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Forgive me as I'm quite ignorant when it comes to drug abuse. What is it that tends to drive people to start using heroin initially ?

Broken_Hippo 10y ago
For a portion, it is the same sorts of things that cause folks to use other drugs. Curiousity at first or looking for a way to not feel bad. People don't usually start with heroin - they go for 'tame' highs. Cigarettes, alcohol, pot. And just explore from there. For a (probably much bigger) portion, this is the result of pain pill addiction. It got harder and harder to get the pills and they grew in cost, so some folks switched to heroin because the pull of addiction is so great.
jjawssd 10y ago
Next step up from prescription painkiller abuse, when legal painkillers become too expensive. "damn near 50% of the people I chilled with growing up got hooked on the oxy during the pill mill days....some got strait and quit...most of us just kept it moving until they got so expensive that we had to switch to H." http://www.bluelight.org/vb/archive/index.php/t-496626.html http://www.bluelight.org/vb/archive/index.php/t-496626.html http://www.bluelight.org/vb/archive/index.php/t-712613.html http://www.bluelight.org/vb/archive/index.php/t-712613.html
- alltakendamned 10y ago
  Thanks for those links, very enlightening
- rudedogg 10y ago
  Also they've made painkillers harder to get a prescription for, so the supply isn't there and addicted people look for alternatives. I really liked the full episode of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifbWtwlQkdE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifbWtwlQkdE
bskdjx 10y ago
Today a first taste can be doctor's prescription for pain. Pain killers are often potent, addictive, opioids. There is also some evidence that some pharmaceuticals mislead doctors about their potential for abuse.
jayajay 10y ago
At first, it's fun to experiment. Then you realize how no one fucking understands you and no one understands each other. That's depressing, buddy. Life is depressing. Welcome! Yeah -- and you ask why people abuse drugs? And it's even more than that -- people tend to be wrapped up in their worlds. Mostly, people feel alone. I mean, the world expects you to be a certain way. Look at all of these people -- on the internet, walking on the street. They're all in the motions. That feels like jail, when you see repetition, over and over.
btgeekboy 10y ago
John Oliver did a segment on Opioids that's pretty informative. Have a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pdPrQFjo2o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pdPrQFjo2o The quick answer though is that it starts with prescription painkillers that are highly addictive.
douche 10y ago
I'm guessing despair is a big component. Most of the places around here in the Northeast where heroin is exploding you've got dead communities, with moribund economies, where there isn't much in the way of optimism for the future. Might as well get fucked up.
- vixen99 10y ago
  Plenty of despairing for the non-drug users too. A report by UK government's Drug Strategy Unit leaked to the press concluded drug use was responsible for the great majority of crime, including 85% of shoplifting, 70-80% of burglaries and 54% of robberies and cost £16 billion a year in the UK". Possibly proportionate figures for the US.
unfunco 10y ago
I can answer, I had a breakup in February that I'm still not over, I've been in CBT which isn't working as it's supposed to, and now I would do just about anything to have some respite from thinking about her, initially it came from playing around with some psychedelics at an earlier age (social-group) to now, mostly being ketamine, and with the occasional (I've so far managed to keep it under control) escalation to H. I live alone, and it's all to feel disassociated.
- icpmacdo 10y ago
  Hope you can get past all of that soon friend.
- marmaladedukes 10y ago
  Hey. It's not easy, isolation doesn't make things any better. Alcoholics Anonymous saved my life, it gave me a place to be and it's free. I know it's not for everyone, but support groups really do help. There's also smartrecovery.
choko 10y ago
Some people try it (and other drugs) out of curiosity and boredom. Then, once they experience how good opioids make you feel, it's hard to stop.
marmaladedukes 10y ago
Some good information here too https://alorecovery.com/upward-trend-heroin-overdoses-explained/ https://alorecovery.com/upward-trend-heroin-overdoses-explai...

Broken_Hippo 10y ago

For a portion, it is the same sorts of things that cause folks to use other drugs. Curiousity at first or looking for a way to not feel bad. People don't usually start with heroin - they go for 'tame' highs. Cigarettes, alcohol, pot. And just explore from there. For a (probably much bigger) portion, this is the result of pain pill addiction. It got harder and harder to get the pills and they grew in cost, so some folks switched to heroin because the pull of addiction is so great.

jjawssd 10y ago

Next step up from prescription painkiller abuse, when legal painkillers become too expensive. "damn near 50% of the people I chilled with growing up got hooked on the oxy during the pill mill days....some got strait and quit...most of us just kept it moving until they got so expensive that we had to switch to H." http://www.bluelight.org/vb/archive/index.php/t-496626.html http://www.bluelight.org/vb/archive/index.php/t-496626.html http://www.bluelight.org/vb/archive/index.php/t-712613.html http://www.bluelight.org/vb/archive/index.php/t-712613.html

alltakendamned 10y ago
Thanks for those links, very enlightening
rudedogg 10y ago
Also they've made painkillers harder to get a prescription for, so the supply isn't there and addicted people look for alternatives. I really liked the full episode of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifbWtwlQkdE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifbWtwlQkdE

bskdjx 10y ago

Today a first taste can be doctor's prescription for pain. Pain killers are often potent, addictive, opioids. There is also some evidence that some pharmaceuticals mislead doctors about their potential for abuse.

jayajay 10y ago

At first, it's fun to experiment. Then you realize how no one fucking understands you and no one understands each other. That's depressing, buddy. Life is depressing. Welcome! Yeah -- and you ask why people abuse drugs? And it's even more than that -- people tend to be wrapped up in their worlds. Mostly, people feel alone. I mean, the world expects you to be a certain way. Look at all of these people -- on the internet, walking on the street. They're all in the motions. That feels like jail, when you see repetition, over and over.

btgeekboy 10y ago

John Oliver did a segment on Opioids that's pretty informative. Have a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pdPrQFjo2o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pdPrQFjo2o The quick answer though is that it starts with prescription painkillers that are highly addictive.

douche 10y ago

I'm guessing despair is a big component. Most of the places around here in the Northeast where heroin is exploding you've got dead communities, with moribund economies, where there isn't much in the way of optimism for the future. Might as well get fucked up.

vixen99 10y ago
Plenty of despairing for the non-drug users too. A report by UK government's Drug Strategy Unit leaked to the press concluded drug use was responsible for the great majority of crime, including 85% of shoplifting, 70-80% of burglaries and 54% of robberies and cost £16 billion a year in the UK". Possibly proportionate figures for the US.

unfunco 10y ago

I can answer, I had a breakup in February that I'm still not over, I've been in CBT which isn't working as it's supposed to, and now I would do just about anything to have some respite from thinking about her, initially it came from playing around with some psychedelics at an earlier age (social-group) to now, mostly being ketamine, and with the occasional (I've so far managed to keep it under control) escalation to H. I live alone, and it's all to feel disassociated.

icpmacdo 10y ago
Hope you can get past all of that soon friend.
marmaladedukes 10y ago
Hey. It's not easy, isolation doesn't make things any better. Alcoholics Anonymous saved my life, it gave me a place to be and it's free. I know it's not for everyone, but support groups really do help. There's also smartrecovery.

choko 10y ago

Some people try it (and other drugs) out of curiosity and boredom. Then, once they experience how good opioids make you feel, it's hard to stop.

marmaladedukes 10y ago

Some good information here too https://alorecovery.com/upward-trend-heroin-overdoses-explained/ https://alorecovery.com/upward-trend-heroin-overdoses-explai...