Philip Seymour Hoffman dead at 46

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by kermitology

My cousin got started with Oxycodone. He'd been prescribed some after surgery to repair his ACL. He couldn't take the stuff without becoming violently ill, but was in so much pain that he tried to find any way to take it. He read online that you can crush the pills and snort it, and that doesn't come with nausea. Unfortunately, it also allows the entirety of the dose to go into your bloodstream, and not over time as designed.

Basically, he was an instant addict after that. Oxy is so controlled that it became harder and harder for him to find opiates, so he got whatever he could. He robbed a Shoppers, got caught 2 blocks away, high as a kite.

He devolved into standard junkie patterns, stealing everything he can, including my grandmother's wedding band because "she wasn't using it." He's since been in rehab several times, done every drug in between, claims to be clean, but isn't, and we're all just waiting for the phone call telling us he's dead.

It's sad, but we can't do anything to help him. We can't force him into rehab, we can't force him to do anything, and we're just trying not to enable him.

Sometimes you have to push yourself away from them, let them hit rock bottom and go from there. You can't keep going back over and over again screaming get help over and over again.

Its just as bad for your help as it is for the addicts, sometime even worse.

Too many people become constant life lines for their drug addicted friends or family members, and it paints a mental image in the addicts mind that your ok with what they're doing.

In terms of this death, I feel worse for him kids then I do for him, they're the ones who have been robbed, they're the ones who have to go through the soul crushing sorrow and the thought that they weren't important enough to him to stop.

and not every addiction is due to mental illness or self medication. Sometimes people just like the sensation and the rebellious party life cycle.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by fotze

What I've always had a hard time getting my head around is trying that first thing of heroine. Crack sure, its just taking a puff of something, but sticking a needle in the arm? You gotta be fataed right up to get to that point, obliterated on something else.

Also, direct injection into the bloodstream isn't the only way to take heroin, so it's probably not the first way people take it.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Sometimes you have to push yourself away from them, let them hit rock bottom and go from there. You can't keep going back over and over again screaming get help over and over again.

Its just as bad for your help as it is for the addicts, sometime even worse.

Too many people become constant life lines for their drug addicted friends or family members, and it paints a mental image in the addicts mind that your ok with what they're doing.

Exactly. We'd hoped that his second conviction, this time for convincing an elderly man with dementia to let him handle his finances was rock bottom, but not yet.

I've seen him only a few times in the past few years, basically since he became an addict. At my Grandfather's memorial, when he wouldn't look at me, and a couple of months ago, when he met my daughter.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by kermitology

Also, direct injection into the bloodstream isn't the only way to take heroin, so it's probably not the first way people take it.

I was going to mention this. Most people don't go from beer and weed and jump straight into injecting heroin. It can be a gradual fall and by the time they crave stronger and stronger highs, they're in a mental state that doesn't look at the risks logically anymore.

I think it's easy for some people to look at these situations and see a black and white scenario where the victim just chooses to be a junky. Much like the 500lbs guy at the food court or the guy laying face down on the ctrain... some people are well past the point where advice like "just make some better decisions" is going to help. I understand not being able to rile up sadness for the guy, I absolutely do. I also feel however that you should at least admit that peoples lives play out totally different from one person to the next. What happens in your life isn't completely transferrable to everybody else.

[Minnie]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

t, i find it difficult to be upset by this death or others like it.

It's not an unreasonable position, so I'm not sure why anyone would feel a need to attack you for it. Similarly, I'm not upset. I do find it a sad situation though, and I feel badly for his family and friends for whom this is a huge loss, and I do wish, for him and every other drug addict, that the love of their family and friends was enough to help them walk away from the stuff and all they risk losing for it.

But at the end of the day, he is not someone I know personally. He is someone whose films I gained entertainment from, who had a talent I admired and as I said before, the situation is sad and merits comment from that perspective.

[ranchlandsselling]

Originally Posted by kermitology

Exactly. We'd hoped that his second conviction, this time for convincing an elderly man with dementia to let him handle his finances was rock bottom, but not yet.

I've seen him only a few times in the past few years, basically since he became an addict. At my Grandfather's memorial, when he wouldn't look at me, and a couple of months ago, when he met my daughter.

Scary @#$% and honestly I hope I remember this story if I'm ever messed up and need pain medication and don't rationalize myself into a situation like that. Sounds near impossible to come back from.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by kermitology

My cousin got started with Oxycodone. He'd been prescribed some after surgery to repair his ACL. He couldn't take the stuff without becoming violently ill, but was in so much pain that he tried to find any way to take it. He read online that you can crush the pills and snort it, and that doesn't come with nausea. Unfortunately, it also allows the entirety of the dose to go into your bloodstream, and not over time as designed.

