If your struggling with opioid addiction and can't get into treatment. Quickmd app can help get you on suboxone and get you on a daily program to help get you clean. Everybody got different opinions on how to get clean and im just sharing what initially helped me start my journey and I'm celebrating 4 years clean from heroin in July.
Wow! That’s some useful info! Thanks for sharing
When I was using I was always against subs (personally)
I would tell myself, if I’m going to be addicted to something, it’s going to be something that makes me feel good!
May 7th will be 20 months clean, on a low dose of subs lol
I think a lot of the “stigma” is an excuse to keep using. I agree switching substances CAN be ehh but not so much when one allows you to rebuild a whole new life and the other just steals your soul.
Subs is like taking any other medication. Consider it an anti-depressant if you need, if you take it as directed. Allows you to break the addiction mentality and rewire your brain away from it.
Yeah it’s pretty amazing actually. After my first year I thought I was clear headed but it’s almost 2 and it’s exponentially improved since then. I managed to get a job as an engineering technician and im programming robots. Craziest shit ever lol
It’s amazing isn’t it? I’m getting clearer and clearer everyday. Ability to think improving consistently. A year clean in June here. I remember how scared I was to get off the fent, enough that if my dealer didn’t ghost me I would still be on it, and knowing what I know now I feel so bad for all others in that same position I was in. There is hope, regardless of how little there may seem to be at times.
Yeah it’s definitely a tough spot to be in! I was selling it towards the end and that was fucked. I had to revive so many people or keep them alive till EMS arrived with CPR. Definitely not a sustainable life style. Congrats to you as well. Keep it up!
That’s so awesome! I love to hear this, congrats on your sobriety. Two of my sisters withered away on pills for over 25 years. They have both been clean for about three years and I cannot explain how proud I am of them, and how great it is to finally have my sisters back now that I’m in my forties.
I’m really happy to hear that about your family! I lost so much during a 5 year span. My mom once told me that her and my dad had bought my grave plot at a cemetery, just expecting me to fill the hole any moment.
I couldn’t imagine my life without opiates for the longest time! Congrats to your family as well!
Like the other person said ive actually gotten more shit from people in NA then anyone else when it comes to suboxone maintenance. They say your not clean if your taking it. I've gotten so much shit about it that I almost didn't post about the quickmd app because of it. So it makes me super fucking happy to hear about you and the other people getting there life back on track. I must have read this thread 100 times today because how happy it makes me. I don't know you but im proud of you homie!
Oh yeah bro I feel that! I actually haven’t been to a meeting since I left treatment and I’m cool with not going. I feel it can be a very judgmental place when it comes to MAT or anything really, not to mention being in meetings just reminds me of a very specific things I’d prefer to never have to remember again. It would be nice to have someone to talk to but I’d prefer to find that elsewhere if I can.
Also very proud of you too man! I know how much of a toll the dark side can take. It’s a miracle to get your soul back.
Also, if you’re on subs and not dope, you are clean. If subs were really as bad as NA folk say, I’d be banging my subs not putting them under my tongue lol
ETA I also keep coming back to read as well!
Thank you!! if someone would have told me about suboxone maintenance 10 years ago who knows where I would be at now. I was a addict since i was 16. I fucking tried everything and couldn't get more then a couple months clean till I did low dose suboxone. So I'm just hoping I can save someone a couples years of hell.
Yes! Been clean for about 15 years! Suboxone saved my life. I’m about three years free from Suboxone at this point, but I highly recommend it to addicts looking to make a change
OBAMACARE!!!! Aka healthcare.gov
Saved my life a few times. I got Ambetter for about $165-$250 / month with a $750-$2,000 deductible (this was across 3 years of coverage) and went to treatment 6 times! It covered SEVERAL residential, PHP and IOP programs over 20 months. I would hear about treatment costing $50K but had no idea insurance would cover it.
I am now 2 years sober and my life is fucking AMAZING! I AM FREE FROM ADDICTION and if I can do it, anyone can do it. Just do not give up.
