The Opiate and Heroin Epidemic in America (2 Viewers)

[renesauz]

First, the legalize pot people just absolutely cannot admit that a lot of addiction begins with weed. Pot is like a cup of coffee in their eyes and can do no harm. It's BS. Not everyone who smokes weed becomes a meth head or heroin addict. MOST people who smoke don't become addicts. But pretending that it is not an avenue for a huge number of the people who ARE addicted, especially young people, is disingenuous and just not true. I know it doesn't fit the narrative they want but many addicts, junkies, and people whose lives have been wrecked by addiction started by smoking a joint with some friends. I know you don't like to hear it but it's absolutely true.

It's true that there is a whole group of people moving to harder drugs through the avenue of legal prescriptions, opiates, etc. but pretending pot doesn't play a part for just as many people or more isn't helping anyone. I'm not saying it should or should not be legal, what I'm saying is that people need to stop pretending there is no connection and if we ARE going to legalize we need to stop pretending it's completely harmless and give it the same attention we give to tobacco and alcohol when it comes to prevention and our youth.

I support decriminalization of all drugs, including weed, but not because I think any of them are harmless. Young people who smoke weed are at a high risk of developing more serious drug issues.

Well that's great. I don't know quite where I come down on complete decriminalization but I probably lean more towards treatment over punishment for all possession but continued yet improved prosecution and disruption of distribution and dealing. That's not my point though. My point is the harm in selling the false idea that pot is completely harmless and more than that, almost like a medicinal cure-all. Not only are we giving young kids, who aren't terribly clear thinkers to begin with, just the rationalization they need but we're pushing public policy away from any kind of condemnation of the ill effects of long term marijuana use and the very real potential as a gateway to more destructive drug use and addiction for many (but not all) people.

I've long wondered why we don't go down this route more.

 

[cstu]

The public should be informed of marijuana's effects, both immediately and cumulatively, both on developing brains and matured ones. I don't think an addictive personality is going to be launched into a lifetime of addiction by the responsible use by others of marijuana. The addictive personality needs to be informed and helped to the best of our abilities and the criminalization of cannabis will have no positive effect on an addict's ability to become addicted.

If I am in a narrow agreement with lombardi in any way, it's that it's become pretty clear from early research that regular/heavy marijuana ingestion isn't very good for our yoot. Legalization, however, seems to have a positive impact on yoot usage rates.

Agree.

 

[Quez]

On a side note, one of the Siegel's daughters (from the Queen of Versailles doc) was just found dead. The family put out a statement asking for privacy. The first thing I thought was OD.

Yep, methadone.

 

[(HULK)]

I'm fortunate that I'm so frugal and I don't know any local dirtbags who sell. Percocets are a freaking amazing high. Easy to see how opiates get their hooks into so many people.

I've taken Perc after dental work, and I didn't get high at all. What gives?

I didn't even enjoy it.

 

[Buckfast 1]

I had another friend die from a heroin overdose over the weekend -- the third this calendar year. His story was similar to a lot of the stories that have been shared in here. He was an outgoing, funny, former Division I athlete that seriously injured himself in an accident, was prescribed opiate painkillers that he became addicted to, and then eventually moved on to heroin once the opiate painkiller supply dried up. He had been trying to get clean for about six months. My brother had kind of been serving as an unofficial addiction mentor for him. From the outside, it seemed like he was on the right path and he was saying all the right things about how he was excited to truly live life and to leave his dark past behind him. He moved from his apartment in a party-centric part of downtown to a quieter part of town near his office and has been focusing on his job and doing a lot of healthy, active outdoor activities like skiing and hiking. My brother and I just went on a road trip to go camping with him a couple months ago. And then yesterday we got a text from a mutual friend saying that he was found dead alone at his home with heroin by his bedside. It's just so sad to see another good life wasted because of heroin.

 

[Gachi]

There needs to be a new "war on drugs" and minimum sentencing for possession of the stuff like they did in the 80s with crack coacaine.

Didn't that make things a lot better?

 

[Binky The Doormat]

I'm fortunate that I'm so frugal and I don't know any local dirtbags who sell. Percocets are a freaking amazing high. Easy to see how opiates get their hooks into so many people.

I've taken Perc after dental work, and I didn't get high at all. What gives?

I didn't even enjoy it.

Same here. Made me kind of nauseous and gave me a headache.

