Live data from Hacker News

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

m.nautil.us

151–160 of 692 posts

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

#151

I found this quote pretty strange: > Despite the current false narrative, the addiction rate among people prescribed opioids for pain in the United States, for example, ranges from less than 1 percent to 8 percent. What's the threshold where it's a problem? 1% of prescription drug users getting addicted sounds like a terrible situation to me. Let alone 8%. Especially if they're already in a situation where finding a…

That's exactly why prescriptions exist, so that doctors can limit the time taking the opioids and reduce the risk of addiction

If anyone were left to their own devices and still in pain, I suspect a lot more than 8% would continue to take the painkillers.

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

#152
post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So, what's the problem then? Why is using heroin bad?

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…

Are there benefits in using heroin?

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

#153
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…

Because it’s not the ultimate pathway to euphoria for everyone.

Some of us don’t like the “sinking into oblivion” feeling of that class of drugs. I don’t want to feel like my IQ has been sliced in half. Really hate it actually.

The dragon to chase is of the functional businessman’s variety- cocaine. I’d rather take something that enhances my life experience, turns conversation in liquid gold oozing from mouth. Opiates and barbiturates temporarily hide your problems under a blanket of haze, confusion, and constipation. No thanks.

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

#154
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This'll get downvoted, but it strikes me how hypocritical it is that you can say you don't feel comfortable in your body they'll put you on test blockers and estrogen replacement to help you look like how you identify, but saying you think you need to look like Adonis is illegal. Controlled use of anabolic steroids is demonstrably safe and effective.

Who is the “they” you’re referring to? Both groups in your example need therapy, not hormones.

Doctors

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

#155
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…

Someone I know had a basic nose surgery (bone deviation) and then she experienced withdrawal symptoms after the surgery because of the anesthetics, which required intervention by professionals and she was unable to work for a month.

Edit: Just to clarify, she was not prescribed any opioids/drugs to be taken post surgery, it was purely the anesthetics.

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

#156
Three years ago, I decided, for New Years, to try getting addicted to caffeine and alcohol. The caffeine was a rapid success, the effects of which which I still enjoy. After half a dozen bottles of bourbon, I gave up on the alcohol for a lack of interest/effect. Peoples bodies and neurochemistry are simply different.

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

#157

This is legitimately dangerous reporting. Heroin is ranked in the top 3 of addictive chemicals and all this article reports about is this anecdotal nonsense. I've too many friends to Heroin to know the reality of the drug.

I think you're missing the point of the article a bit. Everyone knows Heroin is dangerous and it's iterated on in the article as well. Only responsible and healthy individuals should self-use drugs, generally speaking. Then you can also argue that you might not have lost your friends only because of Heroin the substance, but also how people with heroin addiction is "treated" and frowned upon in society. I think what…

I think the tone of the article is dangerous.

That coupled with the fact of how heroin is treated in society makes it worse. On top of that, add that not everyone that uses it is healthy and responsible, makes it even worse providing some bad validation. And then, not everyone is capable of making the distinction between fun or addiction early on when an addiction is starting.

I too think it's dangerous.

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

#158
> Some people don’t know not to mix specific sedatives with opioids. For example, they don’t know not to mix large amounts of alcohol or large amounts of antihistamines. Specific combinations can lead to respiratory depression, which can lead to death. Another point of ignorance involves people who buy street drugs and don’t necessarily know if the drugs contain contaminants. That’s the kind of ignorance I’m talking about.

I feel like he just wrote off 450000 deaths from 1990-2019 with people don't know how to mix alcohol and opioids correctly.

https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/analysis.html

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

#159
post #31
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)

That's a false equivalence and you know it. Insulin is not a recreational drug

This article is very clearly about recreational drug use

Post reply on HN