Restaurant takes on the opioid crisis one worker at a time

[aihfl]

LEXINGTON, Ky. ? Five years ago, Rob and Diane Perez found a spoon and a ramekin in the trash at a branch of their Saul Good Restaurant & Pub, and realized that their top server was doing heroin in the bathroom.
They had already lost the first manager to join their staff; she died in jail after trying to obtain prescription pills illegally. But they didn't put the pieces together until last year, when they got a call that a cook would not be coming into work because he had overdosed on opioids and died.
They realized that they had lost 13 employees to addiction over 10 years,and that half the cases were related to opioid drugs. They were not fired, Mr. Perez said. They were dead.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/10/...entucky.html&eventName=Watching-article-click

 

[LucidSDreamr]

It's a nice thought. But maybe food service by a group known to have higher rates of things like hep and HIV isn't the best business model for a restaurant.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

LOL

Dealer at that location, you know it

That’s a phenomenally concentrated number of OD cases.

 

[cj]

The poor girl dying in jail from withdrawal is what jumped out to me. But yeah servers do lots of drugs

 

[dankhead88]

The poor girl dying in jail from withdrawal is what jumped out to me. But yeah servers do lots of drugs

Most definitely. Back in the restaurant I've worked in in 2011, There was a number of people either doing Roxicodones and Oxycontins and some that did heroin. Funny story, the people who did oxycodone looked down on the heroin users in the restaurant. Talk about hypocrisy. Some did meth, adderall, and dexedrine, and a few did benzodiaepines, but the rest were alcoholics.

 

[aihfl]

The poor girl dying in jail from withdrawal is what jumped out to me. But yeah servers do lots of drugs

We've had this conversation but cops don't give a shit. The last time I was in lockup there was a kid telling me about several detox deaths in the next county over. Hell once in a small Podunk jail in a place I won't mention where there were three cells and each of us was coming off something. The "good cop" told the guy next to me he'd try to find the time to go get his methadone dose. He didn't. I was coming off alcohol and benzos and they barely checked on me. This was the same cop who gave me the same line, "if he had time" he'd run by my house and get my Ativan from my ex. I think he was a nice enough guy that it made him feel good to say those things to us, but in the end he didn't give a shit. I would almost prefer being locked up in the south where they're a dick right to your face.

 

[cj]

We've had this conversation but cops don't give a shit. The last time I was in lockup there was a kid telling me about several detox deaths in the next county over. Hell once in a small Podunk jail in a place I won't mention where there were three cells and each of us was coming off something. The "good cop" told the guy next to me he'd try to find the time to go get his methadone dose. He didn't. I was coming off alcohol and benzos and they barely checked on me. This was the same cop who gave me the same line, "if he had time" he'd run by my house and get my Ativan from my ex. I think he was a nice enough guy that it made him feel good to say those things to us, but in the end he didn't give a shit. I would almost prefer being locked up in the south where they're a dick right to your face.

Damn fucking with peoples hope like that is cruel.

 

[Transcendence]

Maybe I'm heartless, but this doesn't make me feel good. It just highlights how absent basic and proven recovery / harm reduction services are in the country. Nothing has come of this crisis besides making life much worse for those in chronic pain.

The owners have good intentions I'm sure. This is a job for medical professionals and social workers. It feels deeply distressing that somebody who makes bread for a living feels the need to fill this void.

 

[aihfl]

It feels deeply distressing that somebody who makes bread for a living feels the need to fill this void.

Yes. How dreadful it is that these people are giving addicts another purpose in their lives other than IV-ing drugs. Absolutely terrible.

 

[ro4eva]

Full (painfully obvious) disclosure: Other than the scant info provided from the contextually-relevant content within this thread's base article, I don't know these folks, and I don't care to know more about them.

With that out of the way, I will sum up what they're doing by using the most appropriate adjective I can think of: 'refreshing'.

Given the baggage that comes with having a criminal record in America; given the taboo and stigma still in existence about 'hard drugs' in addition to the 'junkies' who prefer them over politically-correct intoxicants; and given the untold amount of pain and suffering inflicted on top of any American who was being prescribed one or more narcotic analgesics in a desperate attempt to reduce his or her chronic pain (combined with a need to resort to the black market thereafter), what this couple is providing is a much-needed service for a great deal of individuals in need of a break for a change.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not suggesting it's a perfect solution, nor am I insinuating that it is the direction I would take my business in (insofar as aiding the convicted felons in question is concerned), but it is certainly a step in the right direction (a route whose navigation is far from complete, sadly).

I contend that the important thing to remember here is that the quality of life for this abused (that's right, abused) and scapegoated portion of the nation's residents sure as hell sounds like it is improved thanks to these Good Samaritans.

Again, their methods and zero-tolerance policies may indeed scream 'conservative' to most of you, and that includes yours truly. I'm just glad that they are trying to do the right thing, and that, as a result, their vulnerable employees appear to be grateful in return.

Perhaps I'm wrong in my praise for the corresponding establishment's owners, and in the spirit of a civilized debate, I certainly welcome your arguments indicating why, good day.

 

[S.J.B.]

Yes. How dreadful it is that these people are giving addicts another purpose in their lives other than IV-ing drugs. Absolutely terrible.

I think Transcendence's point was that it is distressing that these people were not already helped by medical professionals and social workers. I don't think he is saying that it is bad for the restaurant owners to help them out.

 

[Transcendence]

I think Transcendence's point was that it is distressing that these people were not already helped by medical professionals and social workers. I don't think he is saying that it is bad for the restaurant owners to help them out.

Yes. It's great that this employer is emphatic toward the issue of addiction and is working to negate some of the stigma faced. Certainly more understanding than any place I've ever worked. But it's ridiculous that the best help available for the employees is from a charitable, non-expert private party rather from established professionals.

You know, because as such it remains unavailable to 99.9% of the people who need it so this may as well be a fairy tale. We need social structures that provide affordable rehabilitation, maintenance resources, health care, and social workers who can find work for everyone else.