 

[Kafka]

I had another friend die from a heroin overdose over the weekend -- the third this calendar year. His story was similar to a lot of the stories that have been shared in here. He was an outgoing, funny, former Division I athlete that seriously injured himself in an accident, was prescribed opiate painkillers that he became addicted to, and then eventually moved on to heroin once the opiate painkiller supply dried up. He had been trying to get clean for about six months. My brother had kind of been serving as an unofficial addiction mentor for him. From the outside, it seemed like he was on the right path and he was saying all the right things about how he was excited to truly live life and to leave his dark past behind him. He moved from his apartment in a party-centric part of downtown to a quieter part of town near his office and has been focusing on his job and doing a lot of healthy, active outdoor activities like skiing and hiking. My brother and I just went on a road trip to go camping with him a couple months ago. And then yesterday we got a text from a mutual friend saying that he was found dead alone at his home with heroin by his bedside. It's just so sad to see another good life wasted because of heroin.

Addiction is a frightening beast. It is a struggle not easily understood by those on the outside looking in, especially because the addicted mask their horror of existing in such a state with external humor & a contrived sense of normalcy, if that makes any sense. Normal people post run-on sentences like that too, right? I do know it sucks, all of it.... Truly sorry about your loss.

 

[Buckfast 1]

There needs to be a new "war on drugs" and minimum sentencing for possession of the stuff like they did in the 80s with crack coacaine.

Didn't that make things a lot better?

I don't think anyone here is talking about starting a new "war on drugs."

 

[MikeIke]

I'm fortunate that I'm so frugal and I don't know any local dirtbags who sell. Percocets are a freaking amazing high. Easy to see how opiates get their hooks into so many people.

I've taken Perc after dental work, and I didn't get high at all. What gives?I didn't even enjoy it.

Same here. Made me kind of nauseous and gave me a headache.

Not me. I had percocets after minor surgery a few years back and spent 3 days in blissful unawareness. It was like Soma from "Brave New World." I can definitely see how people can get addicted.

 

[lombardi]

Two month ago my sister's best friend OD'd in my mom's living room. My 9yo neice was there. They brought her back 2 times but she died right there on the floor. They got my niece away into a room but it's still very unclear what she did and did not see. So frustrating and depressing.

The girl was in a court ordered recovery center but she got pneumonia while there. They had to put her in ICU for a couple days. When she was better they released her from the hospital and she didn't go back to recovery. Called her boyfriend currently at a halfway house from the same bust. He was too afraid to go near her for his own sake. Called her parents who refused to take her in, told her they couldn't help her if she refused treatment. Basically did what everyone told them they should do.

She called my sister and they offered her a place to stay. Right back in the lion's den. The story is murky from there but in the end she is dead. The sad thing is, I know that it could just as easily have been my sister, my mom, or my step-dad. It's only a matter of time and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. You would think that maybe seeing someone you've know your entire life die right in front of you while you sit there high and helpless would force a little introspection but just the opposite is true. The guilt and trauma of it are just making them hit it harder I think.

So damn sad.

 

[Buckfast 1]

Two month ago my sister's best friend OD'd in my mom's living room. My 9yo neice was there. They brought her back 2 times but she died right there on the floor. They got my niece away into a room but it's still very unclear what she did and did not see. So frustrating and depressing.

The girl was in a court ordered recovery center but she got pneumonia while there. They had to put her in ICU for a couple days. When she was better they released her from the hospital and she didn't go back to recovery. Called her boyfriend currently at a halfway house from the same bust. He was too afraid to go near her for his own sake. Called her parents who refused to take her in, told her they couldn't help her if she refused treatment. Basically did what everyone told them they should do.

She called my sister and they offered her a place to stay. Right back in the lion's den. The story is murky from there but in the end she is dead. The sad thing is, I know that it could just as easily have been my sister, my mom, or my step-dad. It's only a matter of time and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. You would think that maybe seeing someone you've know your entire life die right in front of you while you sit there high and helpless would force a little introspection but just the opposite is true. The guilt and trauma of it are just making them hit it harder I think.

So damn sad.

That's so awful. I'm really sorry to hear that.

When my brother's best friend died from an opiate overdose, I really thought it would be a wake up call to my brother as well. But, instead, it just pushed him and their other mutual best friend (who overdosed on heroin earlier this year) deeper into addiction as an attempt to numb the emotional pain. I think it is really hard to escape the cycle of addiction unless you undergo a total change in life circumstances. I'm just so thankful that my brother moved out to Colorado with me and has been doing great over the last two years.

I hope the best for your family, Lombardi.

 

[Meatwad Reloaded]

Two month ago my sister's best friend OD'd in my mom's living room. My 9yo neice was there. They brought her back 2 times but she died right there on the floor. They got my niece away into a room but it's still very unclear what she did and did not see. So frustrating and depressing.

The girl was in a court ordered recovery center but she got pneumonia while there. They had to put her in ICU for a couple days. When she was better they released her from the hospital and she didn't go back to recovery. Called her boyfriend currently at a halfway house from the same bust. He was too afraid to go near her for his own sake. Called her parents who refused to take her in, told her they couldn't help her if she refused treatment. Basically did what everyone told them they should do.