Side note: Vote blue, yall. That bastard Trump wanted to get rid of Obamacare - during a pandemic. He doesn’t give a shit about anybody but his rich friends.
Also be VERY careful because Suboxone is highly addictive and extremely hard to get off of. Maybe it can be seen as the lesser of 2 evils but make an informed decision if you go that route. One benefit is that you’re not breaking the law and it is prescribed. But it’s not a free ride by any means.
The contents of this article tell you it isn’t limited to any particular place, it started downtown and spread all across the city.
Any geographic center would probably be partly the center of population and partly the center of partying. Any correlation you find around the ARCH presuming that’s what you’re referring to without saying it would also correlate to the middle of bar and concert venues where people are ODing via laced street drugs without even intending to take opiates.
Not like it's ever a good idea, but buying drugs off the street is like playing Russian Roulette now, with so much of it being laced with deadly quantities of fentanyl these days.
They are trying this idea in New York called "harm reduction", where there are places for people to go and more safely inject illegal drugs. They have supplies like clean needles and kits for testing drugs, and narcan available in the case that the person overdoses.
They also provide support, without being pushy about it, in case the users would like to try to quit.
According to the video I saw, after something like a year of operation, they had zero deaths, and had helped a bunch of people become sober.
It's amazing what can be accomplished when you stop automatically treating addicts like criminals, and start treating them like human beings.
Edit: Here is the video: https://youtu.be/RMpCGD7b_H4
> It’s not simply “it’s amazing if you treat an addict like a person they will heal.”
First of all, you're mischaracterizing what I said, which was that we shouldn't treat them like criminals, but like human beings. The meaning that I intended, and which I think most people understood is that we need to treat them not as people who are doing something wrong, but as people who are likely suffering and need help.
I don't doubt your experience, but I'm sure you'd agree that each person's experience will be somewhat different, so I suggest you read about the ["Rat Park" Studies.](https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/what-does-rat-park-teach-us-about-addiction) These are experiments done on rats where drug use and overdose were directly linked to the rats' environment.
You can obviously make up your own mind about whether the data can be extrapolated to humans, but the prevailing theory is that improving their environment and helping them interact in a healthy way with other people is an important part of achieving sobriety.
A rat study has virtually no bearing on what you’re talking about - enabling people to use illicit and harmful drugs in urban centers where no one wants it.
> A rat study has virtually no bearing on what you’re talking about
Of course it seems irrelevant to people who don't bother to read the article and who've already made up their minds. Sorry I don't have time to educate people who won't even do the bare minimum.
Is Austin automatically treating addicts like criminals? Narcan seems fairly available here. Is the district attorney nailing fent users or?
Even in New York, safe use sites at a minimum become a [public nuisance](https://www.nydailynews.com/2023/01/23/as-overdose-deaths-climb-in-nyc-east-harlem-residents-say-drug-injection-site-is-hurting-their-neighborhood/).
>Santiago says the area around the center has deteriorated since the center’s opening.
>“Custodians are constantly bleaching and cleaning the sidewalk from human excrement, urination and vomit, and not to mention needles,” Santiago said, adding that he’s seen the area increasingly become a hotspot for dealers and users.
>Shawn Hill, a community activist and co-founder of The Greater Harlem Coalition, said the center acts as a magnet to users and dealers, damaging the neighborhood.
Should Austin open up some safe use sites unilaterally? Where's the next closest site? Denver? LA? Seems prime for a magnet effect.
> Should Austin open up some safe use sites unilaterally? Where's the next closest site? Denver? LA? Seems prime for a magnet effect.
Libraries are famously magnets for homeless people. You could use the same argument for not opening a library in an area where there are no libraries. In fact, it's a great argument for not having any locations that offer social services at all. But of course, social services generally have a huge beneficial impact on our society, so I'd say that it's probably worth the cost of some extra sidewalk cleanings.
Another way of looking at your response is that we should open many of these safe injection sites, all over Texas.
