My best friend has a two year old son with a junkie. Oblivious to his problem, she used to let him take their son for the day and had no idea what would happen behind closed doors. He and his friend would smoke percs with a baby just a few feet away.
I know a girl that decided that her Percocet high just wasn't cutting it anymore. She's been in and out of rehab for heroin addiction for two years.
Another friend of mine hung himself and revealed in a suicide note that he couldn't bare to live another day struggling with his severe opioid addiction.
Prescription drug abuse is spiraling out of control. The trend is running rampant in my town destroying lives. Percocets or "percs" seem to be the drug of choice. Some chew them, others snort 'em, and some even inject them or smoke them. I know, I didn't know you could smoke a pill either, but apparently people will heat Percocet on tin foil to vaporize the oxycodone, allowing it to be easily inhaled. Oxycodone is the main ingredient in Percocet, and not only does it relieve severe pain, it can also give you a euphoric high.
Prescription pain killers are some of the most addictive substances on the planet.
It gets to the point where people can't function without them. It takes over their lives. The only thing they think about and care about is how they're going to get their next high. They'll steal money from their little brother's piggy bank or their grandmother's purse if that's what it takes. I've seen it.
My town has a disgusting reputation of being filled with junkies and drug addicts. It's sad, disappointing and embarrassing because it's true.
I've watched it tear apart families, ruin relationships, and take lives.
What is it going to take for these people to realize it's not worth it?
This blog was very insightful and unfortunately sad. Lots of pathos in here which really made me more interested and felt bad for you and the people in your town. I'm wondering how long this has been going on, like, was there a point in time where the amount of prescription drug use spiked in your town or has it always been like this?
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize how much of an issue this was. Usually when I think of drugs my mind goes directly to heroin, crack, weed, etc. but never prescription drugs.
I also thought this blog was very insightful; my city suffers from the same thing and was just publicized on television for it. So your embarrassment and disappointment is completely understood on my part.
ReplyDeleteWhen many people think of drug addiction, prescription drugs aren't usually the first thing that comes to mind and they definitely should be highly considered. Maybe if this problem becomes addressed before it 'spirals out of control', a lot of families, relationships, and lives may be saved. The only question I have is, how can we address such a major problem in an effective way? It's tough, but hopefully it'll be done sometime soon. Very good blog!
I agree with the above blogs. This is a very interesting, and the title caught me big time. I saw it and I asked myself "Can you really smoke a Percocet??" My boyfriend just had surgery on his collarbone to remove a plate put in from a pervious break, and he's on Percocets. And honestly, they've always scared the shit out of me. Especially from the information backed up from your blog, it's obvious it takes nothing at all to get addicted.
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy that something so simple like a drug prescribed for specific use can later ruin the lives of people who don't know how to handle it properly. This blog was really insightful to something that I am already terrified of. Good job!
This blog post really intrigued me because percocets and prescription drugs don't sit well with me when it comes to addictions. My nephews father, who my parents allowed to live with us for a short period of time, was addicted to percs (at the time we had no idea)... until he had stolen money, my parents medications and valuables from our family to buy more prescription medication. Thankfully, he's not in the picture anymore. You make a valid point that it ruins relationships. The use and availability of prescription drugs is what people need to focus on more rather than worrying about whether or not weed should be legal. When I hear about people I know and care about talk about what pills they took, it makes me sick because all I can think of is "please don't become like my nephews father."
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