YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Any opiate I could get my hands on made me happy, but specifically diacetylmorphine (AKA heroin AKA dope). Unfortunately I discovered the pleasurable effects of IV drug use, and I became a daily user of IV heroin. For those who are opiate naive, pills are hardly different from dope. IV addicts will inject pills just as quickly as they will heroin. And you don't have to be an IV user to suffer the same consequences of addiction.

It's hard not to look fondly upon the high induced by opiates. There is a euphoric rush (especially from IV) that feels like a warm blanket. It makes you feel like everything is and will be okay. For me, opiates defeated all of my depression and anxiety. Even though opiates are classified as a depressant, they always gave me energy. In high doses, users will nod out (a mental state that is like going in and out of sleep), but personally I never wanted to do doses that high. The blissful euphoria from opiate use was expressed as pure love and energy for me.

Unfortunately, because I was self-medicating, I used opiates way too often. Tolerance and dependence are inevitable with daily use. Without opiates, you start to feel dopesick (withdrawal, which is typically the complete opposite of the high), and after a few weeks you must increase the dose to achieve the same effects. Once I realized I couldn't afford my habit, I would only buy enough to avoid being sick (many refer to this as "getting well"), and it was rare for me to actually get high towards the end. If you're at all educated then you already know where that road goes.

Luckily, my habit didn't progress into the dangerous lifestyle that so many addicts find themselves in. I want to mention that I practiced relatively safe use... But I'd be a fool to pretend that such a thing exists for an addict such as myself. Still, to avoid negative reactions, I'll say that I never shared or reused needles, and I ALWAYS started at low doses.

I would really love to hear from people whose lives have been affected by opiates in any form (users or family/friends of users). Or course I want to hear from anybody that relates, but I'd especially like to hear from people who DID NOT enjoy the opiate experience. Some people do have adverse reactions, but it's impossible for me to imagine not falling in love with the euphoria. Also, I would love to answer any questions so please ask!

My brother is 8 years younger than I. There's definitely a generational disconnect between he and I...I don't understand him. He got into oxys when he was about 18, and because he can't tell the truth to save his life, The exact circumstances of how are unknown to me. He claims that his gf's dad had him selling them on the street for him, then my brother got a taste for them and cut into the profits, so he didn't have an easy hookup anymore. I really don't know how much of that is true, because his high school friends developed the same habit at the same time.

He got really sketchy and did the stereotypical junkie bs. He stole my percocets prescribed to me to aid in recovery from a c-section when he came to my house to meet my daughter. I didn't realize it until I went to take my next dose and he was long gone. At that point I thought he only smoked pot, else I never would have let them out of my sight. C-sections are super painful to recover from for the first week or so, and I could have murdered him if I had been able to get my hands on him. His theft escalated quickly from there. He stole every single thing of value from our parents and pawned them for drugs. He even sold off the damned grill. A GRILL! My parents were devastated but wouldn't call the cops on him. He was eventually busted shoplifting on multiple occasions, and ended up doing just under a year in jail. He was forced into sobriety, and although I'm sad that his life will forever be haunted by a decision he made as a kid, I'm happy, because if it weren't for jail he would be dead by now, either from stealing from the wrong person or an OD.

He's 24 now, and although he's off the opiates, he's replaced it with drinking. He has a job, but blows all his money on booze. He fathered a child he was gung ho about until he realized how much money and effort were needed to raise a child, so now he's contesting paternity. I am so ashamed of his actions and selfishness. I wonder if he will ever grow up.

that is one of the bad things that drug can give to you. stealing from other people the worst is stealing from his or her own family. and make his or her life miserable. just what happen to my friend that have a drug addiction. his family forced him to undergo treatment in drug rehab centers in california and his currently on treatment right now. i wonder why some people choose to be an addict even though they know that it can ruin their life.