Are you part of the Opioid Crisis? My family is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am actually glad that this current crisis is listed as a "health" crisis and not a "criminal" one. A decade ago, if someone was on crack or an opiates, they would label them a criminal and throw them in jail. So the new tone is a good thing. Now I know the demographic reason why that tone changed, but I am still hopeful that this will be the tone of the discussion moving forward.

The issue is this health crisis most often leads to criminal behaviors:
- driving while impaired
- theft to pay for drugs
- child neglect
- physical abuse

I still believe in a zero tolerance policy when behavior resulting from health crisis crosses the line.

PP here. Fair point but like I said, through the "War on Drugs" era, these folks would be criminalized just for possession or use. That was the lay of the land for a long time. This new approach acknowledges that this is addiction is an illness that needs treatment, not a criminal act.

I do not think many people are saying that if a high person is DUI or is caught stealing, they should get a pass for that. I am certainly not saying that. I am saying that possession or use absent another crime should not be a criminal matter calling for jail.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My nephew is. He was an elite HS athlete with several offers to play his sport at a Division I school. He suffered a pretty bad injury that required surgery and got addicted to the pain pills afterwards and during his rehab. He still got into the university and no one even knew he had a problem until late in his first year there. Obtaining the pain pills illegally became too hard and expensive, so his dealer told him to try heroin, which was cheaper.

He was given a warning that academic probation would be enforced since he was missing and failing all of his classes, which meant his coach was alerted. When his coach tried to contact him for a week with no luck, he finally went to his dorm where my nephew's roommate told him that he'd had a family emergency and left town. The coach contacted my SIL & BIL, who were totally in the dark and confused. My nephew's web of lies started unraveling. It took them a trip to his university and filing a missing person's report to even find my nephew. He hadn't been seen in weeks at that point and his phone was off.

They took him straight to rehab, but he was using again within weeks of being released. They had to kick him out of the house because he was bringing in drugs and using them there with his younger siblings around. He stole from them and other family members and even got violent with some. My BIL sent a family-wide email that said, "in case you didn't know, ____ is a heroin addict who has relapsed after rehab and is in a bad place. He's started stealing and become violent. If he shows up at your house, do not let him in." I can't even imagine having to write something so heartbreaking about your kid.

He was in and out of rehab several more times. It wasn't until earlier this year when he OD'd that something clicked and he realized he really needed help. He's been clean for almost 6 months, which is his longest stretch yet and everyone is hopeful.

Wow. I wish him the best. So sorry your family is going through this.

[Anonymous]

To all who are suffering as a result of these effing drugs...I am so very sorry. This is the #1 thing that terrifies me as a Mother and my heart goes out to each of you. I have nothing but empathy and a desire to help those who are dealing with this.......the judgment around it all is astonishing and wrong.

[Anonymous]

My sister got addicted to opiods prescribed for her husband's cancer. Took three years to get her into rehab.

I organized her intervention and went with her to Kaiser to get her treatment. When she told the doctor she wanted a referral to the Chemical Dependency unit, the doctor said "But what about your pain management?" My sister had been getting prescription morphine for TMJ -- for over two years.

I look at the doctor and said "This is an issue of dependency, not pain." Then the doctor scrolled back a bit in my sister's file and said "Oh my. What did we do to you??"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You have my sympathy. I agree addiction can happen to anyone.

I’m a bit frustrated that our government and society can move now with haste and compassion to reform our legal and health systems when crack ravaged my community for years and all we got was militarized policing and mandatory sentencing laws.

I share your frustration about the compassion but am pretty cynical about any real reforms in the legal and health systems. Trump declared a public health emergency, which opens up a fund that currently has-- wait for it-- $57,000 in it. More bluster than action.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My sister got addicted to opiods prescribed for her husband's cancer. Took three years to get her into rehab.

I organized her intervention and went with her to Kaiser to get her treatment. When she told the doctor she wanted a referral to the Chemical Dependency unit, the doctor said "But what about your pain management?" My sister had been getting prescription morphine for TMJ -- for over two years.

I look at the doctor and said "This is an issue of dependency, not pain." Then the doctor scrolled back a bit in my sister's file and said "Oh my. What did we do to you??"

I'm assuming she was addicted to the morphine first? Why else would she take her husband's prescription?

