On what research do you base your opinion ?

 

While I have a small sample size to go off of, the people I've known who have been users/addicts (including my wife's sister) did it for the sole reason of liking the high. Like I said small sample size, but not a one did it as a result of painkiller addictions.

Those with an addictive personality are always chasing the high. Once they build up their tolerance to one thing, they will move on to something stronger.

How do you get addicted to something if you never try it?

 

I understand what you're saying, but I don't necessarily agree. Some people addiction happens much quicker for than others.

 

I have a very addictive personality. If I gamble, drink, would smoke, etc., I know I get addicted very quickly to things. Because of that, I don't really step foot in a casino (maybe 3-4 times a year), absolutely refuse to smoke, and have really scaled back my drinking (only on weekends). When I find things I enjoy, I have to do them as often as possible. Because of that, I pace myself on those that can be dangerous.

 

My wife could do all those things and it would take a long time for her to get addicted.

I understand what you're saying, but I don't necessarily agree. Some people addiction happens much quicker for than others.

 

I have a very addictive personality. If I gamble, drink, would smoke, etc., I know I get addicted very quickly to things. Because of that, I don't really step foot in a casino (maybe 3-4 times a year), absolutely refuse to smoke, and have really scaled back my drinking (only on weekends). When I find things I enjoy, I have to do them as often as possible. Because of that, I pace myself on those that can be dangerous.

 

My wife could do all those things and it would take a long time for her to get addicted.

 

You're proving my point for me. I fully understand that the amount of time an addiction can set in is different for everyone. You know you have an addictive personality, and you CHOOSE to avoid things that you know would be bad for you to get addicted to. The people I'm referring to make the choice to divulge in negative behaviors that could lead to negative addictions.

While I have a small sample size to go off of, the people I've known who have been users/addicts (including my wife's sister) did it for the sole reason of liking the high. Like I said small sample size, but not a one did it as a result of painkiller addictions.

 

Here is the tricky part. What is pain? Is pain a sense by itself? Should it be grouped in under the Sense of Touch? Is chronic pain a disease? These weird questions have shaped how the medical profession has viewed pain and treatments for it. For a long time, pain was seen as a disease that could be treated by opiates. Pharma companies bastardized a quote in the New England Journal of Medicine and held that opiates were not addictive. Doctors prescribed a ton of them, were given trips and money as kick backs from pharma companies, and made a ton of money in their pillmills. All of this is a very long winded way of saying that more people than we know were legitimately prescribed opiates, were not observed to make sure that they were taken in proper quantities, got hooked, and couldn't afford the pills so they went to heroin. The main thing was, was their pain really sufficient to be given such powerful medicine? Probably not, but it all goes back to how the medical profession viewed pain. SO....more people than we think got hooked on heroin due to painkillers being readily accessible, and then the market price spiking, driving them out of the market but not the addiction.

Insanity, all the way around.

 

But, it brings up a question (at least in my mind)...why would any dealer/supplier push this? Yes, you want your customer base to be/become addicted...but, they can't buy any more when they're dead. And it's not like it's cigarettes, where usage may lead to death down the road. This could be a one-time thing. It just doesn't make any sense to possibly kill off your customer base.

 

 

I had your exact same mentality regarding a dealer pushing stuff that's killing people. Truth be told the same times OD's spike sales increase as a result. Folks realize that what's out there is good and they're willing to take a chance. Hell they take a chance every time they use, this is what they look forward to.

How do you get addicted to something if you never try it?

 

Disease concept...same way you can get lung cancer and never smoke a cigarette

Very unfortunate circumstance, to be sure.

 

It may refute my opinion to an extent, but only when talking about pain killers. That story doesn't really apply to heroin, cocaine, etch. Maybe I'm different, but there's no way I take five or more pain killers in one day. No way. It's just not safe. I would have beaten down the door of every doctor within six hours of me before I did that.

