Heroin, drug addiction and other related topics
- Thread starter TheRicker
- Start date
It's not the heroin that kills but the shit that they cut it with. Back in the day when guys came back from Vietnam and addicted to H, they would buy the stuff on the street and end up dead. The stuff in Vietnam was pure and cheap. The stuff in the US was cut who knows how many times with who knows what so a user never knew what the strength was and what else was in it.
Combine that with sharing needles and you have a drug policy in the US that is the worst in the world and the amount of so called drug OD's is staggering. For example I've never known anyone who OD'd from medical grade OXY, yeah it is addicting but doesn't kill you. It's only after the DEA cracked down on getting it from pharmacies that users had to switch to other types street drugs that the so called drug OD's rose exponentially.
For example, when I would get a root canal my dentist would give me a script for 16 Oxy's. The cost at CVS was less than my $5 copay — something stupid like $4.26 for 16 pills. This was years ago. Now, last time I had a root canal my dentist told me to take a couple of ibuprofens every 4 hours if I needed pain relief. So the DEA cracked down on dentists giving a one time, small quantity of OXY for a specific procedure a way to solve "the drug problem".
Combine that with sharing needles and you have a drug policy in the US that is the worst in the world and the amount of so called drug OD's is staggering. For example I've never known anyone who OD'd from medical grade OXY, yeah it is addicting but doesn't kill you. It's only after the DEA cracked down on getting it from pharmacies that users had to switch to other types street drugs that the so called drug OD's rose exponentially.
For example, when I would get a root canal my dentist would give me a script for 16 Oxy's. The cost at CVS was less than my $5 copay — something stupid like $4.26 for 16 pills. This was years ago. Now, last time I had a root canal my dentist told me to take a couple of ibuprofens every 4 hours if I needed pain relief. So the DEA cracked down on dentists giving a one time, small quantity of OXY for a specific procedure a way to solve "the drug problem".
I remember .... close to 30 years ago after getting wisdom teath pulled - I was in quite a bit of pain ... The dentist gave me a script for Vicodin. BY the way - I never used drugs and didn't even know what they were. I took one or two and it didn't really do anything for me so I stopped, left them in the medicine cabinet. 10 years later I was playing golf with some younger co-workers and they were explaining that they took vicodins all the time and they were great. I told them - I had a whole bottle in my medicine cabinet from the dentist and that they didn't do a thing for me. Of course - they start in with "Can i Have them? ... I will pay you ... blah blah blah." It was explained to me by my friend that these guys were pill poppers and those vics were controlled substances. I went home and threw them away. As Mr. Mackay would say ... drugs are bad Mkay"
I have some very strong feelings on this topic ( which has been discussed in a thread sometime ago)
The drug problem in the USA is not just limited to over prescribing, peddlers on the street, synthetics etc.. The unfathomable cost of rehabilitation, access to mental health care and follow up all contribute to this scourge that is taking the lives of our loved ones
The drug problem in the USA is not just limited to over prescribing, peddlers on the street, synthetics etc.. The unfathomable cost of rehabilitation, access to mental health care and follow up all contribute to this scourge that is taking the lives of our loved ones
So do I. BTW, the only recreational drug I take is 12yr Scotch neat.
The majority of the drug problem in the US, IMHO, is due to incompetence in gov’t policy.
Just to give you the latest example, the gov’t was shocked, shocked, that OXY and the like was overprescribed resulting in large #’s of addicts.
Solution: greatly crack down on the prescription of the drug immediately.
So hundreds of thousand, (maybe in the millions), of OXY addicts are cut off to a carefully manufactured prescription drug. A drug that feeds their addiction but doesn't kill them.
And where do they go — they go to the street drugs. The drug cartels must have been very pleased when that happened. So must the funeral directors.
Just to give you the latest example, the gov’t was shocked, shocked, that OXY and the like was overprescribed resulting in large #’s of addicts.
Solution: greatly crack down on the prescription of the drug immediately.
So hundreds of thousand, (maybe in the millions), of OXY addicts are cut off to a carefully manufactured prescription drug. A drug that feeds their addiction but doesn't kill them.
And where do they go — they go to the street drugs. The drug cartels must have been very pleased when that happened. So must the funeral directors.
People never gave a fuck when the drugs where killing the non whites and in the poor communities, people would just turn their heads but now that its killing more whites and in the rich and middle class its a problem and isssue and something must be done lol gtfoh, how come people weren't saying that shit years ago.
@genius
Here is the problem with cracking down on the OXY problem only... I speak from life experience.
