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I am a heroin user. I do not have a drug problem

m.nautil.us

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Re: I am a heroin user. I do not have a drug problem

#101

Post by DanBC »

emsy wrote: post #31
coldtea wrote: post #12

Well, needing to use a drug is already a drug problem (addiction or not).

Do insulin users have a drug problem? I think at the core of the issue is that our society generally regards psychological ailments as a personal flaw, rather than a health issue. (I’m talking generally, not about the professor from the article)

> Do insulin users have a drug problem?

How many insulin users lose their jobs, lose their homes, turn to acquisitive crime or prostitution to fund their insulin habit?

We can talk about how many people who use heroin this happens to, and how much it's caused by current drug prohibition laws, but it's more than zero.

Decriminalisation makes a lot of sense but we need to be realistic about the harm caused to about 10% of people who become addicts.

Re: I am a heroin user. I do not have a drug problem

#102

Post by nicoburns »

Etheryte wrote: post #58
lmilcin wrote: post #38

I am Coca Cola and coffee user. I am not addicted. That is, until I try to leave it for a while and then even if I succeed it still takes a lot of willpower. Addiction is a force that counteracts your will power. You may not have drug problem but you are an addict if you feel compulsion to use the drug. Today you may have enough willpower to counteract that force to consume more alcohol or drugs. But the next day may…

I'm not entirely sure if I follow the narrative here, perhaps you can clarify what you mean. Occasionally I have a beer, either socially or to try out a new beer — does this make me an addict? I would argue no, this alone is not a good definition. I don't have a better definition myself, and surely this is a subject many people have put a lot of effort into figuring out, but I don't think this approach has merit.

I think their key point was that you don't ever really know if you're an addict until you try to stop for a prolonged period.

Re: I am a heroin user. I do not have a drug problem

#103

Post by altcognito »

Because one person thinks he has it under control at this time, I don't see how advocating for wider acceptance of drug classes that have killed and destroyed the lives of millions every year is even a story that deserves a platform.

This was a good story to flag.

Re: I am a heroin user. I do not have a drug problem

#104

Post by hlasdjlfhalwjk »

pessimizer wrote: post #85
maybeOneDay wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Black market incentivises dealers doing things like mixing fentanyl into heroin in order to make it vastly more profitable (fentanyl is cheap and incredibly potent), with the side effect of increasing its deadliness massively. Users often mix heroin with benzos and/or alcohol which increases the level of risk enormously. The vast majority of overdoses are caused by mixing CNS depressants in with heroin, not by heroin…

These are all symptoms of the drug war, not heroin addiction.

That's kinda the point. Most drugs are not bad/evil in themselves. They can be used irresponsibly.

Many classic drugs (as opposed to research chemicals which introduce small molecular changes to circumvent banns on another substance) are pretty safe or at least have a well known safety profile.

Re: I am a heroin user. I do not have a drug problem

#105

Post by xtracto »

lqet wrote: post #2

> One of the major reasons people can’t overcome it is because we’re not very good at treating addiction in this country. I am often wondering about how addiction "feels". I don't consider myself being addicted to anything, and always wonder how an addiction actually manifests itself. Is it a pain? Is it comparable to being extremely hungry or thirsty? Slightly related: a few years ago, I overheard a conversation bet…

It happens to me with CocaCola. I have stopped drinking it, but when I waz i the process, the cravings it gave me were crazy. I NEEDED to have a coke.

Btw, in relation to the article, there was a Reddit user who ar some point wanted to "just try" this heroin thing and his message history depicts very amazingly hiw he spiraled to addiction.

Re: I am a heroin user. I do not have a drug problem

#106

Post by achairapart »

supr_strudl wrote: post #39

>When you’re at a wedding reception, alcohol serves as a social lubricant. People are more gregarious. They talk, they interact. The same is true with cocaine at parties, heroin among friends, or opium among friends, NDMA among lovers. It enhances empathy, openness, and forgiveness, all of these pro-social attributes. Please, don't take this horrible advice. Drugs are harmful and can do fatal damage to you and those…

How is that you can totally talk about social media/sugar/porn/whatever addiction but when there are drugs there is always someone screaming "OH MY GOD LOOK THIS GUY IS TALKING BAD THINGS CALL THE COPS!"?

