MuchachoManSavage t1_jcyx8rl wrote on March 20, 2023 at 4:55 PM

Reply to comment by listen_youse in Overdose Prevention Center coming to Providence - Community discussion event 4/6 @ 6PM! by idharamsi

Am I wrong? I love drugs just as much as the next guy but everyone knows what these particular drugs can do before they ever try them. Sorry, I only have so much sympathy and this seems like an easily avoidable predicament to put oneself in. You know this and I know this, internet hero.

OpticalFlatulence t1_jcz3v5s wrote on March 20, 2023 at 5:37 PM

I think it's important to consider the pathways to opioid exposure.

Now, today, everyone knows about opioid addiction risks, but 10 years ago, this might not have been the case. Anecdotal evidence should normally not be used, but I remember patient's stories about doctors saying that Percocets were not risky to use as painkillers, yet these are opiates. The incentivized prescribing of opiate painkillers in our healthcare system did not make transparent choices accessible, either.

I know I sound like an online internet hero today, but occasionally, my work means I interface with people suffering from addiction issues. I think it is important to take the time to learn about the pathways towards addiction. I understand that, sometimes, our online personas vary from the real world, but real people will read this. A real person might be someone who is suffering from addiction and wants to get better. I have shame and guilt to deal with, but not at the scale that other people might have.

Sympathies may already be over-taxed and exhausted, but that little bit extra may just be what another person needs to push them towards that better space. Thank you for trying to access that.

MuchachoManSavage t1_jcz7w7h wrote on March 20, 2023 at 6:03 PM

I don’t know. This is also anecdotal too but everyone I knew who OD’d or has a drug problem got into drugs because that’s what their peers were doing, not because of anything prescription related. I’m just saying we have limited resources and I would rather see people focus on battered women or homeless children or something like that.

OpticalFlatulence t1_jcz93a8 wrote on March 20, 2023 at 6:11 PM

Sorry for nitpicking, but I imagine both battered women and homeless children have suffered as a result of opiate addiction and the deaths associated from it.

Edit: this problem is, of course, much more complex. But if there is at least somewhere safe, perhaps that is the second chance that someone needs. It is impossible to make 100% change, but perhaps we can utilize this, and then work on the real problems that create the opioid epidemic.