She called my sister and they offered her a place to stay. Right back in the lion's den. The story is murky from there but in the end she is dead. The sad thing is, I know that it could just as easily have been my sister, my mom, or my step-dad. It's only a matter of time and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. You would think that maybe seeing someone you've know your entire life die right in front of you while you sit there high and helpless would force a little introspection but just the opposite is true. The guilt and trauma of it are just making them hit it harder I think.

So damn sad.

Two month ago my sister's best friend OD'd in my mom's living room. My 9yo neice was there. They brought her back 2 times but she died right there on the floor. They got my niece away into a room but it's still very unclear what she did and did not see. So frustrating and depressing.

The girl was in a court ordered recovery center but she got pneumonia while there. They had to put her in ICU for a couple days. When she was better they released her from the hospital and she didn't go back to recovery. Called her boyfriend currently at a halfway house from the same bust. He was too afraid to go near her for his own sake. Called her parents who refused to take her in, told her they couldn't help her if she refused treatment. Basically did what everyone told them they should do.

She called my sister and they offered her a place to stay. Right back in the lion's den. The story is murky from there but in the end she is dead. The sad thing is, I know that it could just as easily have been my sister, my mom, or my step-dad. It's only a matter of time and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. You would think that maybe seeing someone you've know your entire life die right in front of you while you sit there high and helpless would force a little introspection but just the opposite is true. The guilt and trauma of it are just making them hit it harder I think.

So damn sad.

So you are saying that your mom, your sister, and your step dad are all ensnared in this grip? Not to be trite, but reading about this is sort of forcing me into a bit of introspection on what serious problems really are. Sorry to hear about all this #####.

 

[Quez]

Two month ago my sister's best friend OD'd in my mom's living room. My 9yo neice was there. They brought her back 2 times but she died right there on the floor. They got my niece away into a room but it's still very unclear what she did and did not see. So frustrating and depressing.

The girl was in a court ordered recovery center but she got pneumonia while there. They had to put her in ICU for a couple days. When she was better they released her from the hospital and she didn't go back to recovery. Called her boyfriend currently at a halfway house from the same bust. He was too afraid to go near her for his own sake. Called her parents who refused to take her in, told her they couldn't help her if she refused treatment. Basically did what everyone told them they should do.

She called my sister and they offered her a place to stay. Right back in the lion's den. The story is murky from there but in the end she is dead.

So damn sad.

If she was on court ordered recovery couldn't someone have called the authorities once she got out of the ICU? Or was she on the run?

It sounds like she almost died from withdrawl. I'm not a doctor but she probably had a pretty weak immune system and got pneumonia. It's a little concerning how the "recovery center" & hospital handled this. They let this girl go at literally the worst time. She probably got out and took a similar dose to what she usually took, and her body didn't have the tolerance anymore.

 

[lombardi]

Two month ago my sister's best friend OD'd in my mom's living room. My 9yo neice was there. They brought her back 2 times but she died right there on the floor. They got my niece away into a room but it's still very unclear what she did and did not see. So frustrating and depressing.

The girl was in a court ordered recovery center but she got pneumonia while there. They had to put her in ICU for a couple days. When she was better they released her from the hospital and she didn't go back to recovery. Called her boyfriend currently at a halfway house from the same bust. He was too afraid to go near her for his own sake. Called her parents who refused to take her in, told her they couldn't help her if she refused treatment. Basically did what everyone told them they should do.

She called my sister and they offered her a place to stay. Right back in the lion's den. The story is murky from there but in the end she is dead. The sad thing is, I know that it could just as easily have been my sister, my mom, or my step-dad. It's only a matter of time and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. You would think that maybe seeing someone you've know your entire life die right in front of you while you sit there high and helpless would force a little introspection but just the opposite is true. The guilt and trauma of it are just making them hit it harder I think.

So damn sad.

That's so awful. I'm really sorry to hear that.

When my brother's best friend died from an opiate overdose, I really thought it would be a wake up call to my brother as well. But, instead, it just pushed him and their other mutual best friend (who overdosed on heroin earlier this year) deeper into addiction as an attempt to numb the emotional pain. I think it is really hard to escape the cycle of addiction unless you undergo a total change in life circumstances. I'm just so thankful that my brother moved out to Colorado with me and has been doing great over the last two years.

I hope the best for your family, Lombardi.

I agree, you need to completely remove yourself from your current life. It's so hard when you're in a relationship and both addicted. So difficult because you have to completely separate yourselves if you want to have any kind of chance. My mother has come close a few times to seeking recovery but she always stays because she doesn't want to leave home. Decides she'll "do it on her own" because "what will they do without me". Just uses it as an excuse to keep using. Love them all but none of them have a chance all living together.

