My son's best friend's brother just died of an overdose
It was heroin, so many of these kids are using it. There is little help for them and what is there is just punitive and stupid because it does little to stop this use or help the people (and their families) who are victms of it. Then we wonder why it is that addicts do not seek help.
This young man is not even 25 and he has been on life support for almost a month with his mother, father, and brothers holding vigil. They were not sure if he had brain injuries that would leave him either a vegetable or unable to walk. He came out of it for a little while but told them he did not want to live that way. So his mother decided to give him his wishes.
I am in tears because there are so many young people I love who use it and I wonder who will be next... Please pray for this family and any others who are living this nightmare!
The war on Drugs SUCKS ...
Cat in Seattle
= new reply since forum marked as read
You are all in my thoughts...
It can be hard for people to understand when they've not experienced it themselves because it's one of those things that needs to be experienced to fully grasp the addiction's power. I know what it's like on a smaller scale - I was addicted to legal prescription opiates, or as my doctor called it, dependent.
I suffer from chronic headaches/migraines and could never find the cause, and over the counter pain meds did not help, probably a good 70% of the time. I moved to England and was there 10 years. Upon my arrival there it was only a matter of time when I would have my first headache in that country. My husband bought me some ibuprofen and I waited to see if it would work. It worked great! There was never a headache or migraine I could not get rid of with this stuff.
Then I found out why. I never dreamed it was possible, but they mixed ibuprofen with codeine, available over the counter. It was only 12.8 mg per tablet, but it was enough to make a world of difference to me. For 3 years I took it, probably 4-5 times a week. Then I had an impacted wisdom tooth that was excruciating. I had to wait 2 months for an oral surgeon to remove it. In the meantime I was on a drug similar to Vicoden without the Tylenol. Two tablets every four hours or otherwise the pain returned. By the time that was done, the OTC codeine wasn't enough so I stayed on the prescription stuff for my headaches. Within months I began taking the pills every day whether I needed them or not because I was sicker than a dog without them.
My doctor was understanding and patient but it took me 7 years to get off them, mainly because I didn't want to. I was living pain free for the first time in my whole adult life and I was not looking forward to having it back. I was actually happy. It was so hard to give them up I can't even tell you. When I moved back here I stopped because I could no longer find a doctor who would prescribe them to me and I refused to get them another way. I have way too many scruples to buy on the street. That was a dependency.
However, those who are addicted have it so much worse because it makes them want to give up everything just so they are not without it. Nothing else matters. It makes them beg, borrow and steal, they disappoint and upset their loved ones and seem not to care. It makes them selfish. I saw one gentleman on the show "Intervention" who chose to be homeless because that way he could buy more drugs instead of pay rent. It's a disease and this country seems very ill equipped to deal with it properly and can lead to what happened to the OP's friend. Not to mention the DEA and the drug war is not helping, at all.
To this day I still wish I had them, mainly for the headaches but also because I felt human when I took them in moderation. Getting high was not my intention, just management of pain. I would be sorely tempted to get back on them if I could, but I still won't break the law to do it.
I feel for the OP, it didn't have to end up like this 
