This Drug Epidemic is out of control.

[300UGUY]

I lost a nephew a few years ago. The only time I’ve ever seen my father cry. It was a shock, but he had struggled with addiction for several years. My brother ended up in the hospital from shock. It took about 5 years, but my brother seems ok now. The doctors that sell scripts should go to jail. But they usually just get their license suspended. Then they move to another state. One doctor here wrote 13,000 scripts in a year, charging 150 to 200 per script. He lost his license, moved to Tennessee. If I got caught with that amount of drugs, I’d be in a butt banging prison for decades.

 

[atsah]

I lost a nephew a few years ago. The only time I’ve ever seen my father cry. It was a shock, but he had struggled with addiction for several years. My brother ended up in the hospital from shock. It took about 5 years, but my brother seems ok now. The doctors that sell scripts should go to jail. But they usually just get their license suspended. Then they move to another state. One doctor here wrote 13,000 scripts in a year, charging 150 to 200 per script. He lost his license, moved to Tennessee. If I got caught with that amount of drugs, I’d be in a butt banging prison for decades.

My brother has been in the hospital more than once because of the stress of both sons addictions. The scripts are a problem, now they have a script for everything, problem is they get hooked on the script and when they can't get anymore they get something on the streets.. It's a nightmare.

 

[vvanders]

Careful..

His father is my brother. There is a part of him that is relieved believe it or not. You have no idea what his parents have been through the last ten years...

Its a bit old fashioned to be making moral judgements about addiction. At least that's how I saw the post. Different people have different are susceptible in different areas, for some people all it can take is one strong opoid prescription and it fundamentally changes their brain chemistry.

Shaming people just makes them less likely to seek help/treatment and makes things worse.

 

[atsah]

Its a bit old fashioned to be making moral judgements about addiction. At least that's how I saw the post. Different people have different are susceptible in different areas, for some people all it can take is one strong opoid prescription and it fundamentally changes their brain chemistry.

Shaming people just makes them less likely to seek help/treatment and makes things worse.

I'm old fashioned no doubt about that. As far as the susceptible thing, I don't see it, my feeling is, we have a lot of young people that have no guts, no pride and are lazy, they have to take something for everything because they have no inner strength. A very weak society is what's coming if it's not here already.

 

[airbiscuit]

I have all the faith in the world in the younger generation. They are smarter, more kind and more tolerant than we ever were. It's us stodgy old timers that give me concern :drink:

 

[vvanders]

Yeah... Ever heard of alcoholism running in someone's family?

Same stuff, just different substances.

 

[RandyT]

My brother has been in the hospital more than once because of the stress of both sons addictions. The scripts are a problem, now they have a script for everything, problem is they get hooked on the script and when they can't get anymore they get something on the streets.. It's a nightmare.

The fallback drug of choice in my area is Heroin. Some of the veterans have been on opiates for so long that their insides are destroyed or they don't work for them due to the tolerance has buildup. VA in my area is now prescribing medical MJ in some cases.

 

[HillStreet]

Lost my 27 year old nephew in 2015 to an overdose and yesterday his 34 year old brother did the same. My cousin is struggling with his 18 year old daughter as she has had narcan a few times in the last year. It's ridiculous, once that stuff gets a hold on them it's pretty much over..

Atsah, sorry about your nephews and it does sound like it has been a problem for a while. Our new governor is hiring 250 new drug counselors and buying 40,000 doses of narcan. I am told by some friends in the local PD that one person just received narcan 3 times in one day. It is only a matter of time before he just wont survive.
It is not in my nature to coddle anybody or enable them. I do understand the addiction (I smoked for years) but if you don’t want help you will just do what you do. I wont have people like that around me either, don’t want empty promises, lies, and theft. I thank God that my two kids are good citizens with good families so it is easy for me to say these things, it’s just that the addict doesn’t even hear you. And, it starts with a voluntary choice no matter how they end up. Theft in the area is pretty bad too, addict or not you risk getting shot stealing in this area.

 

[ultrarunner]

I lost a nephew a few years ago. The only time I’ve ever seen my father cry. It was a shock, but he had struggled with addiction for several years. My brother ended up in the hospital from shock. It took about 5 years, but my brother seems ok now. The doctors that sell scripts should go to jail. But they usually just get their license suspended. Then they move to another state. One doctor here wrote 13,000 scripts in a year, charging 150 to 200 per script. He lost his license, moved to Tennessee. If I got caught with that amount of drugs, I’d be in a butt banging prison for decades.

Some are doing real time and it is not always Docs... it can be Physician Assistants... working under a Doc...

 

[TCowner]

Atsah, Your family may be one opioid prescription away from this type of tragedy. The attitude that those who suffer from addiction are more failures is what drives addicts to delay getting treatment until it is often times too late. Addiction is a disease. Many of the addicts start with a prescribed opioid and the dependance can start with as little as 5 doses of the prescribed narcotic. The un-developed adolescent brain is particularly vulnerable. So, it may be wise to take a step back before you criticize addicts as "taking the wrong road" and examine the science. Your family and friends circle could be a prescribed opioid away for a minor surgical procedure with the end result being addiction. It's a little better now but physicians used to hand out opioid prescriptions with 60 oxycodone tablets because they didn't want patients calling for more pills. It shouldn't surprise us that these drugs were abused. So I caution those who make judgements about the moral character of those who suffer from this horrible disease. All of us should join together in this fight. As the vendors of death keep pushing this poison on our youth, with dangers getting worse all of the time, everyone of us should realize that none of our families are safe.