Posts
1362
Joined
2/1/2010
Location
US
Edited Date/Time
3/16/2016 1:18pm
http://motocross.transworld.net/news/acknowledging-sensitive-topics-in-…
Earlier we posted the story of a once-prominent young racer and his recent arrest and charge of felony drug possession. Let it be made clear: There was nothing pleasant about seeing or realizing how far things have strayed for someone we once saw regularly. It’s a terrible deal for the person and those around him, and we hope everyone involved can come away from this predicament in some sort of positive way.
From the moment we published the story, one we didn’t create but found and shared, we knew there’d be backlash. Drug addiction is a sensitive subject due to the numerous lives that are impacted by its horrors, so it’s common to see equal parts support and ridicule. This instance was no different.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time something like this has occurred in motocross. Or even the first time it’s happened in the modern era of social media, online news, and page counts. It’s a common occurrence that has happened with various generations of racers, from the 1980s to present day, and at all levels of popularity.
We’ve learned that most of the people who are involved motocross, in various capacities, are aware of the unpleasant issues that the sport currently faces (use of painkillers and other illicit substances, management of concussions and other injuries, performance enhancing drugs and procedures, education standards, money management, etcetera) and that they’d like to see resolutions to the issues, if not immediately at least in the future, before another rider or generation becomes a headline story for the wrong reasons. To think that these issues will solve themselves is foolish.
We as riders, fans, and influencers of the sport must address the matters head-on, no matter how unpleasant it may be. There’s nothing enjoyable about speculating a rider’s possible head injury/drug addiction/general wellbeing, but it’d be much better to plan for these problems instead of saying, “Wow, sucks for that guy” when they fall on hard times.
These problems aren’t just impacting the professionals – it’s happening at all levels of moto. There are local riders fighting their problems with pills, young kids who have their entire family’s finances put on their shoulders, and guys who sustain head injuries but continue on because “it’s just a stinger.” Want to fix the sport? Do your part, be the change you want to see.
How do we go about this? Well, we’ve clearly reached the first step, which is recognizing the issues. Now it’s time to talk about these things openly, which is what other sports do when facing similar scenarios. After that we need to seek out logical solutions, and then hope the people in power put things into action. It’s certainly ambitious and will cause some commotion, but if we’d like to see the sport grow instead of staying stagnant, it’s one of the few hopes we have.
Something that needs to be addressed: Posting that article was not a stunt for clicks or social media buzz. We’ve caught hell from the public for it, and so be it. In other areas of life, it’s common for a person’s mistakes, especially ones made by someone in the public eye, to make headlines. We get no pleasure in talking of someone’s misfortune, but that’s what the media, all media, does.
Motocross riders as a group have no problems criticizing other sports when their stars make catastrophic mistakes such as this, but immediately recoil and refuse to comment when one of our own does the exact same thing. Want things to be perceived as professional and at the same level of other athletic activities? Be able to acknowledge the shit things.
The one positive thing we’ve noticed is the number of people, within the industry and on the other side of the fence, that are talking about how they currently face or have overcome these exact problems. And that should be the start to finding a solution.
Read more at http://motocross.transworld.net/news/acknowledging-sensitive-topics-in-…
Earlier we posted the story of a once-prominent young racer and his recent arrest and charge of felony drug possession. Let it be made clear: There was nothing pleasant about seeing or realizing how far things have strayed for someone we once saw regularly. It’s a terrible deal for the person and those around him, and we hope everyone involved can come away from this predicament in some sort of positive way.
From the moment we published the story, one we didn’t create but found and shared, we knew there’d be backlash. Drug addiction is a sensitive subject due to the numerous lives that are impacted by its horrors, so it’s common to see equal parts support and ridicule. This instance was no different.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time something like this has occurred in motocross. Or even the first time it’s happened in the modern era of social media, online news, and page counts. It’s a common occurrence that has happened with various generations of racers, from the 1980s to present day, and at all levels of popularity.
We’ve learned that most of the people who are involved motocross, in various capacities, are aware of the unpleasant issues that the sport currently faces (use of painkillers and other illicit substances, management of concussions and other injuries, performance enhancing drugs and procedures, education standards, money management, etcetera) and that they’d like to see resolutions to the issues, if not immediately at least in the future, before another rider or generation becomes a headline story for the wrong reasons. To think that these issues will solve themselves is foolish.
We as riders, fans, and influencers of the sport must address the matters head-on, no matter how unpleasant it may be. There’s nothing enjoyable about speculating a rider’s possible head injury/drug addiction/general wellbeing, but it’d be much better to plan for these problems instead of saying, “Wow, sucks for that guy” when they fall on hard times.
These problems aren’t just impacting the professionals – it’s happening at all levels of moto. There are local riders fighting their problems with pills, young kids who have their entire family’s finances put on their shoulders, and guys who sustain head injuries but continue on because “it’s just a stinger.” Want to fix the sport? Do your part, be the change you want to see.
How do we go about this? Well, we’ve clearly reached the first step, which is recognizing the issues. Now it’s time to talk about these things openly, which is what other sports do when facing similar scenarios. After that we need to seek out logical solutions, and then hope the people in power put things into action. It’s certainly ambitious and will cause some commotion, but if we’d like to see the sport grow instead of staying stagnant, it’s one of the few hopes we have.
Something that needs to be addressed: Posting that article was not a stunt for clicks or social media buzz. We’ve caught hell from the public for it, and so be it. In other areas of life, it’s common for a person’s mistakes, especially ones made by someone in the public eye, to make headlines. We get no pleasure in talking of someone’s misfortune, but that’s what the media, all media, does.
