I hate drug abuse...

[Suger Mag]

Opiates are just legal heroin.

well... not really and kinda yes... it all starts with Opium which is the raw resin collected from the Opium poppy ( Papaver somniferum), which when mature form these large bulbs which are cut and the resulting sap that oozes out and dries is scraped and is raw opium. Used for centuries as a pain killer etc. but also addictive..

Next comes the natural opiates... drugs created from the opium, basically refined... this includes morphine... codeine... and heroin.

Oxycodone is part of the semi-synthetic opiates... contain the natural opiates from the poppy combined with synthetic compounds.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

well... not really and kinda yes... it all starts with Opium which is the raw resin collected from the Opium poppy ( Papaver somniferum), which when mature form these large bulbs which are cut and the resulting sap that oozes out and dries is scraped and is raw opium. Used for centuries as a pain killer etc. but also addictive..

Next comes the natural opiates... drugs created from the opium, basically refined... this includes morphine... codeine... and heroin.

Oxycodone is part of the semi-synthetic opiates... contain the natural opiates from the poppy combined with synthetic compounds.

I meant more along the lines that the high is similar. From what I've heard from users. So when they can't afford oxy anymore they turn to heroin because it's cheaper but similar.

 

[Suger Mag]

I meant more along the lines that the high is similar. From what I've heard from users. So when they can't afford oxy anymore they turn to heroin because it's cheaper but similar.

yes... and sometimes heroin is easier to get than the prescriptives. They all hit the same general receptors in the brain, so the high is similar, where you get differences is how long the high lasts, how it hits, how strong... for example Oxycontin vs Oxycodone... addicts usually prefer the the -contin as it is a quick rush, while the -codone was formulated into more of a time release, so the active ingredients (what kills the pain or gets you high) does not hit all at once, but is slower... so less of a high, but longer in theory. I believe that heroin was originally formulated as a medical drug, but it was too strong, it was hoped that it would be more effective than morphine, and because it was stronger, you would use less and have less addiction issues... yeah, that did not work out as planned...

 

[bigbabyblues]

I can relate, OP. My husband is a flight paramedic, although he picks up an occasional shift in our area on the truck. He doesn't see nearly as much of it on the helicopter, but it is a huge problem in our area too. It is scary, and I hate when I know that is a call he is on (we have a radio at home, I only use it when he is working ground).

 

[xjillianpaige]

It's awful. Has your husband's superiors thought about providing their front-line staff with a de-escalation training? There are a few different programs that are trauma-informed and intended to help de-escalate situations and, when necessary, use hands-on or restraints to keep everyone safe. One is CPI (https://www.crisisprevention.com). This is used in a lot of schools. I was able to (with a team) restrain a 21 year old boy who was 6'3 (I'm 5'3). It also taught how to de-escalate a situation before it gets to the point of needing restraints and boils down to an anxiety response in the other person.

Re: opiates & heroin. A lot of people start using opiates (ex. Oxy) when it is prescribed for some sort of injury or chronic pain. The more they use it for the pain, the less it works and the more expensive it gets as they build a tolerance. Heroin is cheaper and gives the same effect.

Narcan (which in some states can be bought over the counter and carried by anyone) basically revives someone who ODed. Unfortunately it's a quick fix and the person can get up and walk away and use again. There's not necessarily follow up.

Vivitrol and Suboxone are used to help manage the addiction. It basically stops cravings/doesn't let your body feel the high if you do use. Unfortunately, this makes using while being treated with these very dangerous. If someone uses while taking Vivitrol or Suboxone, they can't get the high from their usual dose of Heroin, so they use more, which can cause them to OD.

Finally, the most dangerous time for someone who is addicted is right after they withdraw and get clean. They'll go to use and take their usual dose, which their body can no longer tolerate, which can cause them to OD on what they've taken many times before without ODing.

 

[longboard55]

Wondering how this issue changes in the states with legal, or semi legal marijuana. I have never heard one way or another

 

[Suger Mag]

Wondering how this issue changes in the states with legal, or semi legal marijuana. I have never heard one way or another

preliminary results suggest that it has a positive effect at reducing opioid addiction/mortality

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4392651/

 

[lifesavacation]

Drug addiction is a real problem in our country. I'm speaking from experience, unfortunately My sister was an addict. Though she's clean now, she's been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. I've seen her attack doctors, nurses, and paramedics. She thinks everyone is out to kill her, especially the people trying to help her.

Drug and mental health services need to be better accessible. It's nearly impossible at times to find my sister an open bed at a facility that can address her severe needs. She's been in at least 5 different facilities this past year. Sometimes they bounce her around. It's a recipe for repeated failure.

