Addiction runs wild in my family. Alcohol for some, drugs for others.

I've been prescribed opiates post-surgery and refuse to take them. I have an addictive personality and could see it becoming an issue. I don't drink in my home for the same reason. (I do occasionally drink at restaurants, etc). I also metabolize medications really quickly, so I can see where it would never be enough.

It's scary stuff.

Anonymous wrote:Different PP re: the garbage poster and "insight and empathy" poster.

I replied earlier about my sister. Look, I really get it. They do terrible, awful things to their families and anyone they get near. They lie, steal, cheat, and are violent and abusive. When you've been the victim of that behavior, "insight and empathy" aren't going to help you handle the addict better. It may cause you to become an enabler, but it won't help you or them. Of course the garbage poster is upset at how the addict affected him/her and his/her family. Saying "work on that as well" shows that you clearly have not had a close family member destroy themselves and their family from addiction.

However, it's understandable, but still not constructive, to call someone a "garbage person." My sister, when she's sober, HATES who she's become, but that still doesn't stop her from lying to our faces and stealing from anyone she can. My elderly parents SLEEP WITH THEIR BEDROOM DOOR LOCKED because they genuinely believe her when she says she'll kill them in their sleep. And you know, I believe her too! I'm SO ANGRY at what she's done to my family (and herself), but I honestly believe that if she could shake this addiction and related personality damage it's caused, she could be my sister again. I highly doubt that will happen, but there's still that glimmer of "her" in there, so she's not total garbage.

Wow. I'm sorry for what you and your family have experience. But if both you and your parents seriously think your sister will harm your parents, then she needs to be in jail. I can't imagine how you would feel if she truly harms them. Her addiction can't be placed above their safety. Please take her threats seriously.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I have an extremely addictive personality and have struggled with alcohol abuse. I didn't even take my oxy after my csection and just dealt w the pain.

Clearly, opioids affect different people in dramatically different ways. I'm like pp -- they just make me sleepy and nauseated. I've never taken an entire prescription, even after surgery. I'd really just deal with the pain. For some people, they fill some void. There is data that shows that a significant majority (about 70%, if I recall) of teenagers who become dependent on drugs have some underlying mental health issue (depression, bipolar, etc). In other words, they're self-medicating. If you're not susceptible to addiction, just count yourself very lucky.

Different PP re: the garbage poster and "insight and empathy" poster.

I replied earlier about my sister. Look, I really get it. They do terrible, awful things to their families and anyone they get near. They lie, steal, cheat, and are violent and abusive. When you've been the victim of that behavior, "insight and empathy" aren't going to help you handle the addict better. It may cause you to become an enabler, but it won't help you or them. Of course the garbage poster is upset at how the addict affected him/her and his/her family. Saying "work on that as well" shows that you clearly have not had a close family member destroy themselves and their family from addiction.

However, it's understandable, but still not constructive, to call someone a "garbage person." My sister, when she's sober, HATES who she's become, but that still doesn't stop her from lying to our faces and stealing from anyone she can. My elderly parents SLEEP WITH THEIR BEDROOM DOOR LOCKED because they genuinely believe her when she says she'll kill them in their sleep. And you know, I believe her too! I'm SO ANGRY at what she's done to my family (and herself), but I honestly believe that if she could shake this addiction and related personality damage it's caused, she could be my sister again. I highly doubt that will happen, but there's still that glimmer of "her" in there, so she's not total garbage.

Re: the garbage poster.

I kind of get feeling that way about a person who has become a truly hardened addict and there is little hope that they will ever pull out of it. But the vast majority of heroin addicts are actually not in this category. They are newer users and they can be salvaged way more easily.

The key is for the family to step in and step it up. Rehab is not necessarily a better answer than staying in place with family that has educated itself on how to set boundaries and use appropriate strategies with the recovering addict. (Tough love as it is commonly understood is not one of them.) Rehabs, despite their abysmal success rates, are increasingly becoming your tax dollars at work or your tax dollars being scammed depending on how you look at it.

My child freely admits and is thankful that I stepped it up to pull him out of the early stages of addiction. There were missteps along the way, but in the end I learned what worked to get to a successful outcome. My child had a big problem but was not garbage then and certainly not now. He is super-motivated to make up for his lost time and is excelling at school while holding down a part-time job in IT. He has big plans for his future, bigger perhaps than he would have had had addiction not intervened.

He has cut off all contact with two friends who have since fallen into hardened addiction that is so deep there is very little hope left. As in they are in a methadone program so they can ensure a steady supply of opiates in case they can't score heroin on a particular day. Garbage isn't the word I would use for them, but their lives are very bleak.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been on daily opiates for about five years, and have never taken more than the prescribed amount/usually take less. I was so scared to start taking opiates because of all the 'it only takes one time!!' etc scare tactics, but all it does for me is keep my pain to a dull roar so I can work, take care of my family, and sleep a few hours a night. It is frustrating to have to refill my rx's exactly the same day every month and having to go to the dr so often because of controlled substance laws.

The current research shows that people with happy, stable lives are less prone to addiction than people with undiagnosed mental health issues (lots of people self-Medicare), unstable family life, etc.

Excuses , excuses

If you usually take less, then why do you have to refill your medication on exactly the same day everyday?

Not the PP, but trying to fill early is likely to flag you as risky. Picking them up too late may mean you aren't prescribed as many anymore. Controlled substances are tightly controlled. I've been on a different controlled substance for years and the restrictions are a hassle. I can't pick up my RX a few days early because will be out of town. I travel a lot. The pharmacy will make you come back in 2 days if it isn't time, even if you're there already picking up other medications. If you have several children and a job, stopping by the pharmacy twice in a week is difficult.

