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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

#141

Post by swirepe »

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…

Addiction controls what you want, regardless of whether you like the thing you are addicted to. That's what makes it hard to beat by just white-knuckling it; whatever strength or will you have gets redirected against you.

You might enjoy some of the accounts in The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: https://www.google.com/books/edition/In_the_Realm_of_Hungry_...

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

#142

Post by ChrisRR »

f1refly wrote: post #125
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…

I can't confirm your experience at all. I've had a serious car accident after which they kept me on opium in the hospital for three days. After they replaced it with weaker pain treatment compounds I didn't have any desire to go back, despite how I was feeling when taking opium. I wouldn't say they're instantly addictive.

3 days is a very typical prescription length to stop addiction kicking in

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

#143

Post by achairapart »

I can see addiction like unpaid debt.

Just like everyone may need a bank loan (which is totally socially acceptable), sometime you may need a happiness/energy/relief/whatever loan.

The thing is, just like a money loan, you should be ready to pay your debt after. The day you think you can run away without paying, it's where the trouble begin.

This is true even with alcohol: Go to a party, drink a few glasses. One or two more. Have fun. The day after you pay it with a little (or even big) hangover. Just drink a lot of water and you will be ok.

Obviously this is more difficult with some drugs. They are dangerous because they are more subtle, somehow you think you're still in charge, until it's too late and your debt is out of control.

Now, I'm aware that this is quite complex, but still I wonder how many people there are out there who can self-control themself and diligently keep their debt in order.

I guess, compared to "meth-heads" and other rock bottom abusers, they just don't make the news. Plus they may want to avoid a lot of social rejection.

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

#144

Post by wingerlang »

Mediterraneo10 wrote: post #109
rkachowski wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 nee…

On the other hand the government had to step in and make alcohol restrictions because of the abuse. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systembolaget#History

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

#145

Post by alexashka »

There's an excellent recent Joe Rogan podcast episode on Spotify with Carl Hart - the fella in this article, for those who want to get a more comprehensive understanding of his position.

He's basically for personal freedom and responsibility, drugs included.

His position is really hard to argue with, given the disaster that alcohol prohibition and this 'war on drugs' has been.

The word heroin has triggered a lot of comments here - just because you've known someone who has ruined their life and feel strongly about it, does not make you qualified to draw conclusions on the effects of drug use at large.

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

#146

Post by ChrisRR »

kenniskrag wrote: post #4
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…

do you drink coffee or soft drinks? Try not to drink them for 2 weeks.

Speaking as someone who cut out caffeine cold turkey, it's a different thing

I got stinking headaches for a week, but not an overwhelming urge to drink caffeine

When smokers quit, they almost always describe the urge to smoke rather than the physical side effects, often described more like hunger.

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

#147

Post by capableweb »

joemazerino wrote: post #117

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 the article is trying to say is that harm reduction is a much more human and possibly effective approach to fighting real addition. Compared to other ways, which some of them include "there is no such thing as responsible drug use, it's all addiction" and treating people as such.

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

#148

Post by ChrisRR »

aminozuur wrote: post #41
coldtea wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Addiction is rooted in truama. It's almost impossible to become an addicted if you didn't have to endure (childhood) trauma. Sounds like pop psychology. There are tons of extremely addictive substances. Try one and you will get addicted after a while, even if your whole childhood was hugs and roses and ponies.

Veterans who are given an opioid for pain, rarely got addicted if they had a warm and loving childhood, and lived a life with community and friends. Veterans who had many Adverse Childhood Experiences (A high ACE score), such as coming from a broken home, or faced neglect and isolation growing up, were much more likely to become addicted to the opioids they were given to treat pain.

Got a source for that?

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

#149

Post by capableweb »

originalvichy wrote: post #132

I’ve listened to Hart a few times on JRE podcast. His heart might be in a good place – trying to destigmatize/humanize drug users, but the flip side is he is making actually addictive substances seem like no big deal. Irresponsible.

On the flip-flip side, he's one person spreading harm reduction about drugs that are currently frowned upon. If you look in society right now, you have people (and businesses!) marketing much more harmful drugs to people of all ages with fancy ads and more. Not a lot of people are reacting to that though.

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

#150

Post by rincebrain »

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…

I've been given opioid prescriptions a few times in my life, and I've never found myself wanting to take them for their own sake or suffering from withdrawal afterward.

It's probably some variable physiological response - hopefully one day we'll have a good way of profiling a priori which people may have difficulty with using opioids in a controlled fashion so people don't have to suffer to find out they're among the unlucky ones. (Or maybe we'll come up with either a new class of drugs to replace opioids entirely, or a cocktail to block the adverse effects...)

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