What could you fill up with the amount of sympathy you have for those idiots who OD on heroin?

I am a former alcoholic.

There but for the grace of God go I.

In the U.S 5 ODs an hour is the latest report I read yesterday. Must be one of God's curses on a wicked nation. This post was edited by O-uknow at May 14, 2018 7:27 AM MDT

Well I don't like to see or hear about those sorts of things.  Or any other drug as well.  Does seem a waste of life to me and I try to do what I can if it is appropriate.  But in the end people have to stand or fall by their own actions and you can't force people to give a damn if they don't want to.  So I see no reason to be constantly wringing my hands over it. Some people make it in life, some don't.  Which is the way it has always been.  

Many people turn to heroin when the reckless physicians who over-prescribed legal opiates suddenly take them away. 

I have at least as much sympathy for addicts as I have for people who get cancer from smoking, sun-worship, poor nutritional choices, etc. 

I have no sympathy for those who OD on illegal drugs and very little sympathy for those who OD on legal ones.  They made a choice!  I DO, however, have sympathy for those they hurt (family, friends, loved ones).  

My sympathy or lack thereof doesn't really mean anything. It's not going to discourage people from becoming addicted or do anything to combat the current problem. All I can say is that I want the addiction epidemic to end.

i feel bad for the people that do it, i knew this guy yrs ago that overdosed on heroin

Oh, E. Dragons. 

My work as a writer had me covering opiate use from a legal standpoint and for rehab clinics. People using today aren't traditional "junkies." They're your neighbor. Your friend. Your coworker (or former coworker). About 10% of the population has abused opiates. I guarantee you know several addicts, though you may not know who they are. 

People are getting hooked by prescription pain meds, then getting yanked off without resources to deal with the withdrawal. Turned to street drugs, these people can't take "measured doses" to keep the withdrawal symptoms at bay. They can try, but there's no telling if the mix is the same potency as the last, leading to OD. Sometimes other drugs are in the mix, suppressing the respiratory system and causing death. Going off for a while and relapsing and taking the same dose can result in an OD. Hell, the body even primes users for the dose, like Pavlov's Dog. A user can go into his or her familiar location and the body will start preparing to counteract the dose. The user takes the same dose in a new location and the body hasn't primed itself- it can be an OD. 

Opiates are scary. Only about 30% really kick the habit, and that's usually those who not only get long-term rehab (90 days), but are committed to long-term followup care. Resources for these folks are nil. Isn't it your state with waiting lists several months long? What are these people to do? Even those with insurance have to pony up thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars for treatment, and financing, getting time away from work, and a million other barriers stand in their way. 

Despite my professional knowledge on the subject, I recently learned that someone I care about very much has been hiding a heroin addiction. I missed it. I missed the signs. I am actively trying to find this person help, but help doesn't exist- not for the person who hasn't totally lost everything yet. Rehab clinics are way out of budget and the state programs won't accept someone who is still holding down a job, but the withdrawal symptoms are so severe that that's a medical issue on its own. Sure, this person could go through medical detox and that alone would be covered, but medical detox is not effective in ending addiction at all. Not one bit. It's the ongoing treatment that matters. This person has been looking for help and has found none. I thought I could help. It turns out, there's little I can do as well. I can't find the resources to help this person and they genuinely want help. It's like watching someone you care about die of a terminal illness, yet knowing it's only terminal because you don't have the resources to help. 

Before you go calling people idiots, please consider the actual facts and science behind addiction and OD. Opiates are horrifying. I feel like every single day this person isn't in rehab, they're sitting on a ticking time-bomb. It is only a matter of time before they do OD. Either an accidental OD or an intentional one because they gave up hope of ever getting help. I have never been more scared for anyone before in my life. Addiction is a monster. The sadness I feel for addicts who want help- infinite. 

Perhaps it's natural selection at its finest.  Perhaps it's the world reducing population.  I have much less sympathy about it than I used to.  People can't claim ignorance.  When I was a kid I had no idea such things were going on.  Today any kid in school and whose parents  allow them access to entertainment media knows about drugs and the dangers.  I don't like locking them up in jail.  I'm not interested is paying for detox and rehab over and over for the same people.  I sure as hell am not going to carry drugs with me in case I see someone on the street who has overdosed and needs help.