Heroin epidemic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yep, dd has wealthy friends from private school who were hooked on heroin. Fortunately, one is in recovery. The other is off heroin but continues to use other drugs.

so sad.

No, it's not. Heroin users are garbage people. They destroy the lives of everyone around them and then they destroy themselves. The faster they die, the better off everyone else is.

No one should be called "garbage people". And you know nothing about addiction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yep, dd has wealthy friends from private school who were hooked on heroin. Fortunately, one is in recovery. The other is off heroin but continues to use other drugs.

so sad.

No, it's not. Heroin users are garbage people. They destroy the lives of everyone around them and then they destroy themselves. The faster they die, the better off everyone else is.

Agreed, especially since most of these people are lazy, useless white people who don't deserve the good things they have.

[Anonymous]

My 28-year-old sister has lost at least 5 close friends to overdoses. Most came from affluent families with addictions that started as recreational use of prescription opioids and benzos. Some of the kids have parents who enabled their habit, while others had parents who spent hundreds of thousands on various rehabs before they relapsed and died.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 28-year-old sister has lost at least 5 close friends to overdoses. Most came from affluent families with addictions that started as recreational use of prescription opioids and benzos. Some of the kids have parents who enabled their habit, while others had parents who spent hundreds of thousands on various rehabs before they relapsed and died.

I will add that all of those who overdosed came from white Southern families.

[Anonymous]

Not that I know of. It's sad but I have very little sympathy. I think DH's sister may at some point do it, if she doesn't already, as she seems to be hooked on prescription painkillers from what we've seen. I wonder if my sister may do it at some point as well, as she struggles with alcohol abuse.

[Anonymous]

This article really resonated with me: https://medlineplus.gov/news/fullstory_164133.html

It indicates that only a FEW DAYS on a prescribed opioid could result in addiction. Heroin is the cheaper alternative to prescription opioids, once the prescriptions run out.

And opioids are frequently prescribed for chronic pain. Which might be relieved through marijuana. (But that's a whole different story.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This article really resonated with me: https://medlineplus.gov/news/fullstory_164133.html

It indicates that only a FEW DAYS on a prescribed opioid could result in addiction. Heroin is the cheaper alternative to prescription opioids, once the prescriptions run out.

And opioids are frequently prescribed for chronic pain. Which might be relieved through marijuana. (But that's a whole different story.)

I have a reason to believe that some people might be genetically predisposed to the disease of addiction, while some might not be and therefore won't get hooked.

How many people on here have taken prescription opioids? How long were you on them? Were they hard to stop?

I was given a week's supply of Oxy after my C-section, took the pills for five days and that was that. Three years later I had major abdominal surgery, and morphine was flown into my vein post-surgery through a self-administered device. I could press that button as often as I could within a certain time interval, but all morphine did was make me sleepy (that, and eliminate the pain). When I was discharged, they gave me a two-week supply of Vicodin; I stopped taking it in a week and switched to Tylenol.

Sometimes I do wonder what the fuss is all about. How come I didn't get high, not even once? Do people just take double or triple the recommended amount? I know I sound naïve, but I've been genuinely curious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This article really resonated with me: https://medlineplus.gov/news/fullstory_164133.html

It indicates that only a FEW DAYS on a prescribed opioid could result in addiction. Heroin is the cheaper alternative to prescription opioids, once the prescriptions run out.

And opioids are frequently prescribed for chronic pain. Which might be relieved through marijuana. (But that's a whole different story.)

I have a reason to believe that some people might be genetically predisposed to the disease of addiction, while some might not be and therefore won't get hooked.

How many people on here have taken prescription opioids? How long were you on them? Were they hard to stop?

I was given a week's supply of Oxy after my C-section, took the pills for five days and that was that. Three years later I had major abdominal surgery, and morphine was flown into my vein post-surgery through a self-administered device. I could press that button as often as I could within a certain time interval, but all morphine did was make me sleepy (that, and eliminate the pain). When I was discharged, they gave me a two-week supply of Vicodin; I stopped taking it in a week and switched to Tylenol.

Sometimes I do wonder what the fuss is all about. How come I didn't get high, not even once? Do people just take double or triple the recommended amount? I know I sound naïve, but I've been genuinely curious.

+1000

I have had almost 10 surgeries/major procedures for broken bones, hernias and an autoimmune condition. I have been on opioids on and off for many tears. No addiction. Why? Because I use them exactly as prescribed only for as long as I truly need them. A lot of addicts telling sob stories aren't honest about how they abused these drugs recreationally before becoming addicted.

[Anonymous]

Yes, genetics factor greatly into addiction. You see it also among alcoholics - some are just predisposed.

I think also it's culture. Americans can be very lax on the issue of recreational drugs. Some of these heroine addicts have never been on painkillers but got into it recreationally.

[Anonymous]

I know people that are addicted to opioids. And I see how it happens. In my case, I had a cancer diagnosis, and was prescribed dilaudid to help manage the pain. I was on an extremely low dose (dilaudid was used because it had minimal impact on the kidneys). In my case, I could not use any NSAIDs, so my choice was Tylenol or Opioids.

I was on it for two months, and had no problem getting off it. (my dose was 1 mg/day).

My father, on the other hand, was taking 120 mg of Oxy a day. During that time, he was OD'ing several times a year. He refuses to get off it, but has reduced his dose to 15 mg/day. The doctors keep prescribing it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 28-year-old sister has lost at least 5 close friends to overdoses. Most came from affluent families with addictions that started as recreational use of prescription opioids and benzos. Some of the kids have parents who enabled their habit, while others had parents who spent hundreds of thousands on various rehabs before they relapsed and died.

I will add that all of those who overdosed came from white Southern families.

Definitely. It is serious insanity in the south...My husband is from AL and hearing about some hometown acquaintance's friend / sibling / kid overdosing has seriously become almost a monthly occurrence. It's not even surprising anymore, they all just sigh in a 'won't be the last one' way

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My husband is a chef/owner operator. It's really destroyed our professional community. Dozens.

Why is it prevalent in the restaurant industry?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course it's a mostly white person issue, that is why politicians care.

That's why we classify it as a medical problem now. Crack was a problem of character or morals. It's really disgusting. I think we should treat it exactly as we did the crack epidemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband is a chef/owner operator. It's really destroyed our professional community. Dozens.

Why is it prevalent in the restaurant industry?

Drugs are very prevalent in the restaurant industry. My parents completely forbade me from working in it for this reason.

[Anonymous]

I tried OxyContin after some surgery, and hated the way it made me feel. I think I only took one, then switched to different painkiller.

I understand why people get hooked to combat pain, but don't understand the recreational use. It just made me feel loopy, not happy buzzed. I'd much rather have a Manhattan.