After four years of working at a methadone clinic, here's what I've learned
27 replies, posted
I've made a few observations, I'm sure you all would enjoy them.
[B]The "GATEWAY DRUG!" argument is bullshit[/B]
There isn't a single "gateway drug." First of all, marijuana is hardly ever cited by patients as their first drug. Even if it were the first drug of all opiate addicts, it would not follow that they would make the jump from cannabinoids to opioids. Equating the two would be akin to someone saying that drinking milk lead to being an alcoholic. More often than not, Lortabs are cited as their first "drug." These are either given by or stolen from relatives or friends. It starts early, too. A good chunk of the patients we administer got a hold of Lortabs, OxyContin, or other prescribed opiates in their mid-to-late teens.
[B]The "DON'T GIVE JUNKIES SAFE INJECTION SITES" argument is bullshit[/B]
We have several patients who are suffering from HIV, Hepatitis, and other blood born diseases. The one's who I've talked to have always said that if they had clean needles, they would have used them. The trouble is, needles are hard to get a hold of, much less getting them in any sort of affordable fashion. What we are left with is many small epidemics of blood born diseases, specifically in low income neighborhoods, such as where I work.
[B]The "TEACH CHILDREN THAT ALL DRUGS ARE EQUALLY BAD AND EVIL" argument is bullshit.[/B]
I'm sure most of you remember the DARE program. The program that equated marijuana and ecstasy to heroin and encouraged snitching? Yeah, that one. That program was the most counter-intuitive program I've ever seen. Again, from talking with younger patients who were the "DARE" generation, I kept hearing something very odd. Normally, it went something like this, "Well, I tried marijuana and it wasn't as bad as they said it was. So then I got my friend to give me some of his lortabs, didn't figure they were bad either..." Granted, the story can interchange "marijuana" with "beer," "give" with "stole," ect, but the narrative is still there.
Not everyone who abuses opiates will become a chronic addict by any means, but certain people are at a certain disposition for addiction to [i]anything,[/i] especially opiates.
I'm sure I can think of a few more things, but I am fixing to have to clock out and head home. I'll add more things as I think of them.
Thank good i missed the DARE by like one year.
I wrote a lengthy paper for college english and I included DARE in some of the paragraphs, which goes along with your infofmation.
DARE has no statistics or facts to back up their claims ("teens will use fewer drugs via our program", etc)
here are bits and peices of my paper, which you may find it interesting as well…
[quote]
There are programs called the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE), which was created in 1982, and is designed to “provide children with the information and skills they need to live drug-and-violence-free lives.” (D.A.R.E.) Recently, the program has been seen not only as failure, but ‘counter-productive.’ According to David J. Hanson, Ph.D. from AlcoholFacts.org, says, “Even the U.S. Department of Education prohibits schools from spending its funding on DARE because the program is completely ineffective in reducing alcohol and drug use.”
Many people do not know that the war on drugs is very costly to our government, and ultimately the people of the United States. According to DrugSense.org, It is estimated that it costs 10 billion dollars annually on the war on drugs. (DrugSense.org) Ten billion dollars is a lot of money, and that money could very well be effectively spent in another way.
Other than the DARE program, there are also other campaigns designed to stop youth drug use, like “Just Say No!” This campaign was clearly aimed at discouraging drug use, but it had also been a failure, just like the D.A.R.E. program.
According to Dr. Dean Edell, from healthcentral.com, the “Just Say No” campaign did not work because, “Just telling people ‘no’ is not a motivator.” he explains, “I know of a study of two groups of high school athletes. One group was told to ‘Just Say No’ to steroids because they were bad for them. The other group was told about why people use steroids and what their risks and benefits are. Well, a year later, they found that the kids who had received balanced information were using fewer drugs than were the ‘Just Say No’ kids.” (HealthCentral.com) Every day we encounter new situations that require us to make decisions, but making informed decisions is very important in life. The campaign could also be applied to sex education and abstinence. You can’t just say ‘no’ to everything without knowing what’s really going on, students and parents alike should be informed on the matter.
[/quote]
i remember dare it was a entertaining class non the less but full of bullshit
I ditched out on all the "just say 'no'" Assembly's to go smoke weed.
