The general decline in standards today

[Edward]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it isn’t pot or coke or any of the street drugs that’s the problem right now. It is prescription drugs.

Its ironic and sad. Some of the most vocal antidrug advocates I know don’t think twice about what’s in their bathroom medicine cabinets. They come home and immediately drop fifteen or twenty mg of oxycontin for their “back pain”. Then they follow up with a big ol’ highball or two while they watch the evening news. And they cry and whine and moan…and blame everyone and his cat…when precious Junior thinks its cool to get high.

AF

Absolutely. In some corners of modern medicine there is an unfortunate tendency to treat symptoms rather than cause - hence over-reliance on anti-depressants, painkillers and so on (I'm eternally thankful for my local NHS providers who have not gone down that road but provided a proper course of treatment for my own clinical depression). Of course, for very many complex reasons (money, male ego, whatever), folks will also often resort to over-medicating themselves with the often surprisingly strong stuff available over the counter. I've bought - without prescription - painkillers before now, sold perfectly legally, which advise I take them for no more than three days at a time lest I develop an addiction. That certainly doesn't help the situation... and because it's 'legal', many don't think to question it, or assume it can do no harm.

 

[Edward]

Hippies never went away here. I am glad they disappeared there. They are still just as destructive, dope smoking and maggot infested here as they ever were. Their kidlets follow in their sandal steps too.

Little more frustrating than those who think the overthrow of a corrupt system can be achieved by incapacitating any ability they might have to achieve that aim.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Some kind of "synthetic cannabanoid," as far as I know, but there's a lot of different varieties of such, and they haven't yet figured out exactly which compound it was. The scum that manufacture this stuff take a bunch of random plant fragments and spray on whatever variety of concentrated poison they have on hand, and there's no telling what exactly it is from batch to batch. Whatever it is, it's far more potent than actual pot, and it stays in the user's system for days, or even weeks, at a time.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it isn’t pot or coke or any of the street drugs that’s the problem right now. It is prescription drugs.

Its ironic and sad. Some of the most vocal antidrug advocates I know don’t think twice about what’s in their bathroom medicine cabinets. They come home and immediately drop fifteen or twenty mg of oxycontin for their “back pain”. Then they follow up with a big ol’ highball or two while they watch the evening news. And they cry and whine and moan…and blame everyone and his cat…when precious Junior thinks its cool to get high.

AF

I was prescribed oxycocet when I was in the hospital ten years ago, and I didn't dare to touch a single tablet. It went down the toilet, where such things belong. The modern pharmaceutical industry is one step above street dealers, as far as I'm concerted -- interested in nothing more than peddling their poison and filling their pockets. Yeah, let's legalize recreational drugs right now, Big Pharma can hardly wait to get their filthy paws on that "captive market."

 

[ortega76]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it isn’t pot or coke or any of the street drugs that’s the problem right now. It is prescription drugs.

Its ironic and sad. Some of the most vocal antidrug advocates I know don’t think twice about what’s in their bathroom medicine cabinets. They come home and immediately drop fifteen or twenty mg of oxycontin for their “back pain”. Then they follow up with a big ol’ highball or two while they watch the evening news. And they cry and whine and moan…and blame everyone and his cat…when precious Junior thinks its cool to get high.

AF

I can attest to the ease of availability of prescription drugs. My ex and I split because she became an addict on oxy. After a surgery with complications, it was easier and cheaper to prescribe 300 OXY's a month (not exaggerating) than explore other solutions. Hard to get someone to help themselves when their doctor prescribed something.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

I can attest to the ease of availability of prescription drugs. My ex and I split because she became an addict on oxy. After a surgery with complications, it was easier and cheaper to prescribe 300 OXY's a month (not exaggerating) than explore other solutions. Hard to get someone to help themselves when their doctor prescribed something.

That's something I greatly fear because, as it is, I have a very low threshold for pain under normal circumstances. Sadly, many people will fall into that trap because when we were growing up doctors were a class of people that we were taught to trust and respect.

 

[Atticus Finch]

The truth is many civilized nations now engender drug cultures among their citizens. This is especially true here in the USA. There is a pill for everything. Much of the increase in recreational drug use is almost certainly related to the fact that people now seek a pharmacological solution to life’s many problems. Fat? Take a pill. Depressed? Take a pill. Can’t have sex? Take a pill. Why would we be surprised when people, who want some euphoria in their otherwise drab lives, look for a pill to take?

You know, come to think of it, I'm not sure we get too upset about people using drugs. Everyone uses drugs. I think we just get upset when people slip outside of our well-developed pharmacological model to find the drugs they use.