 

Deuce, when my son broke his hip, he wouldn't take his pain meds. And this issue is the reason. But I'm not advocating that. It was horrible watching what he went through. Luckily he knew that (for the most part) his pain had an end. My aunt had degenerative spine disease. She couldn't function without pain meds. My uncle (her brother) has the same issue. It's stomach turning to watch his pain without meds. It's SO easy to say what you would or wouldn't do until you are faced with circumstances you cannot overcome by sheer will. And BB's son, my aunt and uncle, they nevery saw it coming. My ex sister in law is addicted to pain meds for reasons that have nothing to do with physical pain. Her sister died of an OD and her brother just got out of prison for a drug related crime. Yet she can't handle her anguish over her sisters death without being high. I don't think anyone EVER thinks it will be them. I'm just asking that we all show some compassion, because most of us aren't born to be addicts. And we need to help each other as humans get past the demons that are within all of us, but overtake some of us.

As someone who is around this stuff much more frequently (or at least I seem to recall that you are), what % of heroin addicts, in your estimation, end up being positive contributing members of society?

 

Few, but each case is different. I've heard users talk about shooting up with the guy they met at a P&G party or the doctor that had a bad day.

 

While those two may do it on a rare occasion there are successful abusers out there. Unfortunately they believe that.

Disease concept...same way you can get lung cancer and never smoke a cigarette

 

You cannot get addicted to heroin if you never smoke it. Fact.

Deuce, when my son broke his hip, he wouldn't take his pain meds. And this issue is the reason. But I'm not advocating that. It was horrible watching what he went through. Luckily he knew that (for the most part) his pain had an end. My aunt had degenerative spine disease. She couldn't function without pain meds. My uncle (her brother) has the same issue. It's stomach turning to watch his pain without meds. It's SO easy to say what you would or wouldn't do until you are faced with circumstances you cannot overcome by sheer will. And BB's son, my aunt and uncle, they nevery saw it coming. My ex sister in law is addicted to pain meds for reasons that have nothing to do with physical pain. Her sister died of an OD and her brother just got out of prison for a drug related crime. Yet she can't handle her anguish over her sisters death without being high. I don't think anyone EVER thinks it will be them. I'm just asking that we all show some compassion, because most of us aren't born to be addicts. And we need to help each other as humans get past the demons that are within all of us, but overtake some of us.

 

Pain killers present a different situation, I can at least understand why/how someone would get addicted to those even if they were taking them as prescribed.

 

Heroin is not the same. Cocaine is not the same. Any other hard drug not prescribed is a choice being made by an individual, regardless if that person started on pain pills.

You cannot get addicted to heroin if you never smoke it. Fact.

 

As an addict, you are addicted regardless of whether or not you ever ingest a particular type of drug. Fact.

 

Your statement would read better if it said: You can never overdose on heroin if you never ingest it, you can still be very much addicted to the chemical.

 

Addicts are addicts, regardless of the chemical, regardless of if they are high, regardless of if they have quit using today....

 

Again, I will refer you to the disease concept of addiction....sometime known as the medical model

Pain killers present a different situation, I can at least understand why/how someone would get addicted to those even if they were taking them as prescribed.

 

Heroin is not the same. Cocaine is not the same. Any other hard drug not prescribed is a choice being made by an individual, regardless if that person started on pain pills.

 

Absolutely accurate...the choice to use or not to use is the individual's choice

 

There is no choice if one is an addict, they either are, or they are not...irrespective of any ingestion of a chemical

As an addict, you are addicted regardless of whether or not you ever ingest a particular type of drug. Fact.

 

Your statement would read better if it said: You can never overdose on heroin if you never ingest it, you can still be very much addicted to the chemical.

 

Addicts are addicts, regardless of the chemical, regardless of if they are high, regardless of if they have quit using today....

 

Again, I will refer you to the disease concept of addiction....sometime known as the medical model

 

So @UKMustangFan, having admitted to having an addictive personality, is addicted to heroin, cocaine, meth etc., even though he hasn't ingested one ounce of it?

Absolutely accurate...the choice to use or not to use is the individual's choice

 

There is no choice if one is an addict, they either are, or they are not...irrespective of any ingestion of a chemical

 

Maybe we haven't been on the same page...

 

I'm not saying people have a choice whether or not they have an addictive personality or addictive traits. Obviously they can't control that.

 

My point has been even with an addictive personality, they have to make that initial decision to try something new. Hence, opening themselves up to new addictions.