The road to addiction may/may not start with Oxy. The young adult may start with pot, alcohol or a prescribed benzodiazepine, which if not properly administered accompanied with behavioral health therapy can result in disaster.. The benzo is cut off, now leaving the individual to seek out a illegal alternative. Oxy for a while, but it becomes too expensive leaving heroin as the only alternative.. Nowadays most heroin is cut with fentanyl or other synthetics leading to fatal results.
I have lived through this and I wish it on no one. The discussion of drug usage in any recreational form is more then a thorn in my side and anyone who justifies its use or condones it will have an argument from me
Here is the problem with cracking down on the OXY problem only... I speak from life experience.
The road to addiction may/may not start with Oxy. The young adult may start with pot, alcohol or a prescribed benzodiazepine, which if not properly administered accompanied with behavioral health therapy can result in disaster.. The benzo is cut off, now leaving the individual to seek out a illegal alternative. Oxy for a while, but it becomes too expensive leaving heroin as the only alternative.. Nowadays most heroin is cut with fentanyl or other synthetics leading to fatal results.
I have lived through this and I wish it on no one. The discussion of drug usage in any recreational form is more then a thorn in my side and anyone who justifies its use or condones it will have an argument from me
The Mods created a new thread for this topic, (TY) therefore my reference was moot..
You are entitled to your opinion, as is everyone on this board. I am not offended, but saddened that you see addiction as a weakness, not a behavioral health problem and a disease that it really is.
TBH, I shared the same feelings you did prior to experiencing it firsthand. To watch a sibling go from a normal childhood,to addiction. The final result was unimaginable.
One does not choose to be an addict. Whatever the circumstances lead up to addiction, one must accept it as a disease and treat it accordingly. Is that person “weak” as you say.. ?? Maybe.. but not in the capacity I think you are referring too. Many addicts do not have the mental health capacity that the healthy person does. Perhaps a poor inference, but think about your best and worst subject in school. Maybe you excelled in science or history, but you couldn’t grasp math, no matter what.. The addict can be the nicest, smartest, strongest ( in certain capacities) , but when it comes to their vice, all bets are off..decision making and the ability to choose from right and wrong ( as the normal person sees it) is flawed.
I educated myself, researched and learned.. Addiction is a disease.. No one chooses to become an addict ( in whatever form)
Again, you are entitled to your opinion and that’s fine.. I am not suggesting otherwise but when you do cross paths with someone you determine “weak” treat them with kindness and respect.
It can go a long way
You are entitled to your opinion, as is everyone on this board. I am not offended, but saddened that you see addiction as a weakness, not a behavioral health problem and a disease that it really is.
TBH, I shared the same feelings you did prior to experiencing it firsthand. To watch a sibling go from a normal childhood,to addiction. The final result was unimaginable.
One does not choose to be an addict. Whatever the circumstances lead up to addiction, one must accept it as a disease and treat it accordingly. Is that person “weak” as you say.. ?? Maybe.. but not in the capacity I think you are referring too. Many addicts do not have the mental health capacity that the healthy person does. Perhaps a poor inference, but think about your best and worst subject in school. Maybe you excelled in science or history, but you couldn’t grasp math, no matter what.. The addict can be the nicest, smartest, strongest ( in certain capacities) , but when it comes to their vice, all bets are off..decision making and the ability to choose from right and wrong ( as the normal person sees it) is flawed.
I educated myself, researched and learned.. Addiction is a disease.. No one chooses to become an addict ( in whatever form)
Again, you are entitled to your opinion and that’s fine.. I am not suggesting otherwise but when you do cross paths with someone you determine “weak” treat them with kindness and respect.
It can go a long way
Beautifully written, excellent post.
And 100% true.
I don't think anyone can really grasp what addiction is all about unless they experience it first hand and up close.
Addiction is a disease, not a weekness. That is a fact whether or not you accept that is on you.
Although not quite the same thing but along the same lines;
I always think of that scene from the Sopranos where Tony and Carmela find out AJ suffers from depression. Tony says all he needs is a good smack in the head.
Carmella responds "would you hit someone with polio"?
And 100% true.
I don't think anyone can really grasp what addiction is all about unless they experience it first hand and up close.
Addiction is a disease, not a weekness. That is a fact whether or not you accept that is on you.
Although not quite the same thing but along the same lines;
I always think of that scene from the Sopranos where Tony and Carmela find out AJ suffers from depression. Tony says all he needs is a good smack in the head.
Carmella responds "would you hit someone with polio"?
Also At the end of the day the govt and fda approves these highly addicted opiates and lets the drs prescribe them like Skittles. So when the patience get cut off from their drs they hit the streets to get their local dog food that's cut up with fentanyl and now more deadly karlfentanyl. Perdue pharma comp lost a mass law suit but is that going to bring all the dead bodies back.