Opiod addictions

[chevron]

How bad is it really ? when I have surgery I never touch that stuff.. I remember 10 years ago taking a heroin based pill after surgery, it was warm and a out of body floating experience, I was 22 but knew enough about drugs to never touch opiods again.

plus I dont get it, getting high off a pill is lame, its like if you needed to gain weight, would you eat pills or burgers ? I'll stick to wine.

But, apparently this is a huge issue?

[sky121]

You may get 'high' off wine but are you an alcoholic? Are you drunk all day? Thinking about ways to get alcohol? Ways to sneak it in your thermos etc?

[beeweegee]

How bad is it really ? when I have surgery I never touch that stuff.. I remember 10 years ago taking a heroin based pill after surgery, it was warm and a out of body floating experience, I was 22 but knew enough about drugs to never touch opiods again.

plus I dont get it, getting high off a pill is lame, its like if you needed to gain weight, would you eat pills or burgers ? I'll stick to wine.

But, apparently this is a huge issue?

What exactly is your question?

1. Are you asking if it's as widespread as people make it out to be? Yes.
2. Are you asking why a person would want to get high? Because it feels good.
3. Are you asking why a person would do something that would harm them? You gotta get out more.
4. Are you asking why a person would get high in a lame way? See answer #2 (and #3).

Oh, and google "fentanyl." You'll get a much better idea of one of the major reasons why this is becoming a larger and deadlier issue.

[sky121]

MANY people who are addicted didn't start out taking them to get high but were prescribed them by the doctor.

[CS1]

... But, apparently this is a huge issue?

Yes. This is a huge issue. It is a life or death issue. It is an addictive-health issue. Article Link: http://bit.ly/OpiodsAmongUsArticle

Video of opioid crisis among Orthodox Jews: http://bit.ly/VideoOfOrthodoxJewsAndOpioidAddictionCrisis

[ChaimMoskowitz]

plus I dont get it, getting high off a pill is lame, its like if you needed to gain weight, would you eat pills or burgers ? I'll stick to wine.

If someone was 100 pounds and can't gain weight they would want the pill. As far getting high stick to one hit pot and leave the wine for women. 

[hachover]

No question that its causing enough deaths today to be attention worthy. And many experts do believe its an epidemic that couod reach massive scale, and possibly even reverse multi-decade streak of mortality improvement. But you'll find just as many skeptics within the expert community.

https://www.statnews.com/2017/06/27/opioid-deaths-forecast/

[hvaces42]

No question that its causing enough deaths today to be attention worthy. And many experts do believe its an epidemic that couod reach massive scale, and possibly even reverse multi-decade streak of mortality improvement. But you'll find just as many skeptics within the expert community.

https://www.statnews.com/2017/06/27/opioid-deaths-forecast/

I believe it is bad in our community. Here is an expert skeptic...
https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/10/12/opioid-epidemic-6-charts-designed-deceive-you-11935

[hvaces42]

Simple answer to any question on why someone does something that leads to addiction...because the addiction allpws one to escape their present reality. Those escapes usually get shorter and shorter and the need to lengthen them gets greater and greater. Hence the overdoses, drinking binges, gambling binges, eating binges. If it makes one feel good and takes away a persistent problem it has the potential to be come addictive.

Hope that made some sense.

[henche]

When I take these, I don't feel anything.  Gets me as high as tylenol or advil does. 

[hvaces42]

When I take these, I don't feel anything.  Gets me as high as tylenol or advil does.

Take some more...and drink some vodka with it.

[as2]

When I take these, I don't feel anything.  Gets me as high as tylenol or advil does.

Get a new dealer. Street quality in Chicago is up, buy when you're here.

[shmebeble]

Once addicted, there is a constant sense of dysphoria when a person tries to stay away from it. Accordingly, just to maintain a sense of normality they want it.
It messes with a person's whole sensory reward pathway.

[chevron]

Once addicted, there is a constant sense of dysphoria when a person tries to stay away from it. Accordingly, just to maintain a sense of normality they want it.
It messes with a person's whole sensory reward pathway.

All addiction does. BTW the lack of tolerance to pain is also fueled on by this  but the truth is you all are right.

The medical community is to blame for this getting out of hand, everyone wants something stronger

I just don't get it from a patient perspective.  You recover faster without these meds. They cause nausea and vomiting etc

[mmgfarb]

It is impossible to understand what it means to be an addict unless you are one yourself. Opioid addiction (or any addiction really) is a sickness and until the world starts to seeing it as such instead of treating the continued abuse as something which is the addicts fault, it will continue to be huge national problem. Oh and 12 step programs don't work, the relapse and drop out rates are just way too high.

[ChaimMoskowitz]

I just don't get it from a patient perspective.  You recover faster without these meds. They cause nausea and vomiting etc

The pain for some is unbearable. Where did you hear you recover faster?

[hvaces42]

It is impossible to understand what it means to be an addict unless you are one yourself. Opioid addiction (or any addiction really) is a sickness and until the world starts to seeing it as such instead of treating the continued abuse as something which is the addicts fault, it will continue to be huge national problem. Oh and 12 step programs don't work, the relapse and drop out rates are just way too high.

Your experience? Otherwise, listen to your first sentence. And the answer to your next questions is YES.

Drop outs and relapses are choices people make. Relapse rate for rehab is way higher. 12 steps always work for people that work the 12 steps and stay in meetings. They seldom work for people that dont go to meetings and dont follow the 12 steps (there are always exceptions, but as a rule...).

[mmgfarb]

All addiction does. BTW the lack of tolerance to pain is also fueled on by this  but the truth is you all are right.

The medical community is to blame for this getting out of hand, everyone wants something stronger

I just don't get it from a patient perspective.  You recover faster without these meds. They cause nausea and vomiting etc

I would say it's more the fault of the pharmaceutical companies who manufacture the drugs for continuing to push doctors to over prescribe and then, to a lesser extent, the medical community for going along with it.
Most patients go along with what they're doctor tells them, how many people do you know with extensive knowledge about how opioids work?
There really is no easy solution at this point, there is some legislation that some people are trying to push that will make it way harder for doctors to prescribe certain things but that really isn't a solution since it takes freedom away from doctors to treat patients as they see fit which is never a good thing. Really the best solution would be better training and teaching of doctors in medical school and in continued education about the dangers and best practices for prescribing opioids.

[mmgfarb]

Your experience? Otherwise, listen to your first sentence. And the answer to your next questions is YES.

My point was that people have to understand that they can't understand instead of thinking that they can relate to what the addict is going through and what it takes to break out of the pattern of addiction.

Drop outs and relapses are choices people make. Relapse rate for rehab is way higher. 12 steps always work for people that work the 12 steps and stay in meetings. They seldom work for people that dont go to meetings and dont follow the 12 steps (there are always exceptions, but as a rule...).

There are other options besides for 12 step programs that are a lot more effective for a much larger percentage of people and you're right, rehab isn't always the best option but sometimes it can be the only option at the time to save someones life although there has to be some form of continued therapy after the patient comes out.

[henche]

But y do ppl take them if they don't make u high?