Thanks for the well wishes, right back at you. Really encouraging hearing stories of people who have turned it around and are currently doing well.

 

[lombardi]

Two month ago my sister's best friend OD'd in my mom's living room. My 9yo neice was there. They brought her back 2 times but she died right there on the floor. They got my niece away into a room but it's still very unclear what she did and did not see. So frustrating and depressing.

The girl was in a court ordered recovery center but she got pneumonia while there. They had to put her in ICU for a couple days. When she was better they released her from the hospital and she didn't go back to recovery. Called her boyfriend currently at a halfway house from the same bust. He was too afraid to go near her for his own sake. Called her parents who refused to take her in, told her they couldn't help her if she refused treatment. Basically did what everyone told them they should do.

She called my sister and they offered her a place to stay. Right back in the lion's den. The story is murky from there but in the end she is dead.

So damn sad.

If she was on court ordered recovery couldn't someone have called the authorities once she got out of the ICU? Or was she on the run?

It sounds like she almost died from withdrawl. I'm not a doctor but she probably had a pretty weak immune system and got pneumonia. It's a little concerning how the "recovery center" & hospital handled this. They let this girl go at literally the worst time. She probably got out and took a similar dose to what she usually took, and her body didn't have the tolerance anymore.

That's basically what happened (but not the withdrawl). She had been in recovery for a few months and was doing really great. She had a couple months left until a halfway house. She got sick, basically a normal flu that was going around that turned into pneumonia. When she got out her body just wasn't ready for the dose she took, a dose I'm sure she could handle without batting an eye a few months earlier. That's why you hear so much about someone who was doing so well and then all of a sudden they're found dead. When someone's clean for a while their body just can't handle the dosage they were used to taking.

She wasn't on the run she just got released. When she originally called around she was talking about going back in but I don't know all the circumstances. They fill those spots quick when they're open, maybe someone else got her bed or something, I don't really know. The state doesn't have time or resources to keep up with every addict who doesn't show up somewhere that they're supposed to. Honestly, the problems are so bad and the cases so hopeless (generally speaking) that a lot of people who deal with addicts every day get very cynical/jaded about it. Especially at hospitals they're looked at like leeches on the system with one foot in the grave, the faster they can get them out the better. Until they're dead they're just a drain on the system and taking away from people who need or deserve the help. Of course, not everyone feels that way but you would be surprised how many people do. I've seen it for years when mom or sister have been rushed to the hospital. As soon as they look at the chart or learn about the addiction their whole demeanor changes. It's tough. I understand why they feel that way but it's not easy to deal with when it's someone you love.

 

[Apple Jack]

Two month ago my sister's best friend OD'd in my mom's living room. My 9yo neice was there. They brought her back 2 times but she died right there on the floor. They got my niece away into a room but it's still very unclear what she did and did not see. So frustrating and depressing.

The girl was in a court ordered recovery center but she got pneumonia while there. They had to put her in ICU for a couple days. When she was better they released her from the hospital and she didn't go back to recovery. Called her boyfriend currently at a halfway house from the same bust. He was too afraid to go near her for his own sake. Called her parents who refused to take her in, told her they couldn't help her if she refused treatment. Basically did what everyone told them they should do.

She called my sister and they offered her a place to stay. Right back in the lion's den. The story is murky from there but in the end she is dead. The sad thing is, I know that it could just as easily have been my sister, my mom, or my step-dad. It's only a matter of time and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. You would think that maybe seeing someone you've know your entire life die right in front of you while you sit there high and helpless would force a little introspection but just the opposite is true. The guilt and trauma of it are just making them hit it harder I think.

So damn sad.

That's so awful. I'm really sorry to hear that.

When my brother's best friend died from an opiate overdose, I really thought it would be a wake up call to my brother as well. But, instead, it just pushed him and their other mutual best friend (who overdosed on heroin earlier this year) deeper into addiction as an attempt to numb the emotional pain. I think it is really hard to escape the cycle of addiction unless you undergo a total change in life circumstances. I'm just so thankful that my brother moved out to Colorado with me and has been doing great over the last two years.

I hope the best for your family, Lombardi.