I remember DARE, they always held programs at my school and they showed us those "scare you straight" videos a few times. The ones where it was like "ASHLEY WAS A GRADE A 4.0 HONOR STUDENT WHEN ONE DAY, ON HER WAY TO HER EMERGING LEADERS MEETING SHE WAS HIT BY A LOWLIFE INEBRIATED 19 YEAR OLD WHO STOLE HIS MOTHER'S UNEMPLOYMENT CHECK TO PAY A BUM TO BUY HIM FOURLOKOS AND BUDWEISER CRASHED INTO HER FAMILY'S MINIVAN. ASHLEY'S MOTHER WAS KILLED IN THE CRASH AND ASHLEY'S SKIN MELTED OFF HER FACE"
Needless to say, when i was young i believe every word and actually remembering making a vow with my friends to never do drugs. Then i actually started looking into the science behind the claims and realized that it was all a facade for weed at least.
speak with a congressman about this issue
Not to be a dick but this is kind of turning into a part 2 thread of "What-was-your-drug-education-like".
This isn't OPs fault or intention obviously but yeah, DARE thread discussion exists already.
As for OP - I've known for a long time now that most of the junkies and general pill-popping fuck ups started first with the abuse of prescription drugs. I personally can't get behind downers, but I won't lie, there has been certain pharmaceuticals that I took a liking to (Adderall, Vyvanse, etc) because I love stimulation and feeling productive.
Anyways, when it comes down to it, you can pretty much try any drug and be fine as long as its not abused. Thats just my opinion.
Also, unless you have a mental disorder, that changes things.
I would never recommend PCP to someone with severe anxiety or anger problems.
how about not recommend pcp to anyone
[QUOTE=confinedUser;30793693]how about not recommend pcp to anyone[/QUOTE]
No way bro.
PCP for life.
[QUOTE=confinedUser;30793693]how about not recommend pcp to anyone[/QUOTE]
I'd imagine that under the right conditions PCP is decent dissociative. If you're against a drug without really researching it, you're just as bad as the rest of the anti-drug people.
[QUOTE=Tomaster;30794234]I'd imagine that under the right conditions PCP is decent dissociative. If you're against a drug without really researching it, you're just as bad as the rest of the anti-drug people.[/QUOTE]
im only anti-pill fuck pharmaceuticals i don't know much on pcp because i don't plan on taking the shit
while I suppose I could handle PCP I have no considerable desire to try it, even after reading the about the most positive experiences.
[QUOTE=confinedUser;30796678]im only anti-pill fuck pharmaceuticals i don't know much on pcp because i don't plan on taking the shit[/QUOTE]
I do pills and in moderation they're just like any other drug, do it responsibly and you'll be alright. :v:
Do you see a lot of people coming in on what are essentially tolerance breaks?
What I mean is, they come to the clinic when their tolerance to heroin is too high for them to afford dosing, spend a few weeks coming to the clinic to get their daily methadone doses until they can afford heroin again.
Also, I read/heard something about methadone + benzos giving a rush almost like heroin, does anyone ever talk about that much there? Not sure how your clinic works, if there's group therapy/support sessions or whatnot.
[editline]30th June 2011[/editline]
Oh, and also, just out of curiosity, what city or state is your clinic in?
I have quite a few questions about the treatment itself aside from these, but I'll keep it to a minimum for now. :P
[QUOTE=confinedUser;30796678]im only anti-pill fuck pharmaceuticals i don't know much on pcp because i don't plan on taking the shit[/QUOTE]
I'm anti-pharmaceuticals as well considering my mothers doctor eventually got her stuck on 9 different medications. Anti-Psychotics (lithium), Anti-Depressants, Anxiety (xanax), Mood Stabilizers.. .
It's fucked up and has affected me for the worse. If weed was legal, she could atleast replace some of her medications to get her off the addicting shit...
lithium isn't an antipsychotic it's a mood stabilizer.
