This is outrageous!

[Ana the Ist]

The huge number of overdose deaths doesn't seem to deter them either. I guess they will have to keep dying. That will solve the problem in time.

Lol it's as if you think this affects only "certain people" who lack willpower or discipline or something.

We'll never run out of people who this affects. If you did what they did for a month or two....you'd be in the exact same boat, behaving the same way.

 

[Gigimo]

The huge number of overdose deaths doesn't seem to deter them either. I guess they will have to keep dying. That will solve the problem in time.

If they had a purpose in life instead of having such a dim outlook maybe things would be different. Lack of family, education or a way to improve their lot in life you would think are the biggest causes of them getting started on drugs in the first place. Participation trophies and the war on poverty isn't getting the job done, just making the situation worse.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I see...you have no real understanding of what addiction is.

It's pretty obvious you don't know what these people are going through.

Of course not. How could I, I'm not an addict?

What is laughable is what we are doing about it.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Lol it's as if you think this affects only "certain people" who lack willpower or discipline or something.

Just the opposite. They are eager to get high.

We'll never run out of people who this affects.

We'll just have to keep burying them then.

If you did what they did for a month or two....you'd be in the exact same boat, behaving the same way.

That ship has sailed (I still drink beer though).

 

[OldWiseGuy]

If they had a purpose in life instead of having such a dim outlook maybe things would be different. Lack of family, education or a way to improve their lot in life you would think are the biggest causes of them getting started on drugs in the first place. Participation trophies and the war on poverty isn't getting the job done, just making the situation worse.

This problem isn't limited to those you describe. And, we can't solve a problem that we either don't have the resources for, or that we really don't take that seriously, or that we don't have good solution for.

 

[KarateCowboy]

If "Sitting is the new smoking," maybe "Fentanyl is the new opium."

Beware the dangers of second hand chair warmth.

 

[Ana the Ist]

Of course not. How could I, I'm not an addict?

What is laughable is what we are doing about it.

On this I can agree.

 

[Ana the Ist]

eh... I don't know that that's true. Of course I can't seem to find any articles to support this point right now, but it's my understanding that among at least part of the addict community, the lethality of a particular mixture/brand of heroin is appealing. If somebody dies off your product, that means that the high is better.

Really? Found this on my first search...

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wa...4edb14-be4b-11e7-8444-a0d4f04b89eb_story.html

Try looking for "fake heroin" instead of searching for fentanyl.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Really? Found this on my first search...

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wa...4edb14-be4b-11e7-8444-a0d4f04b89eb_story.html

Try looking for "fake heroin" instead of searching for fentanyl.

The phenomenon I’m describing isn’t merely some folks looking for percs getting surprised by the hard stuff. I’m talking about legit junkies knowingly chasing spiked heroin precisely because of the higher potency.

 

[jayem]

The only way that I can see to stop the silliness is to figure out a way to make people not want to do drugs.

Absolutely. Eliminating, or at least reducing the demand is key. We still don't have particularly reliable treatment methods for substance addiction. But we're beginning to learn about what addictive drugs do to the brain. And it's changing how we think about addiction. When I was in school, addiction was defined as having physical symptoms when a drug was withdrawn. But there's more to it. The real hallmark of addiction is relapse after treatment. Almost no drug addicts (at least those with access to treatment programs) stay sober the first time. Even after the withdrawal syndrome has resolved, virtually all patients still have a compulsive need to return to drug use. And most patients (who have the means) will have to go back into rehab multiple times. At very significant cost. We're just beginning to study the neural pathways that maintain the intense drive to get high. It's clearly a physical change in the brain. Developing a safe and effective way to reverse, or at least inhibit this abnormal neurophysiologic state, will be the greatest public health achievement since penicillin. And whoever figures it out is a slam-dunk sure Nobel Prize winner.

 

[Gigimo]

This problem isn't limited to those you describe. And, we can't solve a problem that we either don't have the resources for, or that we really don't take that seriously, or that we don't have good solution for.

You know the old saying "It's the economy stupid" well another version of that in this instance is "It's the job market stupid". I think more jobs/opportunities would help head some of this off at the pass and making the job requirement mandatory again for those physically capable handout recipients would also help, the latter may not like it but Oh well...

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Absolutely. Eliminating, or at least reducing the demand is key. We still don't have particularly reliable treatment methods for substance addiction. But we're beginning to learn about what addictive drugs do to the brain. And it's changing how we think about addiction. When I was in school, addiction was defined as having physical symptoms when a drug was withdrawn. But there's more to it. The real hallmark of addiction is relapse after treatment. Almost no drug addicts (at least those with access to treatment programs) stay sober the first time. Even after the withdrawal syndrome has resolved, virtually all patients still have a compulsive need to return to drug use. And most patients (who have the means) will have to go back into rehab multiple times. At very significant cost. We're just beginning to study the neural pathways that maintain the intense drive to get high. It's clearly a physical change in the brain. Developing a safe and effective way to reverse, or at least inhibit this abnormal neurophysiologic state, will be the greatest public health achievement since penicillin. And whoever figures it out is a slam-dunk sure Nobel Prize winner.

If you peruse the drug rehab sites you'll find the answer:
longer inpatient stays at treatment centers. Of course this must be done on a volunteer basis, but this is not 'practical' for those who are employed or have families. So there you have it, a great solution that can't be utilized.

Addictive substances damage the body at the cellular level, thus the physical craving long after detox. It takes a full year for the body to fully replace these damaged cells, therefore serious drug users should be confined to a facility for a full year, unless they demonstrate that they can avoid drugs sooner. Of course those who relapse must be confined for the full year.

Now where's my Nobel Prize?

 

[jayem]

If you peruse the drug rehab sites you'll find the answer:
longer inpatient stays at treatment centers. Of course this must be done on a volunteer basis, but this is not 'practical' for those who are employed or have families. So there you have it, a great solution that can't be utilized.

Now where's my Nobel Prize?

Maybe, but who’s gonna pay for yearlong stays in rehab?

You might not get the prize for Economics.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Maybe, but who’s gonna pay for yearlong stays in rehab?

You might not get the prize for Economics.

You have to compare the cost of ongoing addiction vs year long treatment. Lot's of costs associated with relapses.

I want my prize.

 

[jayem]

You have to compare the cost of ongoing addiction vs year long treatment. Lot's of costs associated with relapses.

I want my prize.

OK, I'll submit your nomination. You can start now to check for cheap flights to Stockholm.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

OK, I'll submit your nomination. You can start now to check for cheap flights to Stockholm.

Can't they just FedEx it to me. Oh Wait, I just had trouble with a delivery from them.

 

[jayem]

Can't they just FedEx it to me. Oh Wait, I just had trouble with a delivery from them.

It wouldn't be polite if you stood up the King of Sweden. What else does the guy do but hand out Nobel Prizes? But you could send a surrogate. Bob Dylan sent Patti Smith to accept his prize. And she sang one his songs.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

It wouldn't be polite if you stood up the King of Sweden. What else does the guy do but hand out Nobel Prizes? But you could send a surrogate. Bob Dylan sent Patti Smith to accept his prize. And she sang one his songs.

I wonder if she would consider going for me, although I don't have any songs (maybe she could take one of my bird feeders instead).