161–170 of 246 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Realistically it starts with the race to the bottom WRT being "tough on crime".
Being tough on real crimes with victims is just fine. Being tough on victimless crimes is absurd. It's truly very black and white.
In a game of "tough on crime"-oneupmanship, when you can't get any tougher you make up new crimes to beat the other guy.
It costs less to prescribe drugs than to diagnose and treat underlying problems. So the American profit-driven medical system relies heavily on drugs, especially for poorer patients. And drug companies love addictive drugs. So we get lots of opiate-addicted patients.
And then there's the "drugs are evil" mindset, which justifies criminalization. Even preventing pain is too much like having fun. So it's better for addicts to OD than get safe drugs. Because they deserve it, or whatever. They should just suck it up, walk it off, ...
So it goes.
Earlier 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…
It's not really a well designed study and it's one that hasn't replicated well. 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.
But there are very different patterns of prescribing of opioids across the US and eg UK.
Why is this?
Earlier 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.
Heroin, tried once, is not instantly addictive for most people.
This is just so sad. It costs less to prescribe drugs than to diagnose and treat underlying problems. So the American profit-driven medical system relies heavily on drugs, especially for poorer patients. And drug companies love addictive drugs. So we get lots of opiate-addicted patients. And then there's the "drugs are evil" mindset, which justifies criminalization. Even preventing pain is too much like having fun. S…
I think that's the key: shades of grey. At one point I was very seriously alcoholic but pulled myself out of it; I still concede to social situations. It's not a problem, it's a momentary span of blissful negligence followed by a day of sorrow (that I'm fully dreadful of while drunk).
I'm not special in any regard. I was absolutely lucky enough to realize these things internally. Here's the scary thing:
I spent every living weekend at my friends' digs in South Africa, years and years. It took me a long time to learn about their drug habits. The very first friend candidate that I have met in Seattle has guaranteed that he will get me on coke in no time.
It's an epidemic for absolute certainty. I failed to resolve a single friend's addiction and it still haunts me - what am I going to do with thousands of people who are convinced that there is no problem?
Seattle has a big problem. We are telling addicts to come get their fix safely (which I deeply applaud), but are not attempting to understand their motivation.
Is there any charity making an actual difference that I can volunteer at?
There was a very good Louis Theroux doco (Dark States) set in Huntington, West Virginia a couple of weeks ago about the opiod epidemic. It really hit hard with me for some reason, despite never having first hand contact with anyone with this sort of addiction. In particular, a man who was apparently a pentester before having some sort of accident and becoming addicted to prescribed opoids before transitioning onto il…
That's why addiction is a problem. Once the central nervous system is compromised by addictive substances, it's no longer only a matter of personal life choices. It does not matter whether the addiction was started by a leisurely experimentation or by a medicine prescribed by a doctor.
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.
I didn't "work my way up" from prescription drugs. I have debilitating depression, to the point where I can't get out of bed most days. I can't say I have much to live for, honestly. I am just functional enough to realize that I am deeply unsatisfied with my life. I've tried many different antidepressants. My psychiatrist told me that if the next few medications didn't work, he mentioned that I might want to consider…
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/aug/19/psycho...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
Watch the video here: https://twitter.com/ProfLAppleby/status/917838820682489858?s...