Basically, he was an instant addict after that. Oxy is so controlled that it became harder and harder for him to find opiates, so he got whatever he could. He robbed a Shoppers, got caught 2 blocks away, high as a kite.

He devolved into standard junkie patterns, stealing everything he can, including my grandmother's wedding band because "she wasn't using it." He's since been in rehab several times, done every drug in between, claims to be clean, but isn't, and we're all just waiting for the phone call telling us he's dead.

It's sad, but we can't do anything to help him. We can't force him into rehab, we can't force him to do anything, and we're just trying not to enable him.

Not to detail the thread, but if people stood on my side of the counter they would be shocked how common this story is

[sun]

I've been prescribed pain meds twice. Once was T3s and I got a month's supply and took them the first night and didn't need anymore.

The second time was for kidney stones. First, I got a month's supply of Dilaudid. Went back for a checkup a week later and got another month's prescription for Dilaudid and a month of Naproxen. Then a pile of T3s eventually. I mean, it was crazy. I did NOT need anywhere near that much medication, even though it was absolutely mind-numbingly painful at times.

Dilaudid was great. I can see how people get addicted. Not sure why they gave me so much. I probably still have 50+ tablets of it.

[Wormius]

I am sure there isn't anybody who would take advantage of that information here, but that probably isn't wise to advertise you have pain killers laying about the house.

[Vulcan]

What it looks like to me is that he's broken up with his partner and hits a low in his life, so he reverts to the thing that has given him solace in his life, damn the consequences. I use to react much the same way.

[nik-]

I had T3's when I got my wisdom teeth out. Took them once and my stomach hurt so bad that I just stopped and lived with the ache for a few days. Hopefully that's my reaction to all opiates.

I still feel that alcohol is by far the biggest gateway drug.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by fotze

PM sent!

With the amount of heroin they are finding (65 bags), makes you wonder if he wasn't making this a final hurrah. Mind you I have zero expertise to make this leap. Any heroin addicts here want to comment? Also, how much money would that cost?

Well if he was, it was poor planning since he still had 65 bags left. He should have gone through the 60 bags and than OD'd with the last five.

[Russic]

I know he's not the most popular man in the world, but Russell Brand knows addiction.

An article he wrote in March has been popping up online again, and it shares some interesting perspectives:

I cannot accurately convey to you the efficiency of heroin in neutralising pain. It transforms a tight, white fist into a gentle, brown wave. From my first inhalation 15 years ago, it fumigated my private hell and lay me down in its hazy pastures and a bathroom floor in Hackney embraced me like a womb.

This shadow is darkly cast on the retina of my soul and whenever I am dislodged from comfort my focus falls there.

http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2...-without-drugs

[habernac]

I think I saw Matthew Perry having a chat with Peter Hitchens. He (Hitchens) was kind of a dick. Perry kept trying to explain addiction and he wouldn't have any of it.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by fotze

PM sent!

With the amount of heroin they are finding (65 bags), makes you wonder if he wasn't making this a final hurrah. Mind you I have zero expertise to make this leap. Any heroin addicts here want to comment? Also, how much money would that cost?

It depends on the type of heroin and the quality, but between 100 and 300 a gram.

So 65 gram bags would be $6500 to about $20,000

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by fotze

What does a gram get ya? One blast, a days worth, five mins? Obviously depends on the person. One gram is one needle full?

5 to 10 hits if your really good at it

Depends on the quality too.

[nik-]

I think that number is too high. I wouldn't be surprised if those little balloon bags of heroin were $10 to $20 a pop, I don't think they're all a gram, I think a lot of them are single dose bags.

[AcGold]

A tragedy and kind of pathetic, not a black and white situation as many perceive. A highly skilled, charismatic guy dies of something that serves so little benefit, pure addiction and cyclic patterns of horrible depressions and withdrawals followed by binging. Eventually the addict gets careless and makes a mistake

[troutman]

Willie Red: Pretty soon you be feeling all unnecessary.

Rush (1991)

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by nik-

I think that number is too high. I wouldn't be surprised if those little balloon bags of heroin were $10 to $20 a pop, I don't think they're all a gram, I think a lot of them are single dose bags.

Opens up some questions.

Its possible, I had read in an article that it was 65 gram bags not I think the term is dime bags or single dose bags.

Either way that's a ton of heroin.

A single dose bag would be yeah $10 to $30 per bag depending on the quality of the heroin.