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Nineteen people a week overdose in Richmond, dozens are dying, hundreds revived

richmond.com

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Re: Nineteen people a week overdose in Richmond, dozens are dying, hundreds revived

#111

Serious questions...if you’ve used an opioid more than once for recreational purposes, I’d like to hear (1) what prompted you to try it (2) how old you were (3) cost (4) where did you get them (5) why did you stop Treat me like an idiot, I don’t understand this stuff and I’d like to know more. * obviously feel free to use a burner account if you’d rather not speak publicly.

1: I had a severe burn on my crotch (FML) and was prescribed. Funny thing is I KNEW I would become dependent. I'm an addict. sober from cocaine and alcohol (was sober from coke for a couple years before pills, ironically opiates helped me quit drinking which was a big struggle for half of my 20s). No hyperbole, every relative on my fathers side of the family is an addict, going back generations. My dad is an alcoholic, my mom has some mental issues which when combined together are a recipe for addiction (I have bipolar 2 and my mom has depression among other things). I purposefully avoided opiate meds because I know my addiction struggles and knew I wouldn't be able to just take a few pills I would end up taking them for a long time. But, god damn that burn fucking hurt and it's hard for an addict to say no especially when I couldn't fucking walk or sleep. I kind of question why my doc prescribed, even though I know she was just trying to help. We literally just got finished talking about cocaine and struggle to get sober and then she prescribed Oxy... I don't blame her and I also think there is nothing to gain by blaming myself, even though yes it was my choice to take that first pill I don't think it was my choice to be an addict if it were that simple I wouldn't be an addict. blame doesn't serve a point, just like blaming oneself for getting cancer or having bipolar disorder. However I do think Docs still need to improve more and just help patients get through pain without take home pills. Weed helps, fuck Tylenol can be very very effective and being in pain for a week is much better than being dependent on a pill for the rest of your life imho.

2) 24 I tink

3) free prescription no co-pay! Then off the street about $1 per mg of oxy, online and in bulk I can get it for about $.66 per mg

4) originally from a doctor. Then from my coke dealer. Then from the dark net.

5) I haven't been able to stop for more than a couple days

Re: Nineteen people a week overdose in Richmond, dozens are dying, hundreds revived

#112

There are many places around the world called Richmond, and even if we assume it's in the US there are still 16 places called Richmond[1]. I wish people were more specific, particularly when reaching an international audience without an innate understanding of places in the US. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond

Richmond, CA has a similar problem, I assumed VA, but they both work in this context

Re: Nineteen people a week overdose in Richmond, dozens are dying, hundreds revived

#113
post #79
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's just the problem isn't it? People are prescribed a drug for medicinal purposes that is so addictive and so readily distributed for minor ailments that medicinal use inevitably turns to recreational use after the prescription runs out. Louis Theroux's "Dark States: Heroin Town" is a good account of how these addictions progress in the US, and some of the reasons for the growing numbers we are seeing.

Opioid prescription has tripled from 1999 to 2015. Meanwhile, deaths only started to skyrocket very recently (starting in 2010-2011), probably mostly due to cheap heroin being adulterated with fentanyl. Opioid abuse is mostly flat or (among youth) decreasing: https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-FRR1-2... http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/pubs/monographs/mtf-overv... There is no actual link between…

You're right, I learned something here. Thank you for correcting me. Fentanyl seems like the culprit.

Re: Nineteen people a week overdose in Richmond, dozens are dying, hundreds revived

#114

> Local jails have been overrun with people locked up and in need of treatment Why. Do. People. End. Up. In. Jail. Seriously this one is beyond my comprehension - they need treatment, not jails filled with hardened criminals, rapists and probably more (and nastier) drugs than on the street.

I suspect it's a result of "blanket" thinking - if we don't punish $illegal_behaviour, then people won't stop doing it. Unfortunately in this case, the punishment is the same as the punishment for just about every other crime and for this particular issue it's less of a punishment and more of a catalyst.

A middle ground would be a good solution IMO - some kind of jail-esque treatment center or set wings in existing jails just for drug users where they undergo some sort of treatment/detox program. I daresay in a lot of cases, voluntary treatment isn't going to work, and I suspect a lot of treatment centers out there now are nowhere near as secure as a jail.

