Prescription narcotics cause more deaths than both heroin and cocaine

And they piss it in the water and you get it from the water-table. Ever wonder why you don't feel as smart as you used to?

I think the current rise in opiate addiction is indicative not of a problem with the marketing of opiates, which have always been fairly easy to get, but of underlying problems in our society.

One has to ask why THIS drug is causing such a problem. There are many many drugs to choose from, many far more enjoyable. Why this one?

In my experience, opiate junkies all share one thing in common- a deathwish. It's a drug that deadens ones sense of physical and emotional pain, makes one numb and half comatose, a drooling zombie idiot. Every junkie I've ever dealt with (opiate junkies that is) clearly just wants it all to be over, and eagerly awaits that day when they finally overdose.

So if there is a causative problem here, it's something in our society that's making people want to turn off, to numb themselves to pain, to die.

Contrast this to when LSD was popular, or ecstasy........very different intentions behind the use of such drugs.

This article falsely states that narcotics and opioids are one and the same. The word "narcotic" referrs to any substance that induces sleep, or the FBI's definition which is basically any illicit drug.

"Opiates" are drugs that are derived from the opium poppy (i.e. morphine) or semi-synthetics which still contain chemical components of the poppy (hydrocodone, oxycodone, diacetylmorphine[heroin]). "Opioids" referrs to any substance that acts on the brain's opioid receptors (our pain/pleasure response centre), encompassing many different chemicals, from herbs and cheese, to over the counter medicines, as well as the "narcotics". Our brains produce opioids naturally, everyday, and we still have much to learn about how they work, and unlocking the true benefits.

imagine if heroin and cocaine were legal and these prescription goods were not, i wonder what that world would be like.

These drugs kill so many people and are legal but using pot for medicinal reasons is still illegal at the federal level.. Thats because the pharmaceutical companys want you to buy the addicting expensive drugs not the cheap non addictive ones. I guess thats what you get when big businesses dump lots of cash into the government.

The "Oxy-Boom" ,as I call it, has hit my generation hard. Anyone in their twenties or early thirties knows what I mean

I consider myself an "Oxy-Boomer". My story is a bit long, but may give some insight to those who would jugde:
2001,Fall. I was a senior in high school, good grades, great friends, parents who loved me, good life etc. A close friend's mother had gotten in a car wreck, and her doctor had given her morphine and OxyContin 80mg (the strongest ones). She took the morphine, and left the Oxy's in the medicine cabinet. I found them, and casually asked what they were for(I didn't have any idea). She said it'd just make me tired; I was having some trouble sleeping so I asked if I could try one. She gave me the whole bottle of 120. (that bottle would now go for thousands of dollars). That night I took a HALF OF A PILL, and it made me puke. I was so high I couldn't keep my eyes open, but I slept great.
So a few months go by (I'm now takng half a pill before bed every night) and I still haven't figured out what I'm playing with, until I run out of pills. I thought I had a really bad flu, so I went to my doctor. After describing my symptoms, he asked if I had been taking any medications, particularly OxyContin. At that moment, my entire world turned upside-down. I went from being a good kid to a pseudo-junkie in five minutes. My doctor was sympathetic (thank God) and wrote for some vicodin to help me come off. Around the same time, I began to develop abdominal pains. Abdominal pain is a common sign of opiate withdrawl, so my pains were ignored for weeks. After a trip to the ER, it was determined that I have a complicated and painful condition, for which there is no cure. I was immediately put back on the pills, as they happen to supress certain hormones which excite my condition, in addition to relieving the painful abdominal cramps. So I have doctors telling me that I'm not REALLY an addict and that I need this stuff to function, so I take the pills.
And so it went for two years until medical necessity called once again. In Jan. 2004 I shattered my right ankle in a snowboarding accident. What were my tibia and fibula are now titanium rods held together by twelve screws. Two surgeries and two weeks in the hospital, seven months on crutches, and ten months in a cast. When I told them about my past opiate use, my doctors' response was that without the pills, my pain would be so crushing that I would go crazy--and they were right. With my tolerance growing steadily, I began to need very large doses just to stay out of withdrawl, let alone to kill the pain.
UnfortunateIy, killing pain also brings immense pleasure. I don't care what anyone has told you about taking opiates for pain, IT STILL GETS YOU HIGH!!! You also still get addicted. I have tried to stop using Rx drugs several times, and ended up moving on to heroin, after I lost my insurance
It took two and a half years of fighting my own brain to get to where I am now, on methadone maintenance, taking enough to kill an elephant. I have yet to come to terms with my adominal pain--it might take medication for life, it might take complete sobriety,and both frighten me. These drugs have talen so much from me, and yet are still a necessary part of my life.

People need to understand that not everyone who uses opiates wants to, even if they're addicted. I was never in it for the high, it was a side effect that went unchecked. I fear there are far more people out there with similar stories.

These drugs are truly the only treatment for severe pain, and are addictive to all mammals. We, as humans, are all equally vulnerable to their grip. Be forgiving of those who have fallen to them, for you will need them one day, and they might just grab you too.

2 of the people that i work closely with in recovery have gone from smoking speed to aderal in the last year. there is no difference in their behavior at all.

The other thing that can catagorize these groups is: Why do they take the drug?
1). To reduce physical pain.
2). To get high
a. to eliminate emotional pain.
b. to just get high.
People who have chronic pain need the medications to function on a daily level and cannot be lumped with the other groups. There is so much more going on here than just BigPharma greed.

in my office. my normal everyday drug free zone.... on any given day it would not be odd to hear someone say 'i'm out of ambien anyone have one till i can get more' ...'no, but i have a muscle relaxer or this other stuff my doctor gave me' ... 'ok can i have some?' ...'sure but can i trade you for adderall?' ... 'sure no problem'.... not bad but consider how freely this flows through our hands? my doctor is in beverly hills. how easy is it to get a perscription for something there? as easy as walking in and saying i want that. where is the control? where is the monitor?

Well it seems to be a great way to control the populaion. When taken as ordered by a doctor they have very little if any bad side effects. I know first hand what and how they do to the body. I have been taking pain pills and musule relaxers for five years now. I don't abuse them I don't take them when I don't need them and I don't sell them to my friends. I can and do learn from other peoples misstakes. When I see junkies dieing from the pills that I get. I know not to abuse them. When one plays russian roulette one can expect to get shot in the head. when you eat a lot of pills you can expect to over- dose. Thats the nature of the game. Not every body wins.