In article ,
"John R. Carroll" wrote:

Don Bruder wrote:
In article ,
"Harold and Susan Vordos" wrote:


Between the two, I currently don't hold much hope for getting rid of
the damned things, though I wish I could. I managed to cold-turkey off
ritalyn years ago - Four days of being afraid I was going to die,
immediately followed by about two weeks of wishing I'd died back on
about day two - I got "the works" from that... the critters, the
projectile vomiting, the demons and even less-namable shapes jumping
around and screaming at me non-stop... It was truly ugly. I didn't
find out until afterwards that it's classed as being just slightly
less addictive than heroin or cocaine, but being out of it, with no
realistic source, I got through it. I managed to get off that, but
cigarettes seem to have me by the balls.

Don,
I just finished a sixteen week graduate studies program on addiction.
You got my attention when you said:

"Four days of being afraid I was going to die,
immediately followed by about two weeks of wishing I'd died back on
about day two"

These exact words were in most of the patient studies for opiates and
psychotropics.
ALL of the patients had been introduced to their addictive drugs by their
physicians.
Of the patient interviews with actual people, Oxycontin was the common
denominator. Nasty stuff.

Well, in all honesty, mine was "self-inflicted" - I stumbled onto the
knowledge that I liked the effects of ritalyn real well. TOO well... For
several months, I had a pretty much "all you can eat" supply, and went
through 'em about like M&Ms. Then the supply dried up, and the fun
began...

If you ever find yourself medicated for pain it is essential that the meds
be stopped ASAP within reason and preferably under a doctors care.
If you can do without - do so.

Oddly enough, I've never been much for downers. I've played with several
of them over the years, but that's all it ever was - "playing". The only
one of the group that held any interest at all for me was years ago, and
it was "just plain old" opium. All "denial" aside, I didn't like it for
the buzz (Basically, I got sleepy... Big deal...) so much as because it
smelled and tasted *SO* nice when you crumbled a small pinch into a
joint of even the crappiest homegrown weed.

Somewhere around here, I've got *AT LEAST* four 10 day supplies of
Vicodin left over from wisdom tooth extractions, separated shoulders,
blown-out knees, and sprained ankles, each with one dose actually taken
- I just don't like the way it hits me.

I know they put expiration dates on those things, but I can't help but
wonder how long they *REALLY* remain useful when stored properly sealed,
in the dark, etc. etc. etc...

Guess I probably won't be turning into a skag-head anytime soon, eh?

That having been said, the only addiction that will actually cause death if
the drug is suddenly stopped is also the most easily obtained - alcohol. No
****.

Yep, I've heard more than once about the DTs being fatal in some cases.

--
Don Bruder - - New Email policy in effect as of Feb. 21, 2004.
Short form: I'm trashing EVERY E-mail that doesn't contain a password in the
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See http://www.sonic.net/~dakidd/main/contact.html for full details.