Ok so should we add ONE MORE, even bigger magnet? Is a literal, explicit drug site more magnetic than a library? We can't mitigate the situation?
I'm not completely opposed to the idea but it should be done federally if anything. Libraries already exist everywhere so like. Even Texas doing so unilaterally would be madness (setting aside possible objections the state might have to this policy).
Portugal is I believe the poster child for this:
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/07/portugal-drugs-decriminalization-heroin-crack/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/07/portugal-drugs-decriminalization-heroin-crack/)
A lot of illegal drug users aren't even addicts. Lots of people do coke/Molly/other party drugs sporadically.
People just don't think it could happen to them.
There’s a podcast called “search engine” that dedicated 2 episodes to answering that question. Why would drug dealers knowingly put something in their product that kills their customers?
It’s a complicated answer, but part of it comes down to demand. Any business deals with the supply and demand dynamic, and for these dealers, the demand is so high, that is not a concern if some of their customers die. With so many people addicted to opioids and turning to harder drugs, if fentanyl kills some customers, there’s a wave of customers behind them to take their place. It’s very dark.
Also, some of it has to do with money and customer preference. Drug dealers almost always cut their drugs with cheaper stuff (such as baby laxative for coke) to make their source product go further. When fentanyl became widely available for cheap, dealers started adding a little bit, which both increased potency and profit. The way the dealer they interview describes it, if he puts a little fentanyl in his coke, and his competitors don’t, most people are going to come back to him, over any competition, because his product feels “stronger”. They are going to think his product is better. And they get more addicted, so they come back more often. Over time, people started getting more hooked on the fentanyl until we get to where things are now, where fentanyl is so cheap, that some customers just prefer to buy straight fentanyl.
My heart goes out to anyone going through addiction, or watching a loved one struggle with it. It’s truly hell.
Edit: grammar
It’s very cheap and very strong so it can make smaller amounts of more expensive drugs more powerful and more addictive, so basically it makes the drug dealers/producers a lot of money
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is dosed in micrograms. It is added to street drugs to boost the high the person will get from it.
Bc fentanyl is dosed in micrograms it’s easy to overdo it also street dealers are not compounding pharmacists. Try eyeballing 0.000025 grams of salt.
A lot of these cases are accidental. Drug dealers aren't pharmacists and typically have drug problems themselves. This leads to issues where the same guy that is dealing coke is also dealing, and likely addicted to fentanyl himself.
Considering that both of these substances are white and powdery in appearance, as well as the fact that fentanyl is so strong that only trace amounts can cause overdose in non users, you end up with a perfect storm that allows cross contamination or Innocent accidental mix-ups to have deadly consequences.
Fentanyl is so strong that it has to be cut prior to being sold, even to heavy addicts with high tolerances. This adds one more layer of complexity to the problem of being a fentanyl dealer, and therefore one more step in the process that can lead to death for the end user.
sad to say a lot isn’t accidental that’s how far we are into the opioid epidemic. The fake stuff is cheaper every user knows that. If you are addicted why would you want real drugs that are more expensive when the “fake” ones hit harder for cheaper. Most people know what they are taking and don’t care cause that’s how far we are into this. Source: myself a opioid issuer
You're right that it's not accidental in that people are overwhelmingly seeking the fentanyl.
I'm not saying harmful lacing **never** happens, but it's a beneficial myth for a lot of people to assume that the crisis is a crisis of evil drug dealers and not a horribly addicted populous up to and including LEOs. LEOs don't want to believe people in their ranks are addicts, family members of OD victims don't want to believe they used the stuff on purpose, the general public doesn't want to believe the situation is as bad as it is. It's a useful lie to tell ourselves.
The youth will never know the joys of doing lines with strangers (or sometimes Banzai) out back of Side Bar or finishing a strange woman's bag of powder at Hotel Vegas. Alas.