[Anonymous]

I am the poster who was in rehab for alcohol addiction. While there, I became friends with other addicts, the majority seeking treatment for opiods. I have never tried them, so it was enlightening and heartbreaking to hear their stories. We are talking about people from ages 16-69. The pain coming off of them was so hard to watch. The drugs literally rewire your body, and pain receptors can't handle the initial sobriety. They say that alcohol and benzo withdrawal can kill you (truth), and that you can't die from other drugs, although you might feel like you have to.

I understand how people purposefully OD to stop the pain. Everyone I met desperately wanted to be clean. They didn't want to use, and wanted their lives back.

[Anonymous]

Why anyone would put even 1 opioid pill in their mouth and swallow it, knowing what know, is just beyond me.

All these teens with the sports injuries and the parents are just like “Here! Have some opioids!”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why anyone would put even 1 opioid pill in their mouth and swallow it, knowing what know, is just beyond me.

All these teens with the sports injuries and the parents are just like “Here! Have some opioids!”

Because surgery hurts. Because chronic back pain hurts. Because chronic pain hurts. Hurts = laying in bed screaming and moaning, unable to work or take care of the house or anything.

There are other ways to deal with chronic pain, including yoga, meditation, PT, and acupuncture, some of which work for some people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why anyone would put even 1 opioid pill in their mouth and swallow it, knowing what know, is just beyond me.

All these teens with the sports injuries and the parents are just like “Here! Have some opioids!”

Because surgery hurts. Because chronic back pain hurts. Because chronic pain hurts. Hurts = laying in bed screaming and moaning, unable to work or take care of the house or anything.

There are other ways to deal with chronic pain, including yoga, meditation, PT, and acupuncture, some of which work for some people.

NP. I think many refuse to work through pain, or to try alternatives FIRST. My daughter had major surgery at the age of 9. Doctors and nurses were shocked that she refused all pain medication after her IV medication was stopped. She was clearly in a lot of pain and we made the decision to let her work through it. Much like a natural labor she moaned, hummed, and meditated through it. Adults need to stop taking the easy way out (medication, alcohol, etc).

[Anonymous]

Nope. Nobody in my family does drugs. My mom has one cousin who smoked weed in the 60's, and she moved out to Texas and didn't resurface for like 20 or 30 years.

We have a lot of medical problems in our family, and everyone is super careful about pain killers and weaning off them as soon as possible.

[Anonymous]

Mine, too. My brother became addicted to Percocet and Vicodin and then moved on to heroin. He's in recovery, but each day is an uphill battle.

We were raised in a loving, upper middle class family, went to the best schools and had every opportunity in life.

[Anonymous]

On the flip side my parent needs a low dose to leave her bed every day. She can only get a 30 day supply and is treated like a criminal every time she goes to the pain clinic. There are no surgeries for her condition and she's tried everything. She's not an addict and never takes more than her low dose. When she runs out, she just cries in bed and is unable to move. We've had to carry her to doctors appointments. The lack of availability of Percocet has limited her life. She has to schedule vacations in between her doctors appointments and often misses holidays and birthdays because she can't travel close to her refill dates. She would like to move closer to her granchildren but can't because she can't find a doctor. She carries her MRI results with her in case of emergency.

I'm worried what happens when Percocet is banned

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On the flip side my parent needs a low dose to leave her bed every day. She can only get a 30 day supply and is treated like a criminal every time she goes to the pain clinic. There are no surgeries for her condition and she's tried everything. She's not an addict and never takes more than her low dose. When she runs out, she just cries in bed and is unable to move. We've had to carry her to doctors appointments. The lack of availability of Percocet has limited her life. She has to schedule vacations in between her doctors appointments and often misses holidays and birthdays because she can't travel close to her refill dates. She would like to move closer to her granchildren but can't because she can't find a doctor. She carries her MRI results with her in case of emergency.

I'm worried what happens when Percocet is banned

My dad and I worry that if Percocet is banned that she would turn to the black market or heroin. She's so crippled physically in pain daily. I think this is why a lot of people turn to heroin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mine, too. My brother became addicted to Percocet and Vicodin and then moved on to heroin. He's in recovery, but each day is an uphill battle.

We were raised in a loving, upper middle class family, went to the best schools and had every opportunity in life.

Keep up the cluelessness