the religious people have the same problems, obesity, morbid obesity, addiction to drugs both legal and illegal etc. So the belief in a god has little to do with the situation.

In my opinion the problem is mostly to do with the, primarily American, deification of, and rationalisation as the good of, greed. This goes through every part of American culture, certainly including the "god bothering" or religious part, as they expect you to pay them (whoops tythe) 10% of your income.

If you could manage to change the American society view of "greed is good (or god)" then you might be able to reduce the problems it has created.

Opioid addition, because it makes money for some and pushes the costs to others.
Obesity, mostly caused by processed food makers research into how to get people addicted to the high salt, sugar, fat products that generate huge profits.
Gun deaths, mostly caused by the greed of the gun makers, who want a frightened society who can be convinced that more guns make them safer, despite evidence showing that frightened people (with guns) are usually much less safe. For an example of this just look a Canada which is a less scared society.
USA 10.5 deaths per 100,000 with Homicides and suicides almost equal 1.12 guns per person
Canada 1.9 deaths per 100,000 with Homicides ¼ the number of suicides and 0.3 guns per person.

All the above examples are justified by greed is good America as are the extreme disparities in income.
Poor people are generally less well educated.
Poorly educated people are easily convinced of many irrational things.

If the USA had a well educated society it would probably help.

semperfiguy wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 4:30 pm

glorify God[/b] in their bodies, then the majority of our problems would disappear overnight, the least of which would be opioid addiction.

That's some funny sh*t right there. Christians......the 2.2 billion that glorify god worldwide, or just the 70+ % of the population of the USA, keeping on topic, that glorify god. I've yet to meet a Christian that wasn't a hypocrite.

All the druggies, A-holes, fat F's, alkys that I know, knew..........and that's a lot, are Christians, and even go to church, some regularly, some not so. Though none of my Atheist peers fall into those categories, OK, a few are a tad overweight

With that thought.........GOD seems to be the problem, not the solution......

Udon Map wrote: ↑

July 13, 2017, 9:11 am

semperfiguy wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 5:26 pm

Udon Map wrote: ↑

July 12, 2017, 5:15 pm

Presumably you intended to preface your post with "In my opinion...." Yes?

I assume that every post on this topic is just the poster's opinion. Would you have us all preface our posts, or just those that have a religious connotation?

In my experience, religious discussions attract a higher percentage of zealots who speak with complete certainty about the correctness of their beliefs and the misguided beliefs of others.

I agree 100% with your observations; however, I wouldn’t classify myself as a zealot on the basis of simply being persuaded in what I believe, for I am neither extreme nor fanatical to the point where I would deny your right to believe as you wish or threaten to cut your head off because you don’t believe the same as I. But here's where the rub comes in....when committed Christians like me speak, at least in my case, I am speaking on the authority of God's Word and I quote Scripture to support my points of view. To a Christian the Word of God is not an opinion or a suggestion, it is a command and the source of all absolute Wisdom and Truth in the universe. What followers of any belief system would call themselves a follower and not be 100% convinced by the doctrines of that system? If you pick and choose what parts of the canon of belief that you want to live by, then you are not a true follower….you are only a casual participant.

To those who do not accept that there is a God and don't believe that the Scriptures represent instruction, Wisdom and Truth from that God, then anything that a Christian says is criticized as being “hogwash”. If folks want to reject me as a messenger, then that's their prerogative and I'm a big boy and can take it; because, I know that they are not rejecting me, but they are really rejecting God and His Word. The fact that God is rejected doesn't negate the fact that He actually exists, and one day “every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”, and I believe that because God says it in His Word.

What should concern any person who participates on this forum is that his points of view are not accepted as just that, and one is subject to criticism and persecution for entering into the discussion to present observations from a different perspective. I did not attempt to divert the topic into a religious discussion. I simply offered my comments from the perspective of my Christian world view. Every poster on this forum expresses his comments to a topic only after he has filtered them through his own variation of his world view, and that's the beauty of free speech! I can almost guarantee you that had one posted a comment to this topic who is a follower of Buddha, Confucius, Muhammad or any other belief system which determines their world view, then not one single person would have criticized that post. And that begs the question…why! The simple truth can be found in Romans 8:7 which says: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. In other words, a man who has not been regenerated in his spirit is by nature hostile towards God and considers Him an enemy. He will not subject himself to the law of God because it is impossible for him to do so in his own strength. Bible prophesy is being fulfilled every time a detractor lashes out at the very mention of God’s name or verses from His Word. That verse in itself should cause one to ponder and ask himself "why do 'I' feel this way towards God"?

In conclusion Sir Udon Map, I have tried to be succinct in responding to your comment as I’m sure you expected me to, and I hope that you will not delete this post simply because you don’t agree or consider it to be off topic. I’m not the one who took it in this direction, so let’s be gentlemen and get this discussion back on topic and help Dui Dui to understand the nature of America’s problem with opiod addiction. God bless!