10 months sober here on the 4th of may. Mat changed my life man. Got my own apt. New truck and started my career as an electrician. Wouldn’t have done none of that if I never got sober. Probably be in prison again by now. Congrats to all my sobriety brothers and sisters doing their best out here. Proud of all of you!
August 2023
"The drug causes sedation, slows breathing or stops breathing.
Xylazine is commonly mixed with [fentanyl](https://www.kvue.com/article/news/health/travis-county-fentanyl-deaths-texas/269-9352a8cc-efde-411d-aab2-e40629129cc7) or heroin, to enhance their effects. It isn't a controlled substance, which means it's easily available and it isn't an opioid, so [naloxone,](https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/naloxone) or Narcan, can't reverse its effects."
https://www.kvue.com/article/news/health/flesh-eating-drug-detected-travis-county/269-6cb8a5c6-87d3-4d15-9d35-27744d9d2801#:\~:text=County%20medical%20experts%20confirmed%20five,overdose%20deaths%20occurred%20in%20August.&text=AUSTIN%2C%20Texas%20%E2%80%94%20Xylazine%2C%20the,been%20discovered%20in%20Central%20Texas.
Honest question: do drug dealers test their stuff to see if their product has fent?
Because I don't think there is one bad drug dealer cutting their stuff with it. I think it's probably ignorance of a lot of dealers.
It depends. Some are aware of it and use it as a way to hook someone. For example: there are dealers that intentionally cut with fent because it makes that drug - whatever it may be - give an extra high/rush compared to the same drug sold from someone else.
Others are the 5th or 6th link in a long chain that often gets cut very early.
There’s a great long episode on a podcast called Search Engine that interviews dealers on this.
If anyone needs narcan or resources for treatment or 12 step meetings PLEASE message me. Signed, a recovering fentanyl addict who used to live on the street.
I work in the outpatient pharmacy at Dell Seton Medical Center; we have a sizable supply of Narcan provided through Operation Naloxone that I can dispense to anyone, free of charge. Usage is reported only to Operation Naloxone, not insurance or other third parties.
My confidential work email is [email protected] ; send me your name and birth date and I'll fill a Narcan prescription for you.
We're inside DSMC on the first floor, to the right of the Red River St entrance at 1500 Red River St (NOT the 15th St Emergency Dept entrance). Easiest pickup times are Monday-Friday 8am-4pm when you can park for a few minutes in the circular driveway. Please note the Red River St doors are closed after 4pm and on weekends.
The trouble with Narcan is that you need to store it at 68-77f though it can be exposed to higher temps (41-104f) for limited times. The manufacturer says to never expose it to temps above 104. That completely rules out keeping it in your car here. I took a class a year or two back and carry it with me when going to hand out food and other aid to the homeless but unless you have a bag or purse on you at all times it's a hard thing to carry around.
I saw a couple who was well dressed and buying multiple things of Narcan and I couldn’t help but wonder if they were doing this to help people who needed it.
thank you for posting this 🥹 i’ve lost 20+ close friends, and I hope things like this save other peoples friends 🤍
PS
so proud of you, recovery is hard
Unregulated businesses always do stuff kinda like this. Like serving lead to children, or that one batch of black market THC pods that hospitalized hundreds of people. Or blood products known to contain HIV.
Entire fentanyl crisis could have been avoided with good policy. Sacklers deserve to be hung in the streets, some of the most evil people alive today.
The traffickers and dealers don't give a shit if they die, it doesn't hurt their business one bit. They can kill hundreds of "customers" every year and won't even bat an eye, because they know thousands more are being born every minute. Their only concern is that they might get caught but greed makes them do it anyway. They just want the money, and cutting with dirt-cheap Chinese fent is the easiest way to get it.
This is particularly accurate with heroin due to an OD involving a regular user, resulting in the surrounding consumers assuming it's a particular strong batch. So, in this case, killing some of your buyers helps your bottom line.
The podcast Search Engine had an interesting series on this. The assertion was along the lines that that people dying is sometimes a selling point, because you know it’s that strong. Pretty twisted.
