Heroin Epidemic

W

Windtunnel36

PR Addict
Not sure if this subject has been discussed on here but I need to vent. My oldest and best friend is now a drug addict. Man we've ridden and raced together since 1975. I think it started about 3 years ago. He was married, house, job, hobbies, family support, pets etc. He has no excuse for what he turned into. He had many friends and none of us were into what he dabbled with. He's lost his job, wife, house, friends have turned there back on him, his brothers said if he comes on the family property they will shoot him. How can things turn 180 and become such a loser. One thing he never tried to get me into his life style. I never knew it was going on till it was too late. He's in jail for the second time. He sold all his stuff including bikes gear and memorabilia that he's collected his whole life. I'm just venting but it's a tragedy what's happening. What makes people want to go the extra step and try something so deadly. So many are dying daily all around us from this drug. I heard he had to be revived once already. Many on here will know who I'm talking about and it's so sad to lose a friend like this. He did so much for our sport and helping those just getting into it. I'm not sure what I can do for him now. He's alive but has ripped off all his friends and family. He has nothing left and no where to turn. He'll be living in the streets if he gets out of jail. Any advice would be appreciated.
 
I have no advice -

It's all around and seems to be growing.
Just wanted to say thanks for caring about him.
 
It's a disastrous situation for sure, and it touch's every family, every company, every community.

From what I have seen, and read, our members of congress and big pharmaceutical companies are fully to blame for this epidemic.

As America stood up during this last election, I think it's going to take the American public to start marching on Washington to get their attention to cut all of the political bullshit and fix this situation RIGHT NOW!
 
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Never happen. It is all related back to our broken health care system. People that need pain meds can't get them anymore so they go somewhere else.

Healthcare has made us a socialists country. Couple more years you watch. Either work for the government or no healthcare.
 
Not dispute what you are saying about the health care system being broke as a cause, yea that is a contributor. But I believe it's much, much worse than that.
In our sport we should know this all too well due the significance of the injuries we often incur. The problem is tied to the pain meds they're pushing, and the quantities prescribed.

As a union leader I sat through a meeting last week to discuss changes in our open enrollment and prescription drug plans. My employer has decided to take proactive steps to help, and protect our employees. They've seen the signs and risks within our corporation.

One of the changes to the prescription plan is on drug prescribing. If the drug is opioid based, the prescription is then limited to a three day supply, unless special circumstances apply. We were told that when using opioid based pain killers, addiction begins on day 4 of usage.

I had a bilateral hernia operation early last year. Having never had a surgery like that before, I really didn't know what to expect of the pain afterward. The Surgeon prescribed me a shocking amount of pain pills. I didn't even look to see what the pain med was until a couple of days later. It was Oxycontin. I had already seen the unfortunate results of the use of this drug by an old coworker and a friend. I was informed earlier this year that my old friend passed away earlier this summer. He was 49.

My dad and another coworker were both in last year for knee surgeries. Same story, large quantity prescriptions of opioid pain killers.

The pharma companies are pulling in billions (with a "B") on this. And the lobbyist are paying off both parties of congress for protection and continuation.
 
I'm sure many addictions start with pills but this situation started from nothing to full blown addict. He was hanging out with a girl that wasn't his wife and she was a user. He got drug into the dark side and like Guns and Roses said, I used a little and a little got more and more. I think he thought he had control and now it controls him. I've talked to so many people said they hadn't heard from him in years and out of no where he called wanting to sell something or needed to borrow money. They hadn't heard anything about his situation. When they found out it answered a lot of questions they had. I'm still amazed with people dying everyday from OD that they would give in and try it. Not sure what they are looking for.
 
There is no doubt that certain personalities will take to addiction easily.

I have seen it in some in one of my friends. Like a switch.
 
I lost my younger sister to it. I"ll never understand how someone turns to that..ever. I hope that your friend can get the help he needs. Jail might be the best place for him right now, to keep him away from it.
 
It's really stunning how much of it is available on the streets.
A year or so back I ran into an old classmate that I graduated with. He's been with the Licking County Sherriff's department for many years. I was asking him how he liked his work now, he told me that the narcotics situation here in Ohio is really, really bad. Told me that what we see and hear in the papers and on the news is just a tiny fraction of what they see everyday.

And from what they say, once the addiction takes over, there is almost no getting the person that you knew back. The person you knew is gone.
 
I am sorry to hear about you friend and his situation, hopefully he can get straightened out.
The situation truly is out of control and far worse than the public knows.
However, if you would like to learn how all of this got started and the different paths it has taken, there is a very informative book I am reading about how all of this got started and how it all ties together. It is sad but facinating.
The book is called "Dreamland" and well worth the read. It will go over everything that has happened, how it got to this stage, who is involved and how it has effected families and communities across the US. And yes southern Ohio is a big focal point of the book.
 
