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
Nineteen people a week overdose in Richmond, dozens are dying, hundreds revived
131–140 of 246 posts
Re: Nineteen people a week overdose in Richmond, dozens are dying, hundreds revived
#132Serious 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.
2) 16-18, mid thirties now
3) Rarely too much, but when I did lots of heroin I ate less and paid for less other entertainment so I guess it evens out
4) Wherever convenient, usually through my social network
5) I just don't care enough to go to the effort. Nice high, excellent for doing work and being social if I dose reasonably. But other things are nice too. Regarding being social, I can take e.g. oxycodone for multiple days/events in a day, but I cannot take MDMA several times to any useful effect. Regarding work, it's good for long sustained bouts of work as it is easy to gently daydream about problems for any amount of time and it's easy to work for hours because I feel great and free of distractions. The side effects of constipation (I LOVE pooping), appetite loss (I like eating), bad sleep (it's really good for you) and apathy towards sex (bad, except for those unfortunate periods in life where it's good) are all worth considering. Generally, it's difficult to maintain ones quality of life and also do boatloads of opiates, just like anything else. It is very easy to find out oneself doing boatloads, though. Regarding addiction-- Tolerance and withdrawal are not currently considered necessary and sufficient for "addiction." It's considered a behavioral phenomenon. A bad case of the flu is much much worse than a bad period of withdrawal. Regarding the behavioral stuff and desire-- Dealing with unwanted desires is a good skill to have, I guess, and I'm lucky I don't want it very much. It is more effort to do more than it is to do less. But every step into "addiction" is infinitesimal and reversible, and every step out of "addiction" is equally infinitesimal and reversible, though you might notice it more.
Re: Nineteen people a week overdose in Richmond, dozens are dying, hundreds revived
#133Serious 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 alcoholi…
I agree that blame misses the point and also that doctors need to bear some weight of responsibility when dishing out opioids.
Hope the best for you...
Re: Nineteen people a week overdose in Richmond, dozens are dying, hundreds revived
#134Just 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 themselv…
But people still love bringing it up, especially here on HN where people seem to think they know better than the experts on everything to do with medicine.
Re: Nineteen people a week overdose in Richmond, dozens are dying, hundreds revived
#135Earlier quoted context omitted.
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 themselv…
Something I often think about is whether having a job - the agency to by one's own hand change one's prospects in life, to "provide for one's family" - is our equivalent of this "less confined space." In a post-automation post-scarcity world, despite boundless entertainment and resources (things that would make rats perfectly happy)... would ennui still drive people towards self-destructive behavior? And in fact, wou…
Edit: I should add there are a couple post scarcity instances in recent history. Establishment of America, and post WW2. These also coincided with the least income inequality. But those periods don't last.
Re: Nineteen people a week overdose in Richmond, dozens are dying, hundreds revived
#136Serious 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) In college, I discovered I loved recreational substances. My best friend was a closet heroin addict and convinced me to try it. 2) 19 or 20 3) 90 to 200 USD per gram. Towards the end, I was spending upwards of 3000 a month. 4) Through my friend at first, but I quickly developed a network of dealers. 5) My entire life had been reduced to obtaining and consuming heroin. I didn't stop when my best friend died, I didn…
Hope the best for you...
Re: Nineteen people a week overdose in Richmond, dozens are dying, hundreds revived
#137Earlier quoted context omitted.
> the first few replies were vaguely insinuating I might somehow be sympathetic to neonazis. Please stop being so defensive. People dog-piled on you because they thought you said something dumb. They're not being "hateful" or "violent". Those words have meanings, and their meanings are actually directly related to why Reddit banned those subreddits. If you can't tell the difference between me saying "Yo your opinion…
If you don't feel confident defending your opinions in such a space The point of HN is to be a search for the truth among colleagues, not a verbal barfight. The fact that you wanted to get into one immediately says a lot about both sides of the conversation. your comment did not do enough to distance whatever you were talking about from them You didn't even briefly pause to question whether I might be associated with…
Re: Nineteen people a week overdose in Richmond, dozens are dying, hundreds revived
#138Serious 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.
I can only speak to Heroin, not prescription painkillers. 1) I had tried just about every other drug, and I felt at that point like they had been unfairly demonized. A high school friend was doing heroin, and so I wrongfully assumed Heroin would fall into the same category. I was pretty young. 2) 14 3) My usual habit for the ten years of my addiction was around 100-150 a day. I simply couldn't find a way to reliably…
Agree with @icebraining on #1...it’s not fair to group all substances into one category.
hope the best for you...
Re: Nineteen people a week overdose in Richmond, dozens are dying, hundreds revived
#139Re: Nineteen people a week overdose in Richmond, dozens are dying, hundreds revived
#140Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sorry to hear. Partaking in heavy drugs to any degree invites those dark unknowns. The number of hands these drugs pass through to reach the end-user is more than a couple. I recall on average it's 8 different turnovers. Each time, likely being cut down. They operate a margin business without concern for where it ends up. It's likely safe to say that a vast majority of drugs are cut these days. A friend I grew up wit…
I can see how people move to something like heroin after being on pain meds and getting addicted, but who really just 'tries' heroin? At this point, the mix danger and addiction danger is well known and publicized. I'm asking, because I cannot mentally put it together, particularly if someone has life going in the right direction.