For many people, this is true. They need to be somewhere they would have to start from scratch to find it. Preferably a more rural area without the apparent drug zone you can just drive to and ask around. Making it unavailable to you is a big part of the process, as it's hard to do the other work if you have the ability to opt out in weak moments. And if you have a weak moment, if you are unable to find it in a matter of 30-60 minutes that overwhelming craving will pass. Those impulses get easier to control as time goes by and your mind and body recondition to life without it, but early on it is effing excruciating constantly battling that physical and psychological tractor beam. I lived above a laundromat in Brooklyn during the worst of it and I still get the pangs anytime I smell certain fabric softeners coming out dryer vents. Even the popping of radiator heaters. Crazy, bizarre triggers that never seem to go away completely. But all the triggers and constant reminders of physically being in a place where that was your routine is going to be a higher degree of difficultly of something that is already an incredibly high degree of difficultly. You have to really want it, be aggressively committed, and frankly, have some luck to pull that off.

Really sorry to hear, Buck.

 

[Clifford]

I blame the medical industry. And make no mistake, it's an industry just like steel, cars, and insurance. They push pills and subbies and don't give one #### about the consequences. Pain management my ###.

This is 100% on the medical industry. Called this back in 2006

https://www.uab.edu/uabmagazine/summer2006/features/drugs

I have had two friends die from drug overdoses, one from heroin the other from inhalants. Both were originally addicted to painkillers.

I have had four friends have to go to rehab for opiate addiction, and all four started with painkillers. Three moved on to Heroin, one stopped himself before he got there. One friend is clean and living a great life but damn near lost everything. Was originally prescribed because of back issues. One is supposedly clean but we never speak anymore probably because he doesn't want to hang around the people he know when he was an addict. Another has been in and out of rehab and has never gotten clean. Has no life and I am sure one day he will overdose and die.

In high school, kids would steal all kinds of pills from their parents. Started out with Lortabs and Percocets and the occasional Xanax or Valium. Then right around 95 OCs hit the market and it was all over. Everyone was taking them.

The medical industry has leaned way too far in favor of big Pharma and the almighty dollar. There are tons of doctors out there practicing legally that are nothing but drug dealers, letting anyone come in and give some sob story about back pain to get a scrip.

So we flooded the market with high-powered opoids, doctors handed them out like candy, and now we have a national epidemic of opoid abuse. Who could have seen this coming?

 

[Clifford]

I'm fortunate that I'm so frugal and I don't know any local dirtbags who sell. Percocets are a freaking amazing high. Easy to see how opiates get their hooks into so many people.

I've taken Perc after dental work, and I didn't get high at all. What gives?I didn't even enjoy it.

Same here. Made me kind of nauseous and gave me a headache.

Not me. I had percocets after minor surgery a few years back and spent 3 days in blissful unawareness. It was like Soma from "Brave New World." I can definitely see how people can get addicted.

One of the doctors I interviewed who worked in pain management said that most people, like 9 out of 10, will take these drugs and either not get high or have no real addictive issues at all. Take the prescription, manage the pain, and be done with it. However 1 out of 10 will get heavily addicted, even from a single prescription to cover an acute event.

 

[John Bender]

I'm fortunate that I'm so frugal and I don't know any local dirtbags who sell. Percocets are a freaking amazing high. Easy to see how opiates get their hooks into so many people.

I've taken Perc after dental work, and I didn't get high at all. What gives?

I didn't even enjoy it.

Same here. Made me kind of nauseous and gave me a headache.

Feels good for about 4-5 hours.

Afterwards though, I end up with a migraine headache.

I've got 2-3 migraines in my life and each time it's after taking a percocet or similar.

 

[PIK95]

I am very lucky I never got hooked on anything with my back issues and prescriptions. I'm convinced it's partly because of being around it so much while growing up. I really hated seeing all those good people caught up in drugs and alcohol. Depression was/is a huge problem for the ones left to pick up the pieces. I have seen it all, and most before I was twelve. I have four younger brothers and sisters and I am still haunted by the memories of the looks on their faces when the Easter bunny didn't come. That was horrible for me as an eleven or twelve year old. All I could do was watch as we had nothing really. I decided then that I would always have total control over my life and my choices. So far so good.

 

[Jobber]

A couple of years ago, a doc prescribed a single Valium pill to me. To take just before my vascectomy. I filled the scrip, but ended up throwing it away.

Yes, I'm that paranoid about drug addiction. Admittedly, I may have a bit of an alcohol addiction already and don't want to add on anything else.

 

[[icon]]

I had another friend die from a heroin overdose over the weekend -- the third this calendar year. His story was similar to a lot of the stories that have been shared in here. He was an outgoing, funny, former Division I athlete that seriously injured himself in an accident, was prescribed opiate painkillers that he became addicted to, and then eventually moved on to heroin once the opiate painkiller supply dried up. He had been trying to get clean for about six months. My brother had kind of been serving as an unofficial addiction mentor for him. From the outside, it seemed like he was on the right path and he was saying all the right things about how he was excited to truly live life and to leave his dark past behind him. He moved from his apartment in a party-centric part of downtown to a quieter part of town near his office and has been focusing on his job and doing a lot of healthy, active outdoor activities like skiing and hiking. My brother and I just went on a road trip to go camping with him a couple months ago. And then yesterday we got a text from a mutual friend saying that he was found dead alone at his home with heroin by his bedside. It's just so sad to see another good life wasted because of heroin.

