True, but they'll eventually find another Doctor that will.

 

But, responsiblitiy is the key.

 

Trying to blame others for our own actions is typical today. But, we must take responsibility for our choices.

 

If we choose to do wrong, we need to be willing to pay the price for those choices.

 

It's called personal responsibility for a reason. If you choose to do illegal drugs, or drink and drive. You will end up paying at some point.

 

I remember many instances that I buried friends of mine for their poor choices. It was hard to deal with, but over time you will realize that this is part of our responsiblity as a person. We have to deal with the situations we put ourselves into.

 

Putting the blame on others is just sad.

 

Man up and do the right thing, eliminate situations that put you or others in jeoprady.

When people get on the legal / Illegal drug train they change, and change alot.  They become something that you usually dont want anything to do with.  In this case it says he comitted a robbery with a gun.  And I am sure there are Dr.s out there that are giving out Rx's like candy.  All in all it is your own responsability to keep your self clean.

 

 

How is that?

 

in an empty isle to boot. i guess its one of those "you had to be there" things

 

Or realize a lot of cops can't shoot worth a crap.

 

You guys carry assault rifles? Or "assault" rifles?

 

I think some people have more inborn tendancies (genes) that do in fact make drug use more destructive.

 

For example, my dad, grandpa, ect were very prone to drinking problems. I witnessed this and stayed away from alcohol, as I didn't want the same issues since I had similar genes.

That is actually incorrect. When participating in activity a person that they are addicted to certain chemicals in the brain are released over time (even if they are naturally produced in your body). Do the activity enough, the brain/body gets used to having those chemicals around and become used to maintaining said levels. Extremely alter the levels of chemicals, or stopping doing said activities, the body reacts, aka goes through "withdrawls."

A person can become addicted to just about anything in the right circumstances.

 

Everyone els, you are clueless.

 

Now I just need to kick catty's, ill stick with my MJ though probibly till I die.

An addict has a choice every time they get high. Many may feel like they don't have a choice because not doing so will make them feel worse but there is still a choice every time.

 

What he's saying is right.

 

They're body may have compelled them, they might have even been sick or dying without the drug, but in the end it was a choice.

 

I have compassion for addicts, I have two of them in my family. One, a heroic addict who's been addicted since he was 17 and now lives on Rosedale in Fort Worth, on the street that is, can't hold a job, beats his own mother in attempts to get drug money from her. He's dying from his addiction, he's nearly 40 years old now. And he's actually a genuinely good person-he's the nicest, hardest working guy you'd ever meet until he starts craving the drug. It's a shame, and the events that led him to taking those drugs were traumatic events that happened to him and his brothers on behalf of his father...but in the end, it's still him who made the choice.

 

But being around these people also makes me hate the drugs even worse. And no matter how compassionate I am, you can't remove the element of personal responsibility.

 

That's what I don't like about this discussion-it seems the prevalent attitude here is that the drugs are both good, and at the same time a monster that forces you physically to the point where there's no personal responsibility any more.

 

That's just not the case. You are individually responsible no matter what-you weren't forced to take the first hit. I've tried several drugs...I smoked pot for a long time, though I don't really consider it in the same league, I've tried coke, I've tried various other drugs, and never once have I been told to do so at gunpoint.

 

Do people make mistakes? Yes. Should we beat them down for those mistakes? Of course not. Are they still responsible for the position that they're in? Hell yes.

 

Just because someone is a slave to addiction doesn't change the key factor that put them in that spot-themselves.

As I said before, Drugs "Most any Addictive substance" once an addiction is started changes a person.  I don't know 1st hand but I have had many friends that have hopped onto the meth wagen.   Personality, and priorties change.  I have had some "Very few" friends get away from it and as far as i know stay away from it.  DO what you can to get clear of it and stay clear of it.

It doesnt take drugs to put you into a situation for crime.  I deal with a lotta people that do all kinds of dumb crap with out drugs.  Some people all it takes is that next breath. 

Check your meds and ask you Dr. questions.  Stay away from the Illegal stuff.  Pull your head out.... in the other situations.

Firstly, having many loved ones who do take painkillers for severe chronic pain, there is a huge difference between some kid who decides to snort coke at a party, and someone who is in real pain and legitimately needs drugs.  I have very little sympathy for the former. Choosing to get high is a choice. Choosing to seek relief from real pain is not much of a choice.  There is a difference.

A very close friend of mine got addicted to meth a while back, doing underground fighting. I feel very little sympathy for the situation he put himself in, by his own choice, and he doesn't ask for sympathy or pity. He doesn't see himself as a victim, he sees the dumb choices he made.  He quit cold turkey when he saw what was happening to him, and went through hell.  I don't think there is a person alive I respect more then him.

I have never been addicted to anything in my life. Closest thing is caffeine from drinking almost 2 liters of Mt. Dew a day, and I can go weeks or months without it and barely notice any effects. I've been prescribed painkillers such as Vicodin or Norco several times for severe pain and have never had any trouble when I stopped taking them.  I never experienced a "high" because if I ever felt a little more then just dulled pain, I stopped taking them.

