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.

I’m one of those odd people that pain killers make incredibly sick - nauseous and dizzy. Isn’t the a drug that invites this same effect if the person drinks alcohol? Can it be changed to induce the same with opioids?

No, but 2 close friends - one her husband, the other her son. Sad.
To those that say crack does not equal opioids because opioids have medicinal value... many of those hooked didn’t get hooked because they were on pain meds. They got hooked because a friend have them some. Just like crack. Except it’s more white people, so were compassionate instead of sending them to jail.

Anonymous wrote:My mom was killed in a head on collision 3 years ago. Other driver walked away and blood test detected heroin in his system. Six months later my step-brother overdosed on heroin. I had a 6 month old when my mom was killed. It was a shitty year.

Im so sorry this happened to you

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.

I lost a brother to opioids a few years back. All his meds, including those he used to deliberately overdose, were prescribed by a doctor.

My high GS ex had a five year Percocet addiction. My mother, typical DC Type A professional, takes hydrocodone regularly.

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.

Yes, that's one of the positive things about our societal change away from criminalizing and/or neglecting the fringe populations. You can see it in how schools approach special education (good), how governments implement regulations on wheelchair access (good), even in the pet industry, how dogs and cats are elevated to human status when they weren't before (expensive surgeries, Halloween costumes, etc). I would say the one negative aspect is how parents treat their kids like special snowflakes

Anonymous wrote:I'm so sorry, PPs who have lost loved ones.

Take-away for prevention:

1. Be sensitive to signs of mental illness and do everything to treat it. Both my husband and son are treated for ADHD, my FIL was treated for his bipolar disorder. All these illnesses carry a significant risk of drug addiction if they are not managed correctly.

2. Do not take addictive prescription painkillers that your doctor gives you unless the pain is really unbearable (and I didn't take them even then), and have a plan to get off those drugs if you do.

OP, wishing you strength.

I would also add that if you think someone you love may be abusing opioids, get Narcan to keep on hand if you're around them much. It's available through the pharmacy in most states and not terribly expensive, and it literally saves lives. They still need to go to the hospital after being narcan'd, because it wears off faster than the drugs do, but it's an unbelievable rescue treatment.

I'm not and don't know of anyone in my family/close friends dealing with it, but I completely agree that you should NEVER think it can't happen to you and it's more rampant than people know. Addiction is, by it's nature, hidden... until it can't be anymore.

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.

I'm so sorry, PPs who have lost loved ones.

Take-away for prevention:

1. Be sensitive to signs of mental illness and do everything to treat it. Both my husband and son are treated for ADHD, my FIL was treated for his bipolar disorder. All these illnesses carry a significant risk of drug addiction if they are not managed correctly.

2. Do not take addictive prescription painkillers that your doctor gives you unless the pain is really unbearable (and I didn't take them even then), and have a plan to get off those drugs if you do.

OP, wishing you strength.

Ditto for alcoholism. We are surrounded by functional alcoholics. Most of us don't realize it until a loved one has the issue and it impacts your life.

Anonymous wrote:Yes. My stepdaughter is 23 and a heroin addict. Grew up middle class with 2 fed employee parents. Been to rehab twice, didn't stick. Now dealing as well. Been a stripper, probably a prostitute. Arrested 5 times, including for possession of high quantities, and still no jail time...the courts are just flooded with people like her. She doesn't want to get well yet. Won't admit how bad she is. We fear the call every day.

No jail? Wow.

Anonymous wrote:My mom was killed in a head on collision 3 years ago. Other driver walked away and blood test detected heroin in his system. Six months later my step-brother overdosed on heroin. I had a 6 month old when my mom was killed. It was a shitty year.

I’m sorry for your loss. But one thing you should know is that you can test positive for heroin for up to five days after use. So a positive test at the time of an accident doesn’t mean that heroin had anything to do with the accident.

To PP who is waiting for the call, I understand just how you feel. And even though you expect it, when it comes it’s like getting punched in the gut. It’s unbeliebably painful even though you know in a sense that their own actions caused or contributed. It’s been a few years and I still can’t read a thread like this without tears.