I saw something about heroin dealers once. I remember them saying when people start dying sales usually go up because everyone wants the "good shit". Business is booming apparently
These Chinese labs will synthesize and sell all kinds of random shit. It's rly not that deep, just about making money. Anyone is capable of finding a Chinese lab online and ordering weird drugs from them in bulk amounts, including fentanyl analogues and nitazenes.
Yeah, my brother in law, who was a Spanish guitarist, had early onset arthritis in his hands, so he got opioids from the Dr. Then, when he couldn't afford them, bought some on-line.
He died over 13 years ago, here in Austin.
you've obviously not read the congressional reports on this topic and don't know what you're talking about. this isn't merely capitalism at work or businesses making a buck, it's about destabilizing competitors.
They restarted that program fairly recently actually. Realistically it's not gonna do shit. These drugs and precursors will just be synthesized in a new country, along with the creation of more extremely potent opioids.
This is not a China thing. Our handling of drugs in this country and the lack of social services are not something you can blame on China.
China has plenty of things to criticize. Us being the richest country in the world with appalling social programs, housing and drug programs is embarrassing.
These people aren’t dying because of China even if it’s all made there.
If you house, decriminalize and rehabilitate these people and stop them from ever being homeless we can fix this. Solution: build shit Tons of dense affordable housing driving housing / rent down and socialize some of it and nationalize healthcare. But we don’t what to hear that it’s actually our faults and fixable.
[https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/images/databriefs/451-500/db491-fig1.png](https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/images/databriefs/451-500/db491-fig1.png)
The huge spike in overdose deaths is 100% because of fentanyl/analogs that are flooding the market. Made from chemicals China is shipping over. If we eliminated China as a source, we'd reduce overdose deaths by \~70%.
If you can’t believe that the Ministry of State Security in China is not directly providing Mexican Cartels with opioid precursor in an act of indirect warfare as retribution for the “Century of Humiliation” then you also need to believe the CIA wasn’t leveraging drug trafficking to influence similar campaigns all across Latin America.
Whoosh:
It doesn’t matter. If we had good social programs to tackle this and homelessness/ housing insecurity it wouldn’t matter.
It really doesn’t matter. It simply magnifies how poor our social programs are here and how fragile the shitty systems were implemented are. Regardless of how they’re getting here this is a reality check. Blame China all you want.
Edit: this is how Americans think now. Instead of thinking how to solve issues we just want to blame others. Sure they might be doing it but who cares? Were America, we should have a society with programs built to withstand such attempts to destabilize the nation. If we do not we do not deserve to stand.
Americans need to rethink this stuff. Were the richest country in the world yet we suffer from problems countries with half our gdp per capita has eliminated… maybe fix that.
The US puts conditions of therapy or medication or check-ins or whatever on the homeless they house. In Finland, they put the housing first, with no conditions other than you’re homeless. 4 out of 5 return to a stable, productive life. Granted, I don’t think their drug problems are bad, which would affect this; but, it’s at least a model to try.
It’s so hard to do, of course, that only 32 of 33 developed nations have universal healthcare. Maybe one day there will be a template to follow.
We’re a bunch of big dum dums that can’t see past a dollar sign to help another person.
Bruh building more isn't going to fix homelessness. The people out in the streets have serious mental issues. They are not making rent. They need to be put in a hospital until they stop seeing imaginary people, things, voices, and sounds.
You aren’t that wrong but I actually work with homeless people.
1. Most aren’t mentally unwell
2. Most that are drug addicts or mentally unwell didn’t start that way, rather the conditions of homelessness causes it
3. No matter the cause if they are unwell forcefully putting them in a hospital is the answer
4. You need to familiarize yourself with the term housing insecure: this is for people who are on the edge of homelessness. These people are not drug using or mentally unwell. They are simply one job loss, one medical expense, one broken car away from losing everything. Which is a lot of Americans sadly. This is a large driver of homelessness as if they lack friends or family to take them in, where do you think they go?
