Drugs! Drugs! Drugs!

[Crazed Rabbit]

I'm feeling very left out of the drug scene here in rural Wisconsin. One of my neighbors has chronic pain from a motorcycle accident, so he's always high on Oxycodone. Says his doctors help him "manage" his inevitable addiction, which sounds scary.

Some people legitimately do need a lot of painkillers for constant pain. A bigger problem to me than some people consuming painkillers constantly is the attorneys and DEA going after doctors for prescribing painkillers. The attorneys are looking to score convictions based on science they don't understand, leading to people not being treated because doctors are afraid to do so.

Also, addiction may be overstated:

What is lacking is not the way to treat pain effectively but the will to do it. For a quarter of a century, pain specialists have been warning with increasing stridency that pain is undertreated in America. But a wide array of social forces continue to thwart efforts to improve treatment. Narcotics are the most powerful painkillers available, but doctors are afraid to prescribe them out of fear they will be prosecuted by overzealous law enforcers, or that they will turn their patients into addicts . . . “We are pharmacological Calvinists,” says Dr. Steven Hyman, director of the National Institute of Mental Health.

The authors go on to state:

But at the heart of the debate is confusion about what constitutes addiction and what is simply physical dependence.

Most people who take morphine for more than a few days become physically dependent, suffering temporary withdrawal symptoms–nausea, muscle cramps, chills–if they stop taking it abruptly, without tapering the dose. But few exhibit the classic signs of addiction: a compulsive craving for the drug’s euphoric or calming effects, and continued abuse of the drug even when to do so is obviously self-destructive. In three studies involving nearly 25,000 cancer patients, [researcher Russell] Portenoy found that only even became addicted to the narcotics they were taking . . . “If we called this drug by another name, if morphine didn’t have a stigma, we wouldn’t be fighting about it,” says [researcher Kathleen] Foley.

More recently, The Feds have taken to having grand juries investigate activists who defend doctors with crimes, and asking for gag orders on those who defend the doctors. And then agents forced their way into the homes of patients.

People ought to be able to get whatever pain meds they need. I don't give a care if some people abuse the system. Better that than those in need not getting any relief.

One of the daughters of my police neighbor comes crying to my house 'cause her mom's on drugs. Great. A high cop. Wonderful.

Good grief.

Then I find out that another neighbor, the one who listens to nothing but Rush and who always has Fox News on (visible from the street due to giant TV and lack of curtains) is growing his own pot and smoking it in large quantities. So I guess he's a pothead tea partier. Dude.

Well, hopefully that's another republican against the drug war.

And here I am, utterly left out. I barely drink anymore, gave up smokes seven years ago, never got into prescription drugs and never got into illegal drugs. Hell, if I quit coffee, I'd be clean as a Mormon, which is kinda sad.

What if you drink soda?

What's the drug situation where you live? Are you on any long-term medication? Are you dealing with addiction?

Lots of BC bud, in which I do not indulge.

And since it sure looks as though everybody who wants drugs is getting them, why don't we legalize and tax this sucker?

Why do you hate children so much? They'd just become addicted and then become crackheads. And it'd only take a week tops!

CR

[Myrddraal]

I'm naturally a little bit afraid of anything addictive. Forget about health consequences, the thought of being dependent on the intake of some substance my body doesn't normally need to function is enough to put me off trying drugs. Of course I drink, but I have gone great stretches of time without drinking and not even thinking of it.

[The Stranger]

I'm naturally a little bit afraid of anything addictive. Forget about health consequences, the thought of being dependent on the intake of some substance my body doesn't normally need to function is enough to put me off trying drugs. Of course I drink, but I have gone great stretches of time without drinking and not even thinking of it.

same here... though i dont actually drink either :P if my average is one glass a week or above im surprised. i doubt i even make that, its prolly closer to a glass a month.

[rory_20_uk]

There are a lot of alcohol problems round here, the Scottish Parliament is wanting to go the route of Sweden and get a state monopoly on alcohol sales and hike the prices up.

That will mean masses of cheap(er) booze coming from England - and of course numerous stills.

Chronic pain shouldn't be treated with opiates alone. It's much better to use a mix along with tricyclics, NSAIDs and dear old Paracetamol; a TENS machine is also quite good.

