Do you know a junkie personally?

[velvett]

I don't personally - I know of, I worked with one (briefly but not brief enough) but none in my personally circle.

I don't have a lot of patience for certain types of addictions - well, most addictions - could be a character flaw in me but somewhere in the DNA I lack the sympathy gene for junkies if there is one.

 

[velvett]

How do you define a junkie? I had a problem with pain pill addiction. It started after I had surgery and was prescribed hydrocodone. I never stole to pay for my stuff and it didn't affect my job. I had no run ins with law enforcement and I had a doctor prescribing the stuff to me. Nevertheless, I was an addict. I don't know if that is enough to put me in the "junkie" category. I got medical treatment to help me quit. It was a rough 3-4 weeks suffering through withdrawal. I still have psychological cravings for the stuff.

I really wish our society would start treating substance abuse as a medical problem instead of a law enforcement issue. The addiction is much more powerful than any police officer or judge. After my ordeal I don't look down on addicts as much. They are human beings with a problem that's too great for them to solve without help.

I don't personally categorize that as the same thing.

But now that you've said that I can totally see how easy it would be to confused situations and how they came about.

I think of a junkie/addict as some who has the intent to "feel good" or "escape" on a daily basis and they don't care who they have steal, lie to or hurt to get their fix. They are completely self absorbed with themselves and how they need to feel and they've lost all logical reasoning beyond "getting high"

Maybe I need to find a different name to categorize these people.

 

[GoldenDelicious]

i know people addicted to everything bar cocaine (only cos there is relatively little cocaine in australia)

lets seeeeee....

...guys that drink a carton of beer everyday at work (construction)? yep
...people that binge drink every weekend madly, have been doing so for years, and measure the success of their weekend by saying how paraletic they got? yep
...people who are endlessly on ecstasy pills, and cant really socialise without them, prostituting to dealers to get them? yep
...people who think marijuana is a food group, and keep using despite various psych problems, dragging their family with them to hell cos they have massive paranoia? yep
...people tweaking off their heads all the time and who do many many unscrupulous things to get $ to pay for their habit? yep
...roiders who refuse to leave the house on a saturday night unless their arms are bigger than 18" or whatever foolish goal the nominated for themselves? yep
...people on heroin who prostitute themselves and then go splat all weekend? yep
...people taht have been on methadone for the past 11 years and pop in for their fix before they go home and toke or whatever? yep

you name it, ive seen it.

personally, im at huge risk. i party that much, im not sure i can give it up.

funny thing about addiction is that you dont know you are until you try give up

 

[PICK3]

personally, im at huge risk. i party that much, im not sure i can give it up.

funny thing about addiction is that you dont know you are until you try give up

that's troublesome considering your profession ... unless of course you're kidding.

 

[georgie24]

yes i know of a junkie

 

[heatherrae]

my bestest friend who is like a brother is a hardcore alcoholic and i tried to get him to realize he has a problem but he refuses to acknowledge it. i hardly hang out with him anymore because we can't do anything without him wanting to drink.

Yep, it's impossible to be around a hardcore alcoholic. The alcoholic I used to know would get crazy, mean and jealous when he drank. Talk about some fun nights out on the town!

 

[Cutiebaby]

Yes I do.

 

[pintoca]

I don't...

frankly, the closest I come to recreational drugs is when I'm here in EF

(never tried ANY)

 

[DannoMight]

Unfortunately yes, a mamber of my family was/is addicted to oxycontin or heroin along with his supposedly gf. They showed up late saturday to our cousins reception the his girl only stayed for a few minutes after dinner and they both "went to the bathroom" for about a half hour but she didn't come back in. My cousin said her back was really hurting and she needed to lay down. So I offered to go with him and check on her but he was very evasive on letting anyone go out to see and help out. She was supposedly in a bad car accident a few years ago and her back is messed up but I've seen her dance and jump around for hrs at a time. They just keep telling lie after lie.

 

[javaguru]

even if we go to see a movie in the middle of an afternoon, he will want to drink beforehand. he got busted twice for DWI, but got off on lesser charges. i was hoping they'd take his license away for a long time.

He would still drink and drive, license or not. That's the problem with addiction, it overrules all common sense. I dated a woman who claimed to have a $60.00 a week coke habit, based on her income and financial problems it was probably double to triple that. Broke up with her soon after I found out, it wouldn't have lasted much longer either way.