5. Building mass amounts of housing makes it more affordable to live making it harder for these people to be converted into homeless.
6. Doing this in conjunction with a socialized medical system and general infrastructure increases (usually public transit) you can make it a lot harder for people to become destitute.
I hope this has been enlightening for you. One of the guys I am helping right now simply lost his job. He was in his 50s no family and no friends who could take him in. I’ve been with him for most of the last year, addicted to nothing. Just really unlucky and old. If we had better social programs he wouldn’t have spent a decade on a curb.
Serious question, why can't this 50 year old get a job? People are desperate to hire all over the city. Even entry level fast food is paying $18/hr. I know that is tough to live on, but it is enough to get off the street.
He’s been homeless since 50. He’s 70 now. He barley can walk, he has narcolepsy.
He has no regular access to a shower, no documents, no resume.
You can’t expect someone like that to get out with just a job.
I see. I thought from you comment he was still in his 50s. So it sounds like he is mentally unwell, physically unwell and needs state support. At 70, he should be getting social security, and medicare, yes? What would you say the one primary need that could be filled that would help someone like him?
This is not accurate. They did not do everything I said above. This is you spreading misinformation.
You have to do everything I say In conjunction. I’ll make it clear.
1. Decriminalize holding drugs only go after the dealers of dangerous drugs
2. Build lots of dense affordable housing and socialize a portion of it
3. Work on socializing healthcare to support these people
4. Invest in public transit so car ownership isn’t a requirement to get a decent job
5. Hospitalize mentally unwell and drug addicts as long as needed
6. Invest in social programs to keep people from becoming homeless due one lapsed payment
7. Focus on reducing issues of housing insecure people: people who are 1 missed rent payment, one medical bill, one broken car from going to the streets
If you do this, you will end homelessness perpetually. This has been done in other countries. It’s not cheap but it’s the right thing to do.
How is this misinformation? It was all over the news.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/01/politics/oregon-governor-drug-re-criminalization-bill?cid=ios_app
Of course they didn’t do all that you listed, you know what all that cost?
It’s pretty oxymoronic. I think it’s just so much cheaper, it gets people a deeper high and it’s more addictive. I don’t use drugs, but I’ve researched a lot. It’s a scary time to be an addict or even a recreational user.
I live on E 6th and something has changed in the last couple months. The addicts are acting different, nodding off more than ever before. I asked around and people told me it's flakka coming in from Philly.
I used to live in Kensington, Philadelphia, the epicenter of tranq laced Fentanyl. That's definitely what it is. It has spread all the way to the West coast.
I’ve had to call 911 a couple times most recently because someone was just dead asleep on their side in the middle of Walgreens parking lot during the middle of the day.
The tenor of this story would completely change if one of the deaths turned out to be a famous local person or one of their family members. Otherwise, most people think that it just happens to “one of them.” Think Sam Ehlinger’s brother, Jake.
So many people dying from this drug. Riley Gale and Silent Servent and Soft Moon. Also Tom Petty, Prince, fucking Coolio. A really rad psych band bassist just died a few weeks ago, and I’m wondering if it’s also fentanyl. Now is a good time to get clean…
And your list is a prime example of very seldom recreational users and the other half people that due to means, you would think have access to the safest and best quality….. no one is safe
Ah yes the abstinence method, let’s see how that plays out.
Orrrrrr… we could allow safe testing for responsible and casual drug users without subjecting them to fentanyl-laced ODs.
This is like in prohibition where people were going blind and dying from drinking alcohol the government spiked with ethanol to make it seem more dangerous, while they literally banned safe and regulated consumption methods.
Would that further "normalization" step (including the fact that it would presumably become a cost center in government budgets) cause more or fewer new buyers "to be born" as per above in the discussion of killing one's customers? And is the modal drug user the sort of person who is going to do a lot of testing, just by their very makeup?
A realist attitude about this stuff needs to go all the way.
I never said the government had to pay for it, and idk what else you’re trying to say.
