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Errata

purpleshoes wrote: »

I was an addiction worker for a time. I've got a post grad I'm alcohol and drug studies. I worked with addicts long before I got the qualification. It's a fascinating subject. The way many other countries deal with addiction are light years away from the UK

It falls to charities to provide rehabs, some churches as well. There's little if any govt funded rehabs, you could fill most of them 1000 times over.

People can and do detox from methadone in weeks. It's the head stuff that's harder, changing habits and breaking ties from others who are still using.

That's an interesting post. It sounds like drug addiction is a lifestyle choice and staying clean is a lifestyle choice.

purpleshoes_2

It's not easy. I've seen so many lives ruined by addiction. All I can say is getting clean from any substance, the people who do it have my utmost respect.

Oh and in some towns I worked in the huge fancy houses were owned by doctors, lawyers and drug dealers.

There are many rich people who make money from other people's misery.

I loved my job, but it's a draining career. So many folk I worked with had complex issues, addiction plus mental health is the worst, because addiction can make certain conditions worse so you get teams who won't treat an addict for their mental health issues until they stop using, which is as much use as nailing jelly to a wall.

There are very few qualified staff who deal with the issues of dual diagnosis, that is someone who has an addiction and mental health issue at the same time.

Throw in homelessness and people living chaotic lifestyles, it's often impossible to get folk the correct support even with a team of support staff.

Waves_and_Smiles

I had a very good friend who was a high functioning Heroin user for a long time. She was able to work and moderate her dose, although it obviously wasn't ideal. She finally decided she had had enough of it and reduced down from Heroin to Morphine and then from there to Codeine and finally was free of it. The only way she could free herself was to change her lifestyle completely which also meant losing touch with anyone who reminded her of using. Sadly, this also meant me, I was a reminder. I felt terribly sad at the time because we were very close but I understand why she had to do that. Now we leave a message on Facebook to each other once a year just checking in. She couldn't stay in touch with me because I take Codeine, she felt just talking to someone knowing they had it available would be too much temptation for her. She is 3 years clean and has no contact with anyone who she is aware takes illegal or legal addictive drugs.

That sounds very positively, Calley! Take it slowly and just accomplish one change at a time, don't over-stretch yourself. Have a lovely day tomorrow!

mellymoo74

Sleeping porky.

One of our best friends was a well known artist. He was a long standing heroin addict. He was a lovely man dressed entirely in 19th century clothing

Indie_Kid

aww! Looks so sweet

elsien

I remember a talk once from a psychologist working with addicts talking about things that would never occur to you. Stuff like not only having to change all your friends and lifestyle, but also avoiding every day triggers such as tin foil because it's a reminder.
Given that it took me about 3 years on and off to completely stop smoking, I can see how much harder it would be to kick something more addictive.

I have just been out to a comedy night. Quote of the night - sanitary protection? How can it possibly be more tax efficient to stick a Jaffa cake in your pants?
(You possibly had to be there.)

Waves_and_Smiles

Awww, porky is adorable!

What an interesting friend, Melly! Because I worked with a lot of drug users when I was an HIV counsellor and because of my friend I tend to be quite accepting of people who use drugs providing they don't hurt anyone else. The latter is entirely different. There a lot of people who take illegal drugs who don't steal or hurt people and no one would ever know that they were on anything, like my friend used to be. I have found a lot of drug users to be people who tend to have other problems, as Pauline says a lot have mental health issues or have had very dysfunctional pasts where they have turned to anything to try to make them happier. Their stories are often very sad, when I was in a children's home 3 of the 16 year old's there were injecting. I also took a lot of drugs once but never enough to become addicted, luckily. I just took enough to self-medicate to get through the day and stop the paranoia so I could function, before I was diagnosed and given the real medication I needed. (DO NOT copy me, it's dangerous!)

Which is ironic of course, because now I am addicted to codeine completely legally and with no alternative. I do say I am addicted incidentally because I don't feel it is realistic to say I am just dependant or try to pretty it up, the fact is if I don't have it I go into withdrawals and scrabble around on the floor trying to find some. It is definitely a controlled addiction and I am not about to kid myself otherwise.

mellymoo74

She needs love due to the giant scratch on her head from T.
Apparently 4 times of being told someone doesn't want to play isn't enough
You would have thought she was being murdered.

Waves_and_Smiles

Hahahaha! Aw, she is persistent Melly! At least she likes cats? Or rather did?

mellymoo74

We had two couples who were friends who used.
Neither set were your archetypal 'smack head' one couple you really wouldn't know in fact most people didn't they let us know because we were friends and artist friend was able to support his habit very well through his work. (It went for several thousand per piece).
Artist friend and wife where also voodoo practitioners I learnt lots from them.