Motocross riders as a group have no problems criticizing other sports when their stars make catastrophic mistakes such as this, but immediately recoil and refuse to comment when one of our own does the exact same thing. Want things to be perceived as professional and at the same level of other athletic activities? Be able to acknowledge the shit things.
The one positive thing we’ve noticed is the number of people, within the industry and on the other side of the fence, that are talking about how they currently face or have overcome these exact problems. And that should be the start to finding a solution.
Read more at http://motocross.transworld.net/news/acknowledging-sensitive-topics-in-…
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Looks like good news,
I read it as pain killers is just a cop out of an excuse as they were partying hard with drugs they accepted.
First step in my eyes is to quit making excuses for people they must be made aware they fucked up. Today's society is about finding excuses first then resolution last. It's cut and dry they said YES to drugs. You wanna fix things then stop bullshitting each other and try fixing it with some fucking bullshit love aromas.
Western society was so dominant because we stood up for common sense today we listen to minority's who's ideas are about excuses and not fact.
I spent 4 weeks on serious pain killers as well as 6 days in hospital. How did I stop using the painkillers was easy I threw them out and ruffed it out like my dad taught me I took the chills and the fidgeting for 48 hrs.
Time to tuff up people.
https://youtu.be/VMOiwA0yytc
What really pisses me off about the whole prescription opiate thing (besides the fact that I lost my best friend to suicide, due to Oxy addiction), is that the companies who make the shit have to have a pretty good idea of how much is being prescribed, yet they produce enough to supply all the street dealers, too.
And the doctors who prescribe it know that their patient has a pretty damned good chance of getting hooked, yet they keep filling the scrip long after the pain is gone.
And when they finally cut the patient's supply?
Heroin works, and it's cheaper.
I'm all for responsible gun ownership but some people take it to far. You have to have a license to cut hair in America but not to own a gun...
The drug industry is just as bad. Have a problem? Here's some pills! Those pills giving you side effects? Here's some more pills to fix those side effects! Wait. We've just developed a new drug that fixes the side effects so you don't have to take pill #2 but there's an increased risk of ovarian cancer, heart disease and stroke! Take these other pills to counter balance that.
It is faint,and at the end of the ad. If that was made clear at the beginning no one would use it and risk shiting there high dollar meds out .
end of rant...for the moment.
The solution isn't to ban the drugs. You can't do it. People will manufacture whatever they want if they want it bad enough regardless of any law. Thinking you can stop that is extremely naive. Prohibition in the US is one of many perfect examples. The solution is much more complicated. It involves changing behavior and a culture which is something that is difficult if not impossible to do. And to some degree who is anyone to change somebody else's culture? The best thing to do is to educate people on the risks and hold them accountable for their actions and decisions. There are millions of people that take pain pills and have no problems with addiction just like there are millions of people who own and shoot guns and never kill somebody. No different than the millions of people who have a drink on the weekend but don't kill somebody by crashing into them on their drive home.
Having personally watched top riders mix pain pills with alcohol to "get away" or "go numb" was hard. I would talk to them and explain that that is not the road you want to go down. I want to think that a few listened and changed their ways.
As a moto family do we owe these riders that we have cheered for, asked for jersey's, autographs or simply enjoyed watching race in a fashion we could only dream of?
I say YES.
Other sports set aside funding to help athletes whether is be a hotline, counseling, mentoring etc.
Pit Row
Sadly, this is not unique to MX riders. I applaud all of those of you that have tried to help riders with the issue. After dealing with this all from a personal perspective and seeing it weekly in my profession, I can only say that pain killers do have a very useful and appropriate place in treatment. They are over prescribed. Yet, in the final analysis, it is still the choice of the patient to take the medication. I'd like to think that we as a MX community could do something about the problem. Sadly, it really boils down to something in the control of the patient and doctor. I believe the best the MX community can do for those confronting the problem is to offer our personal understanding, support and guidance. The remaining professional resources already exist for anyone that wants the help.
Are we seriously comparing gun control to drug abuse? Goodness.
Drugs, especially opiates, affect people in different ways. I recently had shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum. Was prescribed Oxy 5/Tylenol 325. I took 1 every 6-8 hours for the first week, then was able to reduce it to 1 a day. When I went back for my 2 week checkup, my doctor wanted to refill the same prescription, but I told him I didn't need anything quite that strong. He then prescribed me Hydrocodone 5/Tylenol 325. I only take one of these when I have difficulty sleeping, which is maybe 1 a week. Now, flip that to a very close family member of mine.. He broke his tailbone riding over 10 years ago. He has had a drug problem since then. From going from doctor to doctor chasing whatever they will give him for his fake pain symptoms, to ripping open fentanyl patches and eating the contents and passing out in the middle of the mall food court. He can't kick his habit. He has gone away for weeks, months and even 12 months at a time. He just can't kick his addiction. He repeatedly continues to drag him back in. He has seen countless therapist. He can go several days and weeks with his head on straight, but all it takes is one bad moment that gets him upset, and he immediately wants to go chase that "high", so that he can forget about what is on his mind.
I think your post is ridiculous because there is no logic to your argument, and there is no link between the two concepts you claim are similar.
How many scumbags will deal drugs if they knew if caught they will hang?
You need to pick up the gun and use it to kill, just like you need to pick up the pill and ingest it to get high. Both of them aren't going to hurt you sitting on a table untouched. I'm not even sure what you are trying to get at other than bringing up a totally different topic, "guns in the US".
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