I just read the highlights on the book. Looks like it covers the story pretty well.
PBS ran a Frontline documentary called Chasing Heroin that gives pretty much the same rundown.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/chasing-heroin/transcript/

60 Minutes has also ran a couple of episodes covering the problem.

The public and media in this country are being forced to look hard at this.
To watch the stories of the people that fall prey to heroin is shocking to say the least.

After being exposed to or witnessing this, it kind of causes you to pause your life routine for a moment to ask... What the hell is happening here? Why aren't we stopping this?
 
NQ1965 said:
I just read the highlights on the book. Looks like it covers the story pretty well.
PBS ran a Frontline documentary called Chasing Heroin that gives pretty much the same rundown.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/chasing-heroin/transcript/

60 Minutes has also ran a couple of episodes covering the problem.

The public and media in this country are being forced to look hard at this.
To watch the stories of the people that fall prey to heroin is shocking to say the least.

After being exposed to or witnessing this, it kind of causes you to pause your life routine for a moment to ask... What the hell is happening here? Why aren't we stopping this?
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Really NQ? What is it with you 60 Min and PBS? Lol!
 
TwentyThreeMX said:
I lost my younger sister to it. I"ll never understand how someone turns to that..ever. I hope that your friend can get the help he needs. Jail might be the best place for him right now, to keep him away from it.
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Yea man, sorry about your sister. I've heard from so many that have lost family members like that. Your right about him in jail. Safest place for him right now. He was in jail in July for 25 days and when he got out all he wanted to do was go back to that life. I think it's got it's hooks into him pretty deep.
 
Windtunnel36 said:
Yea man, sorry about your sister. I've heard from so many that have lost family members like that. Your right about him in jail. Safest place for him right now. He was in jail in July for 25 days and when he got out all he wanted to do was go back to that life. I think it's got it's hooks into him pretty deep.
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The problem with that is if they get out and want it again (Which sadly they usually do)... they go back to the same amount, which they can no longer handle..and they OD. I"ll struggle for the rest of my life trying to understand it but I don't think I ever will be able to. Sadly even if I knew she needed help, I don't even think you can help them. They are not the same person anymore, that person is long gone. Its so f*ked.
 
Yes I agree, My bud is not the same. He can talk about old times and such but I know he has only one thing on his mind. I watched most of the PBS video about "Chasing Heroin" man what a tough situation. I hope we can find some way to change the direction of folks getting addicted. Not sure how. One girl in the video said it's like the drug has a mind of it's own and it attached itself to her brain. Man I want that, right? Another girl said she was snorting it and then wanted to try injecting. Can't they see the results. How high do you want to get?
 
Windtunnel36 said:
Another girl said she was snorting it and then wanted to try injecting. Can't they see the results. How high do you want to get?
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In the book "I Am Ozzy", Ozzy Osbourne talks about this very issue.
He says that the first time you do the drug, you get this amazing high, and then afterward you try it again, and it's never quite as good as the first time. So you start down this path of forever pursuing the initial experience and it only leads to more, and more, and more. As a long time drug addict and alcoholic he talks about heroin as the one drug he and his Black Sabbath band mates never got into, and that everybody they knew that did do heroin, ended up severely addicted, ruined and then dead.
 
It's sad for sure. I can't imagine the confusion and pain families like Crutes and others go through after a loss. I don't buy into the injury , prescription leads to addiction so much as like DD said, it's more depending on personality and values. I've been injured and had all the availability of those drugs I could want in the past. I usually don't take any pain meds after an injury. Sometimes for a couple days. But 3 times I've taken them for a week, couldn't wait to get off of them. Never wanted to keep going. Or maybe I'm just the one who is wired wrong.

Education is the best help, the government isn't going to help, they eff EVERYTHING up
 
Two years ago, I arrived at work in my usual manner, parked my car, and was walking across the parking lots and into the front office building. This was early morning, right about 5:45am. As I'm making my way across a street that divides two of our lots I spotted this young girl wondering around amongst the cars. She then gets up into the bed of my coworkers truck, and starts solo dancing. The lot is lit up with light poles so it was pretty clear to see.
Being ever so cautious due to her age, I just kept my focus and headed for the building door and went in. I then went upstairs and began watching her out of a 2nd story window. Right about then another coworker/riding buddy who is in management, came in and did the exact same thing as I did. We were both watching her, still in the truck, enjoying herself. It was very clear that she was under the influence of something. My buddy called the local police dept and they sent a cruiser. After they arrived we found out that she was on meth and she is a repeat offender. They already knew who she was. She was 15 years old.

Very sad.
 
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