Sorry man....

Relapse is the most dangerous time for OD, given the body has normalized somewhat, but the addict will return to previous known-good doses. End result is pouring 5 gallons into a 2 gallon bucket. Sadly all too common. :(

 

[[icon]]

My buddy that I talked about earlier in this thread is doing okay. Back into the restaurant industry, smoking weed... which is bad. But he's apparently on a methadone program for maintenance and it seems to be working. He is tested weekly and if he ever fails he is out for good.... that seems to motivate him in managing his "sickness" in a somewhat clean/responsible way. He apparently has to go get his shots daily or something... don't know all the details.

I'm still hesitant to get back too close to him... I was the last one to give up. It sucks and we talk a few times a year... but I just can't bring myself to get close to him again. When we do hang out it's strained somewhat... like that elephant in the room stuff. Hate it but what can you do... maybe someday.

I always fear him relapsing.

 

[Apple Jack]

Methadone and the service industry? The weed wouldnt worry m,; those two would.

 

[[icon]]

Methadone and the service industry? The weed wouldnt worry m,; those two would.

yep. Service industry was part of his problem to begin with... I was pretty bummed to hear he was back in that grind. I try to stay optimistic, but the slow regression (no service industry / no drinking / no weed / no heroin --- to --- service industry, weed, light drinking, and methadone) seems bad to me.

I hate to say it, but I simply have resigned myself to the fact that I will get a call from his sister / my good freind one morning and she'll be crying and I'll know immediately what it's about.

Sadly, I don't think it will hit me that hard because in my mind he's sorta already half-dead. It's such a horrible thing to see in black and white when I type it out....

 

[cockroach]

been seeing commercials lately for some drug that's a opioid-related constipation laxative.

 

[GilbertGrape]

I'm fortunate that I'm so frugal and I don't know any local dirtbags who sell. Percocets are a freaking amazing high. Easy to see how opiates get their hooks into so many people.

I've taken Perc after dental work, and I didn't get high at all. What gives?I didn't even enjoy it.

Same here. Made me kind of nauseous and gave me a headache.

Not me. I had percocets after minor surgery a few years back and spent 3 days in blissful unawareness. It was like Soma from "Brave New World." I can definitely see how people can get addicted.

One of the doctors I interviewed who worked in pain management said that most people, like 9 out of 10, will take these drugs and either not get high or have no real addictive issues at all. Take the prescription, manage the pain, and be done with it. However 1 out of 10 will get heavily addicted, even from a single prescription to cover an acute event.

I had 2nd degree burns that were fairly severe when I was 16. They gave me codeine. Not the synthetic crap they have today, the real thing. If it had been available on the street I would quickly have ruined my life with it. It made me feel that good.

 

[Quez]

been seeing commercials lately for some drug that's a opioid-related constipation laxative.

I have seen them for a few different drugs, but started seeing the commercials around Thanksgiving. It's like they all of a sudden cracked the holy grail of opiate constipation.

It's a little alarming that big pharma is spending R&D $$$ to come out with drugs for people on their drugs...

I guess when so many people are addicted that's what is profitable.

 

[culdeus]

been seeing commercials lately for some drug that's a opioid-related constipation laxative.

I have seen them for a few different drugs, but started seeing the commercials around Thanksgiving. It's like they all of a sudden cracked the holy grail of opiate constipation.

It's a little alarming that big pharma is spending R&D $$$ to come out with drugs for people on their drugs...

I guess when so many people are addicted that's what is profitable.

That's the first thing I thought too. How is this drug a good thing?

 

[Jackstraw]

Astounding the difference in language when the drugs in question are affecting largely white people. Then all of a sudden its an injuries fault. It's "big pharma". Etc Etc.

With crack it was these people are animals and we need to put them away for ever. Which by the way they followed through on and thousands of non violent offenders are still doing time under draconian sentencing laws.

The demagoguery by politicians was over the top. Starting to hear a little on the issue now but it's always framed with treatment and so forth.

Instead of WAR ON DRUGS (and drug users) it's being treated more like America's dirty little family secret.

 

[Apple Jack]

Well-said, Jack. Though, I think it's more of a socioeconomic/cultural thing than is suggested in your post. There are plenty of white crackheads and methheads in jail.

The constipation meds would be good for people who actually need the opiates. Post-surgery, extreme chronic pain, etc. There are people who will benefit. It's not like constipation is such a deterrent that it's better to not have a treatment for it.

