Why does the media refer to the heroin epidemic as affecting middle class whites?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In a number of states, black overdose rates exceed those of whites. This is true in the hardest hit state, West Virginia, and the black overdose death rate in the District is seven times that for whites. Demographics are important so assistance can be properly targeted.

WV rate is only slightly higher for blacks than whites. Also, WV has a very low African American population, around 3% compared to national (12%). The reality is that this is a poor and lower middle class issue, and there are a shit ton of those people in WV. I know, I was one of them.

“400k is middle class” DCUM craziness is not helpful for understanding this issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always hear it referred to as an issue that is affecting largely middle class whites, but from what I've seen that isn't true. It seems to be affecting poor and working class whites. I haven't seen anyone touched by it among the middle class white people I know.

My guess is that you may be one of those people who thinks someone making 200k a year is middle class.

Or as a PP said, you just don't have a big sample size.

Wait, what would YOU call that, PP? 200K in DC area *is* middle class, isn't it????

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always hear it referred to as an issue that is affecting largely middle class whites, but from what I've seen that isn't true. It seems to be affecting poor and working class whites. I haven't seen anyone touched by it among the middle class white people I know.

My guess is that you may be one of those people who thinks someone making 200k a year is middle class.

Or as a PP said, you just don't have a big sample size.

Wait, what would YOU call that, PP? 200K in DC area *is* middle class, isn't it????

Middle class incomes are defined those between the 30th and 80th percentiles. Middle class in DC is $37,000-$157,000/year. Middle class in Arlington County is $67,000-$198,000. Middle class in Fairfax County is $73,000-$203,000, and slightly higher in Loudoun County. Middle class in Montgomery County is $61,000-$189,000. If you are making $200K, you are well out of the middle class nationwide, and above or barely in the middle class in the DC area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always hear it referred to as an issue that is affecting largely middle class whites, but from what I've seen that isn't true. It seems to be affecting poor and working class whites. I haven't seen anyone touched by it among the middle class white people I know.

You might be lucky, or then again you might just not know?

A friend who divorced recently told me the reason for the split was her husband's heroin addiction. I would not have known. He's an academic and has continued to teach and publish even while addicted. I guess the bad stuff was only seen within the immediate family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always hear it referred to as an issue that is affecting largely middle class whites, but from what I've seen that isn't true. It seems to be affecting poor and working class whites. I haven't seen anyone touched by it among the middle class white people I know.

My guess is that you may be one of those people who thinks someone making 200k a year is middle class.

Or as a PP said, you just don't have a big sample size.

Wait, what would YOU call that, PP? 200K in DC area *is* middle class, isn't it????

Middle class incomes are defined those between the 30th and 80th percentiles. Middle class in DC is $37,000-$157,000/year. Middle class in Arlington County is $67,000-$198,000. Middle class in Fairfax County is $73,000-$203,000, and slightly higher in Loudoun County. Middle class in Montgomery County is $61,000-$189,000. If you are making $200K, you are well out of the middle class nationwide, and above or barely in the middle class in the DC area.

I think the opioid epidemic is more of an issue in places like West Virginia than Fairfax.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always hear it referred to as an issue that is affecting largely middle class whites, but from what I've seen that isn't true. It seems to be affecting poor and working class whites. I haven't seen anyone touched by it among the middle class white people I know.

My guess is that you may be one of those people who thinks someone making 200k a year is middle class.

Or as a PP said, you just don't have a big sample size.

Wait, what would YOU call that, PP? 200K in DC area *is* middle class, isn't it????

Middle class incomes are defined those between the 30th and 80th percentiles. Middle class in DC is $37,000-$157,000/year. Middle class in Arlington County is $67,000-$198,000. Middle class in Fairfax County is $73,000-$203,000, and slightly higher in Loudoun County. Middle class in Montgomery County is $61,000-$189,000. If you are making $200K, you are well out of the middle class nationwide, and above or barely in the middle class in the DC area.

I think the opioid epidemic is more of an issue in places like West Virginia than Fairfax.

You would be surprised. I work in healthcare, it is definitely an issue. People tend to think that prescribed pain medications are not as harmful as heroin when abused. Think again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always hear it referred to as an issue that is affecting largely middle class whites, but from what I've seen that isn't true. It seems to be affecting poor and working class whites. I haven't seen anyone touched by it among the middle class white people I know.

My guess is that you may be one of those people who thinks someone making 200k a year is middle class.

Or as a PP said, you just don't have a big sample size.

Wait, what would YOU call that, PP? 200K in DC area *is* middle class, isn't it????

Middle class incomes are defined those between the 30th and 80th percentiles. Middle class in DC is $37,000-$157,000/year. Middle class in Arlington County is $67,000-$198,000. Middle class in Fairfax County is $73,000-$203,000, and slightly higher in Loudoun County. Middle class in Montgomery County is $61,000-$189,000. If you are making $200K, you are well out of the middle class nationwide, and above or barely in the middle class in the DC area.