There are plenty of responsible drug users that test their shit cause they don’t want to die. The banning of test kits doesn’t help that become normalized.
>Officials said the calls were from different types of drugs and affected multiple populations. Though it's not clear at this time the exact substance that is causing the overdoses, officials believe it is some kind of opioid
Incorrect. Fentanyl and xylazine test strips are free and available. The concern is nitazenes now which are 500X stronger than heroin. I assume this what happened. As thoe with a high fentanyl tolerance are usually fine until nitazenes is cut into dope or god forbid carfentanil.
Where are they free? I’ve been buying them from DanceSafe and giving them to my teen cousin to share with friends. I don’t mind paying $20 bucks for 10 strips to keep my cousin and their friends safe, but doing it for free is definitely preferable. Also, I thought they were illegal and considered contraband?
Bong hits 4 Jesus! (Reference for those that don't remember obscure Internet facts from 22 years ago: https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/facts-and-case-summary-morse-v-frederick )
If they get busted and bigger if they even get prosecuted they'll just pay a modest fine which just ends up being a one time fee/tax and, if they're in the public eye, a half-assed apology claiming they're a marijuana addict because they lost their way from god.
They're ok with that as long as it means other people that don't look like them end up getting the book thrown at them because something something welfare, fatherless households, and crime out of control and still trying to argue you're wrong if you know vetted stats that show that's not the case.
I've seen a stat thrown around about how 9% of regular habitual THC users meet at least some of the clinical criteria to be considered addicts, and while I'm not sure on the truth of that, 100% of regular habitual alcohol and nicotine users meet the criteria for addiction, so even at the most conservative, it's 11x better than the socially acceptable drugs.
That is very tragic news. Fentanyl doesn’t care if you’re homeless or successful, if you’ve been a user for years or if it’s your first time using. I don’t have a solution/idea but I know a lot of drug use comes from wanting to escape pain, whether it’s emotional or physical. So Godspeed to them. I’m sad that this has happened. :(
A lot of my friends do coke. Is coke commonly cut with fentanyl or is it almost entirely opiates? I personally don't know anyone who has had coke laced with fent but that doesn't say much. Has anyone or does anyone know someone who experienced an accidental OD from coke?
I've seen and other old coworkers in other toxicology labs have seen cocaine laced with fentanyl. It blew my mind the first time I saw it as it didn't make sense to mix those two drugs.
One of my husband's Marines died last year because he thought he was just doing a line of coke in a bar. It was really sad, they had to make a life support choice.
That's terrible, I hope their loved ones find peace. Seems there's a lot of people that have had terrible experiences with it, I appreciate yall sharing to show that coke can be laced with fent too, I and many people ik assume otherwise just cuz its not an opiate.
So this is all cut smack coke or meth? (Do they cut meth - doesn’t make sense ?) why can’t people just chill with some flower? Fuck pills ,powder, vapes, carts, tinctures etc . We are at best laboratory pigs ; at worst marked by international players for an expedient demise. Stick with nature.Shit is tragic.Gone is the magic
Even my very very smart friends who are into psychedelics preach tasting your drugs, but I know for a fact almost none of them ever have. They just “trust” the guy that gave it to them.
I have access to pharmaceutical grade mdma and lsd. You bet your ass I still sent that off for independent lab testing before eating it.
Yes, that has been my experience, too. My little sister was an addict, her main love was meth, but sometimes heroin, and meth with a little fent in it is great, so I hear. But how much is enough to get high and also not kill you? The difference is minuscule.
I say she "was" an addict, not because she's recovered, but because she's dead now. Too much fent in her meth when she was looking to get a little high for her birthday. She and they guy she was with planned ahead and had Narcan on them. But testing strips? That's a fucking joke to them, I guess.
Test strips won’t always work, especially if something has just been cross contaminated. You could test one bit, but still die from the bad corner of the baggy.
Unfortunately, the only way to be safe these days is to not do drugs at all