3 ms·
For some reason, I kind'of always assumed the act of removing pain was itself the addictive part. But now it seems obvious that a drug could simply make you fee
by thinkloop 10y ago
For some reason, I kind'of always assumed the act of removing pain was itself the addictive part. But now it seems obvious that a drug could simply make you feel as you did right before hitting your thumb with the hammer.
- zoul 10y agoI think that’s a part of the addiction. But then there’s the other part that makes you take the drug even when the pain is gone, and that’s the trouble.
- anonnyj 10y agoPeople still have a level of constant ambient pain which can be addicting to be rid of, even if it's slight.
- ashark 10y agoOne of the most terrifying descriptions of the effects of certain hard drugs (I believe the one under discussion then was heroin) that I've read (I think on HN a while back?) was something like: "You're currently in a lot of pain. You don't realize it because you've never not had this pain. The drugs take that pain away, then you know what it's like not to have it and you can't go back."
- LordKano 10y agoMy layperson's understanding is that the opiates remove the pain and eventually, the person's body re-calibrates its interpretation of pain based on this new state. When they stop with the opiates, normal levels of pain return, which are above and beyond what they're prepared to handle and they'll do nearly anything to make it stop. One time, I heard a recovering addict talk about his hair hurting. He had been numbing himself for so long, the movement of the hair on his scalp felt agonizing to him.
- Unklejoe 10y agoBased on my conversations with friends who were/are addicted, that seems about right. After stopping long term opiate use, your sensitivity seems amplified. That's why addicts who can't get their fix are often seen scratching themselves - they feel itchy everywhere.
- CoryG89 10y agoGenerally opiates make you itch while your on them, not while you are withdrawing.
- GordonS 10y agoYes, this is called hyperalgesia and is a well known effect of long term opioid use.
- CoryG89 10y agoThis is part of it, but not the whole thing. Withdrawals will involve pain, but also depending on how much and how long someone had been taking opiates, you will also experience: physical flu symptoms, insomnia, anxiety, induced restless leg syndrome, and more.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- techbio 10y agoHere's an example: Confessions of an English Opium Eater ( http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2040/2040.txt http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2040/2040.txt ). Short for a biography, long for an article (couple hours read). The eloquent language itself makes going back to ordinary Internet English a pain. More on topic, he describes a year of abject suffering, 8 years of bliss and 9 years of abject suffering. (In really exceptional language.)