Re: Nineteen people a week overdose in Richmond, dozens are dying, hundreds revived

#115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd appreciate it if you'd remove your comment since I tried to back out immediately from that line of conversation. Would you mind agreeing? If so, edit your comment to [removed] and I'll delete this one. Otherwise, I can try to explain my original motives, and what I observed. But it's a tricky conversation to have, and there's a high chance people's tendency to instantly turn to hatred will focus on me. I'd rather…

> I'd appreciate it if you'd remove your comment since I tried to back out immediately from that line of conversation. Would you mind agreeing? Two days ago, I saw you post something asinine and I tried to respond. You deleted your comment before I could hit the reply button, and I lost the opportunity to quote and refute you. If this is a recurring problem (that you change your mind about statements on a public foru…

I see Silly doing this everywhere. Asking people to remove their comments.

Edit: See what I did there, bud?

Re: Nineteen people a week overdose in Richmond, dozens are dying, hundreds revived

#116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Its not a cop's job. Its a social worker's job. I do recognize that cops are just "trying to help", and that no one cares about social workers. Cops are in an advantaged position in the USA because they are relatively well respected by most mainstream members of the population. So the fact that they want to help is good. But Cops aren't given the right training to deal with medical problems or other problems (ie: Fir…

Drug users usually turn violent and can be a hazard to themselves or others. Somebody trained to deal with such situations is required. This is, a cop.

> Drug users usually turn violent

Citation needed.

Re: Nineteen people a week overdose in Richmond, dozens are dying, hundreds revived

#117

There are many places around the world called Richmond, and even if we assume it's in the US there are still 16 places called Richmond[1]. I wish people were more specific, particularly when reaching an international audience without an innate understanding of places in the US. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richmond

Richmond, VA is the biggest and most important Richmond. Anyone who has heard of Richmond, VA will likely assume that is the Richmond being referenced. Anyone who hasn't heard of Richmond, VA gains no additional understanding from knowing which state it's in.

If you're in the Bay Area, as HN commenters disproportionally are, your mind is likely to jump first to Richmond, CA in the northern East Bay.

Re: Nineteen people a week overdose in Richmond, dozens are dying, hundreds revived

#118
post #9

Just the other morning I got off of bart in downtown Oakland, 12th street and there was a guy just laid out, unresponsive right on the steps outside the station. He had smoked something out of a can. I stuck with the guy while the paramedics came, but the most tragic part was that he had a plastic "No Allergies" bracelet on. When the paramedics took off his shirt he still had adhesive on his skin from the EKG straps…

I recently re-read the story about the rat park experiment.

http://www.stuartmcmillen.com/comic/rat-park/

The gist of it is that yes, rats do get addicted to morphine and prefer it to food, but only if kept in cages.

The rats living in a much less confined space with other rats, allowed to play, nest, have sex and do pretty much all the rat fun things not only did not get addicted to morphine but even waned themselves off of it.

Speaks a lot to the causes which this epidemic is a symptom of and makes me think that addressing it will not be an easy or quick process.

Re: Nineteen people a week overdose in Richmond, dozens are dying, hundreds revived

#119

> Local jails have been overrun with people locked up and in need of treatment Why. Do. People. End. Up. In. Jail. Seriously this one is beyond my comprehension - they need treatment, not jails filled with hardened criminals, rapists and probably more (and nastier) drugs than on the street.

Right wing idiots pushing a failed war on drugs. Keep electing republicans, keep getting the same garbage. Can anyone point to a republican who is advocating sane drug policy (genuinely curious?)

Re: Nineteen people a week overdose in Richmond, dozens are dying, hundreds revived

#120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'd appreciate it if you'd remove your comment since I tried to back out immediately from that line of conversation. Would you mind agreeing? Two days ago, I saw you post something asinine and I tried to respond. You deleted your comment before I could hit the reply button, and I lost the opportunity to quote and refute you. If this is a recurring problem (that you change your mind about statements on a public foru…

I see Silly doing this everywhere. Asking people to remove their comments. Edit: See what I did there, bud?

If I recall correctly Silly accused me of slandering some app developer because I posted a negative article.

You're posting about an accusation you can't even remember with incomplete information and out of context. That's like a trifecta of incivility.

If you can't remember exactly what I did, maybe don't spin a half-told version of it?

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