 

[culdeus]

Well-said, Jack. Though, I think it's more of a socioeconomic/cultural thing than is suggested in your post. There are plenty of white crackheads and methheads in jail.

The constipation meds would be good for people who actually need the opiates. Post-surgery, extreme chronic pain, etc. There are people who will benefit. It's not like constipation is such a deterrent that it's better to not have a treatment for it.

Give them pot. Seriously. Nobody should have opiates. Flammable as ####. Opiates only when you are terminal.

 

[WampusCat43]

I mentioned some of the stories in another thread. I served as the foreman for the grand jury in Campbell County, KY last year, just across the river from Cincinnati. We reviewed nearly 300 cases in that time, and 90% of them involved either possession of heroin or robbery to get money for heroin. This area is ground zero for about 100 miles south and east, and it's such an easy bust for the cops. They know which parking lots to watch and which stretches of highway to patrol, and it's like shooting fish in a barrel.

So many repeat offenders as well, just in the 3-month timeframe. You recognize the names, just like the cops. Get busted, sent to rehab/work release, walk away and get busted again.

One thing I noticed was the kids at the more affluent high school, who I know are using as well (they're getting busted for minor-league stuff like breaking into houses), are not getting their cases sent to the grand jury. Either they're smarter about where they're using (not likely) or Daddy is bailing them/pleading it down to a misdemeanor quickly.

 

[ShaqAttaq]

i'm having a knee replacement next friday. i was actually looking forward to a brief period of abuse. this thread has been a wet blanket.

 

[Apple Jack]

Well-said, Jack. Though, I think it's more of a socioeconomic/cultural thing than is suggested in your post. There are plenty of white crackheads and methheads in jail.

The constipation meds would be good for people who actually need the opiates. Post-surgery, extreme chronic pain, etc. There are people who will benefit. It's not like constipation is such a deterrent that it's better to not have a treatment for it.

Give them pot. Seriously. Nobody should have opiates. Flammable as ####. Opiates only when you are terminal.

This is much easier to say when it is not you in pain. Pot is nowhere near as effective in pain management as opiates.

 

[Spin]

What a mess, and now they're moving back to Florida in 3 weeks where all her old druggie friends/family is.

Florida, where everyone goes to get off drugs...

Nah, she's "clean now". They're moving back because her deadbeat sister (also a junkie) stopped paying rent on the house she's upside down in, and they can't afford two mortgages, because she quit her job. So they choose Tallahassee over Nashville, because "she doesn't have any friends here and misses her house"...

Well, her sister, quoted above OD'd the week before Thanksgiving. She had been two weeks clean prior to, and was posting stuff on Facebook about how great she feels, how she realizes that she was ruining her own life, etc. Really tough. My buddy's wife (who just lost her sister) went into a spiral of depression, and got caught stealing flowers from WalMart. Missed her court date and spent all day Thanksgiving and the day after in jail in a holding cell. She's out with 2 years of probation, where she has to take mandatory drug tests or she faces prison time from a prior felony (she got caught stealing watches from the mall).

I guess she's allowed to fail the first test, but has to show levels that are progressing towards 0. She's never shown any sign about staying clean whatsoever, so I have 0 faith she'll be able to avoid prison time. Such a terrible addiction.

Props to everyone who has been able to successfully kick it, and T&P to all of those battling with it today.

 

[jb1020]

Just now seeing this thread. This is a pretty big problem around here. My best friend struggles with it. In and out of jail (petty theft) and rehab. It completely blew me away when I found out about it, but its been about 3 years now. I have a feeling he's going to be one of these OD stories one day. I've had to cut him off though. He's one of those "you don't ever know whats about to happen next" kind of guys.

I cut him off a little over a year ago. I ran into him at a college football game, he looked okay, but he just deteriorated as the day went on. I think he was sneaking off and smoking it. After a 2 hour drive home (with my 2 and 4 yo) I told him I couldn't be around him anymore. He didn't take it very well and it almost came to blows between us. Which confirmed to me that it was the right decision.

He's tried to reach out/begged us to give him a second chance. He keeps messaging my wife (i don't do Facebook) on facebook about once every few months. He would tell us he missed our kids, he had a great new job, yada yada. She finally caved and called him back the other day. She said she could clearly hear a bunch of commotion/chatter in the back ground. He said he couldn't talk at the moment and would call her back. He never did.

Then right before thanksgiving this year my daughters preschool teacher found her daughter (29) dead of a heroin OD.

Nothing surprises me these days....

 

[eoMMan]

Well-said, Jack. Though, I think it's more of a socioeconomic/cultural thing than is suggested in your post. There are plenty of white crackheads and methheads in jail.