[LittleGrizzly]

Cannabis, Caffiene and Cigerettes. My body doesn't seem to take to kindly to drugs so I only really take the light ones... (ok cigerettes are really bad but on a long term time scale) I haven't drunk alcohol for over a year and im in no rush to have anymore as alcohol messes me up far worse than any of the A or B class drugs do... (although im not referring to heroin or crystal meth)
The three C's are an everyday thing for me though... can be a bit overwhelming when I kick off the day first thing with a combo of all three...

Its insanity not to legalise and tax it, there are only beneifts to doing so (apart from losing the election for daring to enact such sensible policy)

[al Roumi]

Personally, I'm quite fond of Meths. I'm glad it can be used to clean paint too, or my habit might cost me more.

[Furunculus]

booze and cigs.

i have two or three beers of an evening, why not, it's more fun than fruit-juice
i have a cig with the beer.

i have a coffee before work, and that's about it.

don't take an prescription meds for altering mood or controlling pain, and don't smoke weed or do any illegal drugs.

[rory_20_uk]

Personally, I'm quite fond of Meths. I'm glad it can be used to clean paint too, or my habit might cost me more.

I really hope that's a joke. The metabolites cause blindness, liver damage and brain damage - amonst other things.

[Lemur]

People ought to be able to get whatever pain meds they need. I don't give a care if some people abuse the system. Better that than those in need not getting any relief.

Agreed 100%.

What if you drink soda?

You wanna know what's sad? I don't. Ever.

[Major Robert Dump]

I mix aspirin and melatonin, and throw in a shot of Nyquil and Red Bull when I really want to party.

[Mooks]

Right now in my high school weed is pretty much everywhere. Even the Student Association, chess clubs (I kid you not, my friend swears to baby jesus he sells to them), and similiar people with enough time on their hands to stay after school smoke marijuana. When I had dreadlocks people asked me for a hookup all the time when I walked down the street. One of my friends got caught stealing a aerasol can (The thing you spray to clean out keyboards), for some reason dont ask me why, the school sent him to the Renaisccance Academy. Basically a school they send all the troublemakers. They sent him in the "Drug intervention" program because they thought he was going to use the can as some sort of drug. Since then hes tried coke,ecastasy,and a variety of pills. He said he has access to pretty much everything now, its ironic.

Quit calling your neigbor a pothead. You dont know that, one drink doesnt make you a alcoholic so just because he grows that doenst make him a pothead.

[Prince Cobra]

Some words: I am unusually ironic recently. But drugs are really a sensitive topic and I am quite conservative here.

Even the Student Association, chess clubs (I kid you not, my friend swears to baby jesus he sells to them), and similiar people with enough time on their hands to stay after school smoke marijuana.

I am sure the chess club has come out with innovative ideas how to remove the enemy King from the game.

Then I find out that another neighbor, the one who listens to nothing but Rush and who always has Fox News on (visible from the street due to giant TV and lack of curtains) is growing his own pot and smoking it in large quantities. So I guess he's a pothead tea partier. Dude.

Just pray he won't dry his pot near a fireplace. Or worse, he could get an exhibitionistic leanings.

It' sounds funny when you are an ocean away, I know. More seriously, good luck!

And here I am, utterly left out. I barely drink anymore, gave up smokes seven years ago, never got into prescription drugs and never got into illegal drugs. Hell, if I quit coffee, I'd be clean as a Mormon, which is kinda sad.

No, you would call me so that we found a nice club of non-smokers and sober people. We are becoming a minority!

What's the drug situation where you live? Are you on any long-term medication? Are you dealing with addiction?

Well, Bulgaria and Eastern Europe in general is catching up to the Western standarts remarkably quickly in this aspect. I doubt anybody who wants to get drugs will have any problem with it in Bulgaria. However, I am still lucky not to clash this problem on daily basis. But I am not that optimistic for the future.

About addiction: fortunately, not. Perhaps the only similiar feeling I experienced was when I got Medieval Total war (I remember I spent my whole weekend playing it with only 4 hours for sleeping/per day) but fortunately, I put the things back under control before the beginning of the week. So no (much) more PC games and much more time on other activities. This forum is not really a bad addiction, although I sometimes realise I spend too much time here.

[Pannonian]

If you feel like you're missing out on the fun, don't feel sad. Just play some Tetris instead.

[Strike For The South]

I booze and I smoke my pipe (for the ladies)

I also take aderoal and concertia to help concentrate for exams.

Im hardly addicted to any of it though