Drivel. First opioids are not by definition an “epidemic”. Epidemics are caused by transmittable diseases. I’m pretty sure we won’t turn into a junkie just by coming into contact with one. Second opioids are the ONLY way to control severe pain. NSAIDS have a maximum dose threadhold where no matter how much higher the dose you take the pain relief doesn’t improve. Opioids have no such limitation. Third the pharmaceutical companies are not trying to create addicts nor is the medical profession. For every sob story where some poor unsuspecting “victim” find himself wanting to continue the drugs after the initial prescription there are far more who simply scored the stuff to get high.
From personal experience with several major surgeries unless you enjoy severe pain you need something stronger than Advil for the first couple of post surgical days, but you really have no desire to continue the stuff once you can manage the pain with NSAIDS. For one thing they constipate you and that may seem funny, but it isn’t. And second if your pain is severe this totally counteracts any high you could possibly get.
Addicts to be referred to henceforth as junkies are not victims. They get into their condition of their own free will, and blaming anyone else for their condition is a form of lying. The have only themselves to blame
from occupied ga wrote: “From personal experience with several major surgeries unless you enjoy severe pain you need something stronger than Advil for the first couple of post surgical days, but you really have no desire to continue the stuff once you can manage the pain with NSAIDS. For one thing they constipate you and that may seem funny, but it isn’t. And second if your pain is severe this totally counteracts any high you could possibly get.”
Absolutely. Two neck fusion surgeries. Two rotator cuff surgeries. Separated tendons in the hand. Been there.
The first neck fusion, doc got upset at me for stopping the pain killers. Since then, I’ve developed a pattern.
Get home, take a pain pill. Take another at bedtime. Another at daybreak. After that, it’s tylenol only. Works for me.
But, we’ve been programmed to take the entire prescription. They don’t read the label that says take only when necessary.
Had to take a friend of mine in with stage four cancer because the drugs had stopped her up.
No, indeed. Not funny.
“Addicts to be referred to henceforth as junkies are not victims. They get into their condition of their own free will, and blaming anyone else for their condition is a form of lying. The have only themselves to blame”
+1
OK, for the 25 year old.
The 16 year old? The kid who comes home to an empty house every day after school. Who has a mom who married some creep he hates. Who has a dad who remarried some other psychotic woman and immediately began pumping out family #2?
On top of that, the parents are clueless about drugs. Never talked to him, don't know the risks and can't get their heads out of their phones long enough to have a serious conversation with him anyway?
That kid with lots of internal pain, who has the foresight of a snail and who LIVES IN AND IS BEING RAISED BY A VERY, VERY toxic culture--that's the kid I worry about. He doesn't understand addiction and that it's a lifelong, life altering and life stunting choice.
I knew kids like that growing up. A few of 'em are dead. Nearly every one of them never came back. In fact, a good friend of mine just went back to our hometown for a vacation and she came back and said, "the entire place is on heroin".