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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

#631

Post by yibg »

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…

That's a very blanket statement without any backing. I've been on opioids several times for pain management and haven't experienced any withdrawal symptoms.

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

#632

Post by fomine3 »

rwmj wrote: post #304
akiselev wrote: post #277

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We can, however, easily take the opposite conclusion: drug criminalization has been an unmitigated disaster in almost every country it’s been tried short of a few incredibly homogenous countries like Japan and countries for which no real data is available like North Korea.

It's a disaster in Japan and North Korea too, albeit in different ways. In North Korea the state manufactures some very nasty narcotics and distributes them as a way to gain foreign currency with the "nice" side effect of destabilising those places they export to. Japan has a plainly crazy attitute to cannabis, with people losing their careers and being socially ostracised over the most passing association with the d…

I don't know these called disaster.

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

#633

Post by boomboomsubban »

jm__87 wrote: post #621
boomboomsubban wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The assertions that the are made in the article seem like something that should be backed up with studies and not anecdotal evidence from one person (even if he is well respected). Wherw do you think he got these assertions? There have already been studies about how often heroin users are addicts or what the addiction rate of prescription opioids are.

One thing I am curious about with this research is how they would get reliable numbers for high functioning opiate addicts. Addiction is really a spectrum from "no dependence on the drug and no negative life consequences" to "high dependence on the drug and many negative life consequences". I'm sure that many people fall in the middle where they continue to responsibly live their lives while still being dependent on…

> is how they would get reliable numbers for high functioning opiate addicts.

He's very clearly advising against getting addicted, something most opiate users accomplish.

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

#634

Post by boomboomsubban »

bostonsre wrote: post #615
boomboomsubban wrote: post #208

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The assertions that the are made in the article seem like something that should be backed up with studies and not anecdotal evidence from one person (even if he is well respected). Wherw do you think he got these assertions? There have already been studies about how often heroin users are addicts or what the addiction rate of prescription opioids are.

From the interview, it sounds a lot like he got them from his personal experience. He mentions percentages, but I see no references to any sources. It matters what those sources are (e.g. if they are from Purdue pharma or the sacklers, it's probably BS).

Then buy his book, how is he supposed to cite his sources in an interview?

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

#635

Post by edmundsauto »

mfer wrote: post #424
fbelzile wrote: post #394

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In this case, the grounds for dismissal are for wearing headphones during working hours. Drug test results can be positive for things done outside of working hours.

Drugs, in many cases, outside of working hours can have effects during working hours. Many software developers working for companies have agreements that they can't compete with their current employer on what they do while employed there. It's something employees give up while employed somewhere. In the name of safety, many jobs with safety issues have to give up certain things (i.e. drugs) while employed there.

Many of the same jobs that drug test for safety issues also have alcohol use as part of their off hours culture.

This same logic would also apply to lack of sleep, and is often glorified as part of the culture (doctors).

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

#636

Post by robin21 »

gonehome wrote: post #545
JoelMcCracken wrote: post #542

I read this a few hours ago and didn't decide to comment then. But I just have to. I just lost my brother-in-law to heroin overdose. He overdosed because he went into rehab, came out, and then used far more than his body could tolerate. This is unfortunately common. Not because he mixed it with alcohol or antihistamines or whatever. Overall, his entire life has been extremely tragic. He was a good guy at heart. He wa…

Yeah, the piece reads like a rationalization by a drug user still in the early stages of a problem. We'll see how things turn out in the end (maybe I'm wrong), but I'm pretty skeptical of a positive outcome.

Exactly my thought. I only want to hear wisdom from drug users in their 80s after a full life. Even losing your shit in your 70s causes enormous emotional distress for family members. Talk to someone who had looked after an elderly Alzheimer’s patient.

Imagine being in the nursing home with the heroin addict who thinks he has everything under control.

Everything is about risk. Bad shit happens in life and people have to deal with it. Bad shit can happen unexpectedly. And it’s difficult to know how it will feel when it happens. Look at how many people will “hit the bottle” because someone dies. Or a relationship ends. Imagine if that becomes something 100x more risky.

We see all the disastrous effects from legal drugs and now he wants to add more to the mix.

The difficulty in obtaining drugs reduces their use. That is the bottom line. Everyone wants to argue against it but it’s the clear reality.

This guy just lives in a bubble.

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

#637

Post by sadfev »

Yeah, all drugs should be allowed. Just have sane programs for sanitary usage and perhaps a small tax on users so that the peripheral facilities can be run without taxing wider population.

If one (adult) can’t handle drugs then help should be readily available as is for alcoholics.

No need to get political and emotional about it, there’s a pragmatic way.

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

#638

Post by robin21 »

pvitz wrote: post #550
gonehome wrote: post #545

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, the piece reads like a rationalization by a drug user still in the early stages of a problem. We'll see how things turn out in the end (maybe I'm wrong), but I'm pretty skeptical of a positive outcome.

Agree! When he said that he meets his parental, personal [...] responsibilities, I thought I would like to hear if his partner and his children think the same. Maybe everything is really fine, but more often, the drug user doesn't realize how his (ab-)use affects his closest environment.

Even the phrasing is weird. To “meet my responsibilities” as of it’s a burden or a job. Not like: “as long as I can remain a great parent and partner”. Maybe I read too much into it.

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

#639

Post by robin21 »

cambaceres wrote: post #576
gonehome wrote: post #545

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, the piece reads like a rationalization by a drug user still in the early stages of a problem. We'll see how things turn out in the end (maybe I'm wrong), but I'm pretty skeptical of a positive outcome.

Don't take this wrong, but I'm pretty skeptical of a positive outcome of your life too. We all die in the end.

Yeh but people are going to love and depend on you and the timing and mode in which you die is going to affect them and leave a lasting mark. So it’s best for society that older people don’t just yolo it.

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

#640

Post by robin21 »

iamacyborg wrote: post #591
Cerium wrote: post #588

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Snarky comments generally get down-voted. I would like to take a look at your point though. Is death the outcome of life? I don't buy a computer to wait for it to break, even though that is the inevitable outcome. The meaning of life is not to have an opportunity to die.

I guess that would depend on whether you believe there's a meaning to life in the first place.

Most people develop a connection to others and that’s enough to occupy them in place of the search for meaning.
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