Re: I am a heroin user. I do not have a drug problem

#107

Post by koheripbal »

rmac wrote: post #5

Man, I read this as someone who tried to use opioids and I just couldn't chip. It spiraled into full blown physical dependence. I guess i'm the type with an underlying psychiatric illness which drove my usage and denial. That there exists people like this person who can chip (controlled use of opiates) always intrigues me -- as this drug was the ultimate pathway to euphoria and thus I became the mouse hitting the but…

Opioids are insanely and ~~instantly~~ quickly addictive. I accidentally became addicted after knee surgery.

When the pain subsided, I stopped taking them, and within a day I found myself curled up in a ball and wanting to rip my own skin off. It's really true when addicts describe it as "being uncomfortable in your own skin".

The moment I realized I was experiencing withdrawal, I flushed the meds down the toilet and just suffered through it for a couple days.

Never ever touch heroin. Stay away from prescription opioids unless it's really really needed, and make sure it's short term only.

Re: I am a heroin user. I do not have a drug problem

#108

Post by sneak »

koheripbal wrote: post #107
rmac wrote: post #5

Man, I read this as someone who tried to use opioids and I just couldn't chip. It spiraled into full blown physical dependence. I guess i'm the type with an underlying psychiatric illness which drove my usage and denial. That there exists people like this person who can chip (controlled use of opiates) always intrigues me -- as this drug was the ultimate pathway to euphoria and thus I became the mouse hitting the but…

Opioids are insanely and ~~instantly~~ quickly addictive. I accidentally became addicted after knee surgery. When the pain subsided, I stopped taking them, and within a day I found myself curled up in a ball and wanting to rip my own skin off. It's really true when addicts describe it as "being uncomfortable in your own skin". The moment I realized I was experiencing withdrawal, I flushed the meds down the toilet and…

> Opioids are insanely and instantly addictive.

This is the kind of FUD that TFA is specifically addressing. Namely, that this is not always a true statement.

Of course, for many people, it is, which is why people make such sweeping (and incorrect) statements. Your warning is valid, your claimed facts are not.

Re: I am a heroin user. I do not have a drug problem

#109

Post by Mediterraneo10 »

rkachowski wrote: post #55
yladiz wrote: post #25

> Hart strives to “present a more realistic image of the typical drug user: a responsible professional who happens to use drugs in his pursuit of happiness.” I think this is likely wrong. I guess it partly depends on the definition of a "drug user" (like, does it include alcohol drinkers) but I would be very surprised if most heroin users are responsible professionals - how can you do anything when you're high on her…

From my reading, alcohol drinkers are absolutely included in his definition of a "drug user" and the exact same objection would apply - how can you do anything when you're drunk on alcohol?

> how can you do anything when you're drunk on alcohol?

The statistics for alcohol consumption in the Nordic countries in the 19th century are staggering, adult males were basically drinking hard liquor all day every day as they went about their work. Alcohol definitely has its effects on the body and is a huge safety risk, but apparently men were still able regardless to run their farms, build the buildings they needed, chop wood, etc.

Re: I am a heroin user. I do not have a drug problem

#110

Post by treeman79 »

sneak wrote: post #108
koheripbal wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Opioids are insanely and ~~instantly~~ quickly addictive. I accidentally became addicted after knee surgery. When the pain subsided, I stopped taking them, and within a day I found myself curled up in a ball and wanting to rip my own skin off. It's really true when addicts describe it as "being uncomfortable in your own skin". The moment I realized I was experiencing withdrawal, I flushed the meds down the toilet and…

> Opioids are insanely and instantly addictive. This is the kind of FUD that TFA is specifically addressing. Namely, that this is not always a true statement. Of course, for many people, it is, which is why people make such sweeping (and incorrect) statements. Your warning is valid, your claimed facts are not.

A gun is always loaded. Even if it has no bullets.
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