The constipation meds would be good for people who actually need the opiates. Post-surgery, extreme chronic pain, etc. There are people who will benefit. It's not like constipation is such a deterrent that it's better to not have a treatment for it.

Give them pot. Seriously. Nobody should have opiates. Flammable as ####. Opiates only when you are terminal.

This is much easier to say when it is not you in pain. Pot is nowhere near as effective in pain management as opiates.

I hate to say it but maybe some pain is good. Today's society relies too much on a quick fix in pill form, imo.

 

[Tau837]

Nobody should have opiates... Opiates only when you are terminal.

This is ignorant. Your attitude would change if you or your loved ones experienced intractable chronic pain.

 

[Clifford]

Methadone and the service industry? The weed wouldnt worry m,; those two would.

yep. Service industry was part of his problem to begin with... I was pretty bummed to hear he was back in that grind. I try to stay optimistic, but the slow regression (no service industry / no drinking / no weed / no heroin --- to --- service industry, weed, light drinking, and methadone) seems bad to me.

I hate to say it, but I simply have resigned myself to the fact that I will get a call from his sister / my good freind one morning and she'll be crying and I'll know immediately what it's about.

Sadly, I don't think it will hit me that hard because in my mind he's sorta already half-dead. It's such a horrible thing to see in black and white when I type it out....

I fought it for a long time but eventually accepted the same about a childhood friend. I know it will happen one day and I know nothing I can say or do will prevent it.

 

[PIK95]

Well-said, Jack. Though, I think it's more of a socioeconomic/cultural thing than is suggested in your post. There are plenty of white crackheads and methheads in jail.

The constipation meds would be good for people who actually need the opiates. Post-surgery, extreme chronic pain, etc. There are people who will benefit. It's not like constipation is such a deterrent that it's better to not have a treatment for it.

Give them pot. Seriously. Nobody should have opiates. Flammable as ####. Opiates only when you are terminal.

This is much easier to say when it is not you in pain. Pot is nowhere near as effective in pain management as opiates.

I hate to say it but maybe some pain is good. Today's society relies too much on a quick fix in pill form, imo.

No.

 

[heckmanm]

I was listening to a podcast that talked about a doctor back in the late 70s (I think) who noticed very low addiction rates among patients given opiates for pain at his hospital. He wrote a letter to the editor to the New England Journal of Medicine, sort of pointing out that this was an unexpected finding and possibly worth someone doing additional research.

Over the years, pharma companies took that letter and gradually started treating it as an extensive formal study "proving" that opiate painkillers were not addictive, and started pushing doctors to prescribe them much more broadly for pain management, despite little or no actual research supporting their position.

 

[Spin]

Interesting video talking about addiction here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao8L-0nSYzg

 

[jonessed]

Nobody should have opiates... Opiates only when you are terminal.

This is ignorant. Your attitude would change if you or your loved ones experienced intractable chronic pain.

Or even short-term pain management for something like kidney stones.

 

[cstu]

Interesting video talking about addiction here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao8L-0nSYzg

I think we discussed in this thread or somewhere else how addiction is highly correlated with unhappiness.

 

[eoMMan]

Well-said, Jack. Though, I think it's more of a socioeconomic/cultural thing than is suggested in your post. There are plenty of white crackheads and methheads in jail.

The constipation meds would be good for people who actually need the opiates. Post-surgery, extreme chronic pain, etc. There are people who will benefit. It's not like constipation is such a deterrent that it's better to not have a treatment for it.

Give them pot. Seriously. Nobody should have opiates. Flammable as ####. Opiates only when you are terminal.

This is much easier to say when it is not you in pain. Pot is nowhere near as effective in pain management as opiates.

I hate to say it but maybe some pain is good. Today's society relies too much on a quick fix in pill form, imo.

No.

Yes!

I have a headache....give me a pill.

I had a root canal....give me a pill.

I had a cyst removed....give me a pill.

 

[ShaqAttaq]

I had a total knee replacement with old hardware removal today. The MF'n hospital is being far too strict with their oxycodone. Controlled Dosage amounts and frequencies are for wimps. Give me the damn drugs when i demand them!!!!

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Interesting video talking about addiction here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao8L-0nSYzg

I think we discussed in this thread or somewhere else how addiction is highly correlated with unhappiness.

They go hand in hand, I speak from experience however I can honestly say I never shot anything in my arms. I find most alcoholics to be mega depressed.

 

[Jobber]

I had a total knee replacement with old hardware removal today. The MF'n hospital is being far too strict with their oxycodone. Controlled Dosage amounts and frequencies are for wimps. Give me the damn drugs when i demand them!!!!

Wuss.Kidding. I hope all went well. And you're smoking a joint vs taking pills now.