I think the opioid epidemic is more of an issue in places like West Virginia than Fairfax.

You would be surprised. I work in healthcare, it is definitely an issue. People tend to think that prescribed pain medications are not as harmful as heroin when abused. Think again.

Spend some time in FFX Hosp ER or waiting room for ER. Police are a constant presence because of all the junkies with sciatica looking for pain meds.

[Anonymous]

Many of those homeless you see on the streets used to be MC.

My cousin became an addict after getting addicted to pain pills after surgery. She was a typical UMC, white, SAHM married to a dentist. She volunteered in her kids' classrooms, went on all the field trips, never missed a PTA meeting, type mom. Then she got addicted and slowly became the forget to pick up your kids, leave them in the car in a sketchy area while you hit up your dealer, lie about where large sums of money is going type mom. Her husband put her in rehab 3 or 4 times. She's OD'd once that I know of, but it could definitely be more by now. After she left rehab for the last time (early, w/o completing it), he had to put the kids first and kicked her out. He continues to keep her cellphone paid for and uses it to track her, but the last time that worked was about 8 months ago. It's either turned off, sold, or stolen now. It's a heartbreaking situation for everyone. He's hired a PI and he found proof of her being alive as of about 3 months ago. This is in the DMV area.

[Anonymous]

My niece, who was number 1 in her medical school class, recently died of a heroin overdose. She struggled with a percoset addition (Ivy League school) in college where the health service continued to provide percoset long after she didn't need it anymore. 6 years later, 3 stints of inpatient rehab and a lot of therapy and NA. She went back to another Ivy to get the science credits she needed to apply to medical school. So she applied and got in. She had been clean for 5.5 years. Because addiction is the baffling thing it is, she tried to get some percoset. When she couldn't, she got heroin. What she got was mostly fentynal and she died within seconds. her father is a very successful attorney and her mother is a well respected pediatrician. She was the smartest kid I know. Addiction can suck in anyone of any socioeconomic class. Don't pretend it isn't happening around you.

[Anonymous]

*addiction, not addition

And no, there was no place on any of the medical school applications to indicate she had an addiction problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My niece, who was number 1 in her medical school class, recently died of a heroin overdose. She struggled with a percoset addition (Ivy League school) in college where the health service continued to provide percoset long after she didn't need it anymore. 6 years later, 3 stints of inpatient rehab and a lot of therapy and NA. She went back to another Ivy to get the science credits she needed to apply to medical school. So she applied and got in. She had been clean for 5.5 years. Because addiction is the baffling thing it is, she tried to get some percoset. When she couldn't, she got heroin. What she got was mostly fentynal and she died within seconds. her father is a very successful attorney and her mother is a well respected pediatrician. She was the smartest kid I know. Addiction can suck in anyone of any socioeconomic class. Don't pretend it isn't happening around you.

My god. I'm so sorry PP. How terrible for your family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Many of those homeless you see on the streets used to be MC.

My cousin became an addict after getting addicted to pain pills after surgery. She was a typical UMC, white, SAHM married to a dentist. She volunteered in her kids' classrooms, went on all the field trips, never missed a PTA meeting, type mom. Then she got addicted and slowly became the forget to pick up your kids, leave them in the car in a sketchy area while you hit up your dealer, lie about where large sums of money is going type mom. Her husband put her in rehab 3 or 4 times. She's OD'd once that I know of, but it could definitely be more by now. After she left rehab for the last time (early, w/o completing it), he had to put the kids first and kicked her out. He continues to keep her cellphone paid for and uses it to track her, but the last time that worked was about 8 months ago. It's either turned off, sold, or stolen now. It's a heartbreaking situation for everyone. He's hired a PI and he found proof of her being alive as of about 3 months ago. This is in the DMV area.

That's heartbreaking. I'm so sorry, and I hope she's able to clean up if only for the kids' sake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Working class and Middle class are the same thing.

No. Working class are people that work with their hands and are often lower middle class or lower class. Middle class are the nurses, teachers, police of the world.

[Anonymous]

DH’s law school classmate lost his son to an opiate addiction. Apparently he had been battling it for at least five years. Very few of his friends or colleagues were aware of it until the obituary was posted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Working class and Middle class are the same thing.

No. Working class are people that work with their hands and are often lower middle class or lower class. Middle class are the nurses, teachers, police of the world.

Yes, working class are factory workers, mechanics, plumbers, carpenters, construction workers, electricians, HVAC technicians, and most professions that may require apprentice or vocational training, but otherwise don't require an advanced degree of any sort.

Middle class are typically those who require some advanced education and in addition to those listed above, include teachers, other non-doctor medication professions (hygienists, nurses, medical technicians), accountants, librarians, legal secretaries, paralegals, and more. In general white-collared non-professional workers.