That being said, I feel that it is not easy to get addicted to drugs prescribed by a competent doctor and taken responsibly. 

Yes, there are some docs out there who prescribe oxy like candy and people with legitimate problems get into real trouble as a result.  In those cases I would say the patient isn't really at fault, they trusted their doctor and the doctor was not responsible.

But even when drugs are prescribed properly, its up to the patient to be responsible.  Like I mentioned before, I have family members who suffer from chronic and serve back pain and knee pain, and they are prescribed opiate-based and opiate-related drugs for their pain, and they have never been addicted.  They all agree if they stopped taking the drug they would probably feel sick for a day or two, and they have before, but it isn't much of a problem. They take these drugs safely, maybe too safely since they are still in some pain when they use them, but it makes the pain manageable.

Maybe they're just lucky, maybe I am too.  I'm sure I'll get lots of "BUT YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT ITS LIKE MAN".  But from everything I've experienced and everything I've seen, its not easy to get addicted if the drugs are prescribed and taken responsibly.

Koolit, its a shame to hear about your friend, I hope his family is ok.  Props to you for staying clean. Keep it up.

First post after, I'm impressed.

That post says WHY I'm not an addict.

 

To everyone else, because I see no reason in dogging Koolit on this, I think the reason this debate is so important is not for the user, but for potential users.

 

Adding that level of responsibility, and showing how you in the first place put yourself in the position to live the hell of addiction, could make a huge difference in those around you.

 

I can tell from experience growing up in a family (I'll say several families) full of addiction and multiple drug users has certainly carved my idealogies.

 

Just to add to what I've already said, my sister's father (all of my siblings are half-relation) was a dealer who passed away because of what the drugs did to his system. Her uncle died not even knowing who he was due to the mass amounts of drugs he had consumed.

 

I think it's safe to say our society is well aquainted with the drug problem-so to discredit someone by saying "U DONT KNOW WHAT ITS LIKE" is just an excercise in pointless rhetoric-I'd bet money every single person on this forum has encountered, experienced, or lived around an addiction.

 

I see nothing wrong with trying anything that doesn't hurt someone else-I know, drug addiction hurts your family, blah blah blah, but keep up with me here-if you want to do a line of coke, your buisness. You want to shoot some heroin, smoke some meth, huff, blow, snort, or sniff anything you want, more power to you. You only live once right?

 

But it's kind of like Russian roulette-there's always that statistic. There's that 1 in 6 bullets that's going to chamber itself and end your life.

 

Saying addiction chose you is like saying the bullet chose you-in essence, sure it did, but you put it to your head and pulled the trigger. You could have lived, and in fact odds are for you living. Just to bring it to it's simpler terms, you have 5 to 1 of living in Russian roulette.

 

I love to drink-I've slowed down for college, and eliminated getting drunk, but I most certainly have a drinking problem. I think I posted here on the forum the night I almost died from alcohol poisoning. Any intelligent person would say QUIT DRINKING. But I like it, so I do it.

 

If I develop alcoholism, it's my fault. I didn't choose alcoholism, and in general drinking is fairly accepted by society, but it's still my personal responsibility. Does it make me evil, or even a bad person? No...and I don't think addicts are bad people, at least until they start taking from or hurting others. I think they're people that make bad decisions, and one of the absolute most vital parts of keeping the younger generation around you that hasn't made that decision yet from doing so is admitting that it's their choice, and that this is what could happen to you.

 

/rant

Two years ago I had some excruciating and immobilizing back pain from a herniated disk between L5 and S1.  It took surgery to fix.  Before that, I was on Vicodin, Percocet, Oxycotin(not all at the same time) and various generics of the same.  One night at work, it was time to pop a Vicodin and a Flexeril.  Next thing I knew, my head felt like it wasn't attached to my body and my arms felt like they were floating at shoulder level.  I was fascinated by the flourescent lights in the ceiling as I walked down the hall.  Everything seemed like fluid slow-motion.  I told my buddy to watch me for a couple of hours because I was so 'stoned'.  While the sensation was amazing, it struck a chord of fear in me.  Next day I asked the Doctor to take me off the Flexeril and he put me on Robaxin instead.  I also tried to fast-track him into arranging me to see a surgeon for my problem.  There was no way I was going to stay on those drugs any longer than I had to.  I was on those opiate variants for 6 months (5 before the surgery and 1 after) and was never so happy to be off of them.

 

I never abused my 'scripts and never got hooked because I didn't want to be.  I don't completely understand the mechanisms behind addiction, but I do believe choice is involved.  I made the decision that I didn't want to rely on what I was taking to get me by.  I knew and researched what I was taking and understood the risks.  *I dislike being controlled and I'll be damned if a substance was going to take over my life.

 

 

 

*Now, if I can only kick this Coca Cola habit...

 

And how many celebrities have died from liver disease,drunk driving, suicide, from alcohol?