I would suggest to the first quoted PP above that she look into a mail-order pharmacy. I can get my RX delivered within a day of when I need it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've been on daily opiates for about five years, and have never taken more than the prescribed amount/usually take less. I was so scared to start taking opiates because of all the 'it only takes one time!!' etc scare tactics, but all it does for me is keep my pain to a dull roar so I can work, take care of my family, and sleep a few hours a night. It is frustrating to have to refill my rx's exactly the same day every month and having to go to the dr so often because of controlled substance laws.

The current research shows that people with happy, stable lives are less prone to addiction than people with undiagnosed mental health issues (lots of people self-Medicare), unstable family life, etc.

Excuses , excuses

If you usually take less, then why do you have to refill your medication on exactly the same day everyday?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I know lots about addiction. I have had multiple people in my family die from heroin use. It was their choice. They had multiple opportunities to make other choices. They wreaked untold amounts of havoc on their family, friends and employers before they died. We would have all been better off if they died years earlier.

They're garbage and the faster you dispose of garbage the better off society is.

Please just stop with the "garbage" talk. Your comments are cruel. If you don't have an addictive gene, it is hard to understand. Please read the books recommended on this thread, just so you have some insight and empathy. You seem very upset about how their addiction has affected YOU. Work on that as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many people hooked on heroin now -did- have the right choices modeled for them. And yet they turned to drugs anyway.

Look. Go read a book, one that explains addiction. In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, the one mentioned above, is great. Until you do that, you're just going to continue looking dumb because those of us who have taken the time to understand this issue know that there is a lot more to addiction than drugs and making one bad choice.

NP. Whatever , slice it any way you want . It's still a matter of choice

If you had debilitating chronic pain, would you choose the pain or opiods?

My cousin almost died in childbirth. She was prescribed pain killers. It was a very stressful time. I don't know exactly when the addiction took hold but eventually her partner introduced her to heroin. Her family sent her to a religious rehab that didn't give her the tools to deal with sobriety in the real world. She had crippling anxiety and her family constantly guilted her for her past missteps. Every day. They equated every prescription to heroin so she went without. Then her mother arranged for her to move back to her old town where all her old connections were. She died 6 months later after sending me a text about how heartbroken she was that she couldn't see her child. She was alone. She did a speedball and died on church steps. Her religious family said they hoped she was praying for forgiveness.

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.

I have an extremely addictive personality and have struggled with alcohol abuse. I didn't even take my oxy after my csection and just dealt w the pain.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone here knows someone who is affected by heroin or one of its first cousins, known by pharmaceutical names like Tramadol, Xanax, OxyContin, Hydrocodone... It's everywhere.

It was amazing to me how quickly a doctor prescribed Tramadol for a back problem for me. I had been on non-prescription NSAIDs, and asked if there was something stronger I could be taking (I was talking about in the NSAID family), and he prescribed Tramadol without telling me what it was. I got the prescription filled and then looked it up before taking it. I was shocked. Dealing with really bad back pain has got to be better than a lifetime addiction to pain pills and eventually worse.

I can't believe how casually doctors prescribe this stuff, and this was in 2015, so people knew what was going on by then.

Oh, and I never went back to that doctor again.

IMHO doctors like these should face stricter consequences. Over prescribing narcotic painkillers is a violation of the Oath.

When doctors don't prescribe narcotics, then patients are distraught because their pain is being controlled adequately. Doctors can't win in this situation.

In an NP. Roll your eyes if you want to but it's the truth. I went to the dentist with an infected tooth. He prescribed tramadol, an antibiotic and sent me for a root canal. The endodontist, asked me what I was taking (not what I'd been prescribed already) I said Advil, and he handed me prescription for hydrocodone. Then a week later, when I was still infected and had to see an Ent for a salivary gland infection and as I left he said, here's some tramadol. I could have had 100 pills in a week if o wanted them. It is freaking ridiculous.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I know lots about addiction. I have had multiple people in my family die from heroin use. It was their choice. They had multiple opportunities to make other choices. They wreaked untold amounts of havoc on their family, friends and employers before they died. We would have all been better off if they died years earlier.

They're garbage and the faster you dispose of garbage the better off society is.

I'd prefer we dispose of the garbage billionaire family whose company pled guilty to misleading the public about prescription opiates. Instead, they have walls filled with awards and honors for their philanthropy.

Anonymous wrote:I've been on daily opiates for about five years, and have never taken more than the prescribed amount/usually take less. I was so scared to start taking opiates because of all the 'it only takes one time!!' etc scare tactics, but all it does for me is keep my pain to a dull roar so I can work, take care of my family, and sleep a few hours a night. It is frustrating to have to refill my rx's exactly the same day every month and having to go to the dr so often because of controlled substance laws.

The current research shows that people with happy, stable lives are less prone to addiction than people with undiagnosed mental health issues (lots of people self-Medicare), unstable family life, etc.

What research?

Anonymous wrote:I've been on daily opiates for about five years, and have never taken more than the prescribed amount/usually take less. I was so scared to start taking opiates because of all the 'it only takes one time!!' etc scare tactics, but all it does for me is keep my pain to a dull roar so I can work, take care of my family, and sleep a few hours a night. It is frustrating to have to refill my rx's exactly the same day every month and having to go to the dr so often because of controlled substance laws.

The current research shows that people with happy, stable lives are less prone to addiction than people with undiagnosed mental health issues (lots of people self-Medicare), unstable family life, etc.

Excuses , excuses