AF

 

[LizzieMaine]

The explosion in "lifestyle pharmacology" coincided with the legalization of direct advertising of prescription drugs to consumers. Once again, the Invisible Hand of the Market flips us the bird.

 

[Feraud]

You know, come to think of it, I'm not sure we get too upset about people using drugs. Everyone uses drugs. I think we just get upset when people slip outside of our well-developed pharmacological model to find the drugs they use.

AF

Great point! :eusa_clap

 

[Atticus Finch]

The explosion in "lifestyle pharmacology" coincided with the legalization of direct advertising of prescription drugs to consumers. Once again, the Invisible Hand of the Market flips us the bird.

I saw an advertisement for one drug...I won't say which...that had so many possible side effects I would have much rather just kept the disease.

AF

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I saw an advertisement for one drug...I won't say which...that had so many possible side effects I would have much rather just kept the disease.

AF

That's for sure. Watched a 20 second commercial on TV the other day while it stretched to 90 sec listing what all the side effects of what this drug could be. All the while the actors were smiling with euphoric rapture at how wonderful life on this drug had become. I waited for at least one to collapse in convulsions..but none did.

 

[AmateisGal]

That's for sure. Watched a 20 second commercial on TV the other day while it stretched to 90 sec listing what all the side effects of what this drug could be. All the while the actors were smiling with euphoric rapture at how wonderful life on this drug had become. I waited for at least one to collapse in convulsions..but none did.

My husband and I often say the same thing on these commercials. There was one drug for a skin condition, but the side effects were so bad, I'd much rather have the skin condition!

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've just gotten back from the hospital, after spending the morning with my friend -- who is still in very rough shape. She recognized me, but didn't want me to look at her, so I sat on the floor next to the bed looking out the window while we talked. She is still rambling a lot, and breaking into sobs, but I quoted a line of poetry to her that we'd often discussed and she immediately responded with the following line. I'm convinced her right mind is still there, under all the confusion, it's just a matter of putting it back together. But it looks like that's going to take a while.

It turns out there was more in the drug cocktail she was given than just "spice" -- apparently it also was dosed with LSD. Think long and hard about that the next time somebody tells you they "know what they're doing" when it comes to experimenting with drugs.

 

[Feraud]

I'm glad to hear your friend is slowly recovering.
Have any friends who were there when the incident occurred visited?

 

[LizzieMaine]

No. This is a time when you find out who your real friends are.

A bunch of us in town are putting our heads together toward finding those who supplied the drugs. It's a small town, and there aren't many places to hide. We already have some names.

 

[Feraud]

Sadly I expected as much from the so-called friends. What a crummy way to find out who your real friends are.
Selling poison to young people is no way to make a buck.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I've just gotten back from the hospital, after spending the morning with my friend -- who is still in very rough shape. She recognized me, but didn't want me to look at her, so I sat on the floor next to the bed looking out the window while we talked. She is still rambling a lot, and breaking into sobs, but I quoted a line of poetry to her that we'd often discussed and she immediately responded with the following line. I'm convinced her right mind is still there, under all the confusion, it's just a matter of putting it back together. But it looks like that's going to take a while.

It turns out there was more in the drug cocktail she was given than just "spice" -- apparently it also was dosed with LSD. Think long and hard about that the next time somebody tells you they "know what they're doing" when it comes to experimenting with drugs.

That's sure what it sounds like to me Lizzie! An hallucinogenic. At least maybe they are pinpointing it down to how to better deal with it. I do hope that she recovers quickly and feel so sorry that she has had to go through this experience.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

No. This is a time when you find out who your real friends are.

A bunch of us in town are putting our heads together toward finding those who supplied the drugs. It's a small town, and there aren't many places to hide. We already have some names.

Not surprising but I'm very glad that your friend is recovering from this ordeal. As far as the people supplying the drugs, speaking for myself, I would force them to ingest the whole thing. Because as far as I'm concerned, whatever the justice system can mete out will never be enough by a long shot.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I have to admit there's a part of me that keeps thinking "the quarries are deep, and accidents will happen." But we intend to turn whatever information we come up with over to the proper authorites, and hope they do the right thing. You're right, though. No matter what the justice system says this is worth, it will never be enough. How do you put a price tag on assaulting someone's mind?

 

[jamespowers]

Not surprising but I'm very glad that your friend is recovering from this ordeal. As far as the people supplying the drugs, speaking for myself, I would force them to ingest the whole thing. Because as far as I'm concerned, whatever the justice system can mete out will never be enough by a long shot.

That would work for me.