If you’re a Teen Mom OG fan, then you’re no doubt aware of Ryan Edwards’ struggles with addiction . Following numerous arrests and multiple stints in rehab, Ryan is sober these days, and he’s reportedly fully committed to making amends for his past misdeeds and being the best husband and father he can be. Throughout his struggles, Ryan has benefited from the unwavering support of his wife, Mackenzie Standifer. Many fans of the show have openly wondered how Mackenzie could stand by Ryan’s side throughout his numerous relapses and embarrassing incidents such as the time he lost consciousness on their wedding day . But Mackenzie is up on the latest research, and it seems she’s well aware that while Ryan’s recovery is his responsibility, his addiction is not entirely his fault. Mackenzie has been taking to Instagram this week to try and educate her followers on the escalating opioid crisis in America. She speaks from experience, of course, as heroin and other opioids were Ryan’s drug of choice. And it seems that her recent research has made Mackenzie acutely aware of how lucky Ryan is to have escaped with his life. “I just wanted to hop on here and kind of show you guys the research I had done,” she told fans during a recent Instagram Live “This is going to blow your mind.” She then displayed the two charts below in hopes of impressing upon her fans the severity of the situation. “If this isn’t a crisis, I don’t know what is,” Standifer said. “Don’t believe me? You’d be surprised. A lot of the time it starts so innocent and ends in a revolving door, a never-ending cycle that can’t be easily stopped,” she added. “Have you ever wondered what your local pain clinic was handing out? Opiates. Educate yourselves.” “Let’s get talking. Let’s stop this. Let’s do something about it,” Mackenzie told her followers. Of course, this is the internet in 2019, so it’s not surprising that Standifer received some pushback from followers who had not researched the as thoroughly (if they did any research at all). “It’s not a crisis,” one commenter shot back. “People do drugs, it’s a CHOICE.” “[People are] more likely to die from an overdose than a car accident, but [I’m] still getting messages like these,” she wrote under a screenshot of the conversation. “This is why I CHOOSE to not shut up.” Fortunately, it seems that Mackenzie has received more support than criticism for her efforts. “Tell them about how REGULAR people get hooked on prescription drugs because of injury or surgery or chronic pain!” one fan wrote. “[These are] not crackheads in the street who are choosing to get high!” “You’re right! It’s people you’d NEVER expect. It’s lawyers, doctors, high power officials, the soccer mom in her minivan. It does NOT discriminate,” she responded. It’s a little upsetting that Ryan and her followers apparently believe “crackheads in the street” are less deserving of continued life than “high power officials,” but at least they’re moving in the right direction. The overdose rate is up roughly 500 percent since 1990, and the opioid crisis is a major factor in the continued decline of overall life expectancy in America. Fortunately, there are public figures like Mackenzie who are willing to use their platform to shed light on this alarming issue. View Slideshow: Ryan Edwards: Out of Rehab and Loving Life! (According to Mackenzie Standifer)
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Mackenzie Standifer Opens Up on Addiction Crisis: Ryan Almost Died!