Seattle has approved creating safe drug spaces. I'm not sure what I think about that. I know I have family in that area who are furious that taxes will be used to help people "safely" shoot up.

I'm not sure what the answer is.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

Just curious, what is the success rate of a first time rehab?

Someone mentioned going more than once.

 

[PlainJane]

OP, I’m so sorry your husband is in ongoing danger from this epidemic. I lived in an area for awhile where heroine use was widespread. I don’t live there anymore, but I still can’t take my son to a playground without thinking about whether needles might have been left lying around by a user. I knew next to nothing about illegal drug use before I moved there, but now I can guess what someone is on just by quickly observing them.

Drugs ruin lives, ruin families and destroy whole communities. Even the rare instances when a person gets sober, their potential is forever changed. Drug use steals that person's ability to not only achieve goals, but to even make goals in the first place.

A church I went to had an addiction recovery program. I know A LOT of former addicts (both alcohol and drugs). Many are actually very successful. Maybe they can’t be employed in certain fields if they have a record (a record beyond drug use could cause more issues), but that still leaves a lot of lucrative fields open. Seriously, I know people with houses, great salaries, and happy families.

I’m not denying that drugs can obliterate people (even killing them) or destroy families, but that’s not the only outcome. Just because someone used to be a junkie doesn’t mean they don’t have a future.

Just curious, what is the success rate of a first time rehab?

Someone mentioned going more than once.

I have no idea. I don’t know if I know anyone that went to a traditional rehab and stayed clean after the first try. This is going to sound really bad, but jail was the most effective amongst the people I know. I wouldn’t start passing laws or making policies based on my anecdotal evidence, but in the cases I know of it worked the first time.

 

[VandVsmama]

I hate drug abuse, too. It really sucks. Tomorrow it will be 1 year to the day when my best friend from college died from addiction to drugs and alcohol. She was homeless for 2 weeks prior to her death and she'd been kicked out of her sober living house for showing up drunk. Her body was found in a public park and she'd been dead awhile before she was found. It's been pretty awful for her family.

I never used to buy into the whole "it's a disease" model of addiction. But now I get it. I really do. My friend was a very sick woman. Unfortunately, she acted out and took out her frustrations on people around her...family members, friends, health care professionals, law enforcement officers. She was pretty much out of her mind.

Drug abuse really really sucks for everybody it touches.

 

[ronandannette]

Why fentanyl is deadlier than heroin, in a single photo

Fentanyl abuse is at crisis-levels in many parts of Canada. It's shipped here mostly from China and is actually god-knows-what that addicts are shooting into their veins. It's apparently toxic enough to harm first responders just by coming into contact with the residue and 5 users a week are dying in Alberta. That's 260 a year in a province with a population of 4 million. In comparison, there were 330 traffic fatalities in Alberta in 2016 - the number of deaths from drugs if other substances and related conditions were included would be staggering.

Seattle has approved creating safe drug spaces. I'm not sure what I think about that. I know I have family in that area who are furious that taxes will be used to help people "safely" shoot up.

I'm not sure what the answer is.

I agree, but the strategy our government has adopted of focussing on "harm reduction" just seems intuitively wrong. Many population centres in Alberta now have medically supervised "Safe Shooting Sites" and noxolone is available to anyone free of charge to be carried by addicts at all times. This costs taxpayers millions and millions of dollars per year.

Yet it is virtually impossible for the average person to access a quality rehab experience due to cost. Because we don't have a system of private medical insurance, the cost of private in-patient facilities (which can run $10,000/month) must be paid OOP - totally out of reach for most. And our public health-care system has less than 100 in-patient beds in all the hospitals in the province combined. Wait-lists are absolutely comical and the outcomes are marginal at best.

My DH volunteers weekly at a faith-based in-patient facility that is cost free to clients and has a very high (relative) success rate. It (and others like it) are funded 100% by donation and can only accommodate a tiny fraction of the people in need.

 

[gillep]

I think you answered my question as I was typing it! I've heard of vivitrol and I'm positive I was getting that confused with Narcan. I've only had narcotics when I was in the hospital, and in fact, never filled all the scribs I could have out of fear of opiates which are just a plague on society, as bared out by this thread.

I feel the same way, I am having a procedure tomorrow and was given a couple scripts for pain medicine, and have zero desire to take the narcotics, although my physician insisted on at least writing the script. I had a similar procedure about 5 years ago, although slightly less invasive, and also declined the narcotics at the time and found the pain manageable. I don't believe that based on the med or duration that I would have an issue as far as addiction is concerned, but I would prefer to just not put it in my body regardless, as I have seen the fallout first hand.

OP, I am sorry that your husband is being put in these situations on a more regular basis, or at all , addiction is a horrible disease, and effects too many people in our communities, in so many different ways.

