re: #275 RadicalModerate

Problem is, opioids are FAR more dangerous as death by overdose (either accidental or deliberate) is a very real issue.

I’ve lost more than a few friends to this. Young guys, too (they were all men).

My dear friend David, who died about four years ago of a (legal) drug overdose, became addicted to pain killers after a botched back surgery. In a lot of ways it wasn’t his fault that he died. But he died anyway, leaving behind a teenage daughter and scores of friends and family.

I’ve seen a lot of people fall in and out of pain killer addiction. At its crux it’s one of the scariest things to deal with. I had a roommate who was addicted to pain killers (again, because of a botched surgery) and I watched the guy not eat for days on end and descend into absolute madness. One morning I found him convulsing on the floor naked in the kitchen and all the cabinet doors were open and all of the burners on the stove were lit.

That gentleman lived to tell the tale, and he’s drug free today. But goddamnit I’ve seen how destructive legally prescribed pain killers can be. I wouldn’t wish my friend David’s fate on my worst enemy.