[QUOTE=FoodStuffs;30816709]lithium isn't an antipsychotic it's a mood stabilizer.[/QUOTE]
well same thing, it keeps her from being crazy
stabilizes her mood from psychotic to not psychotic
but still the point is that she wasn't really best possible mother she could have been and the drugs played a role i believe
I hate blaming drugs for things, because its all about the character.
[QUOTE=super_yurtle;30817074]well same thing, it keeps her from being crazy
stabilizes her mood from psychotic to not psychotic
but still the point is that she wasn't really best possible mother she could have been and the drugs played a role i believe
I hate blaming drugs for things, because its all about the character.[/QUOTE]
i do too but pills are man made and can cause much more harm than weed and shit
[QUOTE=confinedUser;30820959]i do too but pills are man made and can cause much more harm than weed and shit[/QUOTE]
Just because something is man made doesn't mean it causes more harm than natrual things.
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atropa_belladonna[/url] go natural
[QUOTE=super_yurtle;30817074]well same thing, it keeps her from being crazy
stabilizes her mood from psychotic to not psychotic
but still the point is that she wasn't really best possible mother she could have been and the drugs played a role i believe
I hate blaming drugs for things, because its all about the character.[/QUOTE]
it's not psychosis it's called mania
[QUOTE=confinedUser;30820959]i do too but pills are man made and can cause much more harm than weed and shit[/QUOTE]
shut up
[QUOTE=Rediscover;30832519]shut up[/QUOTE]
tough
the sad part is that the "DON'T GIVE JUNKIES SAFE INJECTION SITES" argument is probably based around the idea that junkies are scum and that they'll all die off if we deny them sanitary methods of using drugs and then they won't be a problem anymore
[QUOTE=Ultra Violence;30806505]Do you see a lot of people coming in on what are essentially tolerance breaks?
What I mean is, they come to the clinic when their tolerance to heroin is too high for them to afford dosing, spend a few weeks coming to the clinic to get their daily methadone doses until they can afford heroin again.[/quote]
No. They do not start off with enough methadone to "hold them over," not to mention prices at clinics for methadone are normally steeper than street prices for most opiates. Normally, the first few weeks are rough for them.
[QUOTE=Ultra Violence;30806505]Also, I read/heard something about methadone + benzos giving a rush almost like heroin, does anyone ever talk about that much there? Not sure how your clinic works, if there's group therapy/support sessions or whatnot.[/quote]
Sorry dude, but Benzos and Methadone will probably [i]fuck you up.[/i] I'm not talking "take an absurd amount of both and maybe OD," I'm talking "Take even a slightly 'off' combination and you'll be lucky to even wake up in the ambulance." If someone wanted to try this, they'd have to know their tolerance to both to a precise measurement. Even though I am about as liberal as one can be when it comes to narcotics and narcotic policies, I absolutely cannot endorse the mixing of those two.
[QUOTE=Ultra Violence;30806505][editline]30th June 2011[/editline]
Oh, and also, just out of curiosity, what city or state is your clinic in?
I have quite a few questions about the treatment itself aside from these, but I'll keep it to a minimum for now. :P[/QUOTE]
Alabama. I'd rather not give away too many specifics about my place of work.
[editline]7th July 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=BLOODGA$M;30857170]the sad part is that the "DON'T GIVE JUNKIES SAFE INJECTION SITES" argument is probably based around the idea that junkies are scum and that they'll all die off if we deny them sanitary methods of using drugs and then they won't be a problem anymore[/QUOTE]
It's a mixture between that and the fact that some people believe that they're encouraging this behavoir, even though safe injection sites are absolutely filled to the brim with counselors and "how to quit" pamphlets.
[editline]7th July 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=tittles650;30789897]speak with a congressman about this issue[/QUOTE]
All of our congressmen are far-right bastards.
[QUOTE=ThatHippyMan;30974336]Sorry dude, but Benzos and Methadone will probably [i]fuck you up.[/i][/QUOTE]
my best friend/next door neighbor died from mixing xanax and methadone
dont fucking do it
[QUOTE=Rediscover;30979253]my best friend/next door neighbor died from mixing xanax and methadone
dont fucking do it[/QUOTE]
A repeated Benzo/Methadone toxicology screen is grounds for being booted from the clinic.
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