 

[amberpi]

A church I went to had an addiction recovery program. I know A LOT of former addicts (both alcohol and drugs). Many are actually very successful. Maybe they can’t be employed in certain fields if they have a record (a record beyond drug use could cause more issues), but that still leaves a lot of lucrative fields open. Seriously, I know people with houses, great salaries, and happy families.

I’m not denying that drugs can obliterate people (even killing them) or destroy families, but that’s not the only outcome. Just because someone used to be a junkie doesn’t mean they don’t have a future.

Addiction can and is something people overcome every day! Sadly, its a terrible part of our lives, but was in the 1800s too, and I'm sure their were alcoholics and other types of substance abusers throughout history. People can get better and go on to have very productive lives! A lot of substance abuse is also an escape mechanism due to other issues (abuse being a huge one, but of course a whole slate of mental illness), but so many people do recover. I've seen all different methods in my volunteer work, the single point of commonality in all of them - aa/na, faith based, rehab, therapy, cold turkey, whatever - was that they wanted to quit. So many people end up in rehab that have no interest in quitting. I'm not saying by any stretch of the imagination that recovery is easy if you just "want to" but the people that are truly determined to stop, keep working at it until they can/do.

 

[Domo]

Whilst I fully understand and appreciate the need for medicinal applications of drugs such as Ecstasy and Marijuana, when it comes to recreational applications, I have little patience. Don't get me wrong, when people are forced on to the drugs as a form of control etc, I do get softer, but if someone gets high for the sake of high as a burden on society, stuff 'em.

 

[amberpi]

I feel the same way, I am having a procedure tomorrow and was given a couple scripts for pain medicine, and have zero desire to take the narcotics, although my physician insisted on at least writing the script. I had a similar procedure about 5 years ago, although slightly less invasive, and also declined the narcotics at the time and found the pain manageable. I don't believe that based on the med or duration that I would have an issue as far as addiction is concerned, but I would prefer to just not put it in my body regardless, as I have seen the fallout first hand.

While I was in the hospital, I had had SO much narcotics that when I could handle the pain why in the world would I keep taking it? Seems like asking for trouble! I started declining pain meds when I was still in a physical rehab place and just didn't want to push my luck. What if I had gotten used to pain meds? Too scary of a road to go down. My docs were like yours though, they still wrote me scripts.

I hope that all the scrutiny people on the local and national level are giving substance abuse will start to mitigate this issue. Talking about it and realizing how complicated an issue it is on something as inconsequential as a Disney board makes me really hopeful that we can start moving the needle in a positive direction.

 

[Pooh2]

Our office just met with a representative from a local homeless agency to learn more about how we could help homeless students. Towards the end of the discussion we inquired about a few of the people that we see soliciting at intersections in our drive in. She knew each person that we described. That the money that they solicit goes right back into the drugs, and that very few of them are homeless and actively seeking/open to assistance. They panhandle for drug money. I've made this commute for the better part of two years and have watched as many of these individuals have become deeper and deeper into drugs. They look like former shells of themselves having aged so much.

Our police chief has pleaded with the public to stop giving money to pan handlers and instead donate to the local food pantry and homeless shelters.

 

[katie01]

I am so sorry. I can only imagine how scary that is for you and your husband. A paramedic I know was sexually assaulted on the job by a strung out patient and had a really long road to recovery for mental and physical health. And from what I I understand, she received very little financial or emotional support from the company she worked for, and where she lives it's basically a minimum wage job too.

As a previous poster said, this is also happening to the medical personnel at hopitals, with no repercussions in most cases, by the patients who physically and sexually assault them

 

[Spencer Wright]

I know several people who are health care professionals such as EMT's or Nurses in ER's here in Philadelphia. They are leaving their professions as it has become far to dangerous in large part to due drugs.

I know its other places, but especially in North Philadelphia carfentanyl has become an epidemic and even casual contact can cause an overdose.

I do not know what the solution to this problem is, but the number of people I went to high school with now dying of overdoses has become a serious epidemic. I also obtained a handgun for protection in my home (as is my second amendment right anyway), but also due to the number of needles, suboxone wrappers, and increase in abandoned buildings in my area. Home invasions and robberies have been increasing very slightly, but enough to be of concern (right outside of southwest Philadelphia).

What caused a real high level of despondency is that my high school may begin to stock Narcan. This really makes me feel sad but also serves as a stark reminder that is a concern everywhere.

 

[longboard55]

Our police chief has pleaded with the public to stop giving money to pan handlers and instead donate to the local food pantry and homeless shelters.

I work in a beach city so we get a lot of homeless. The police tell me they can get one year bed with food, all they have to do is look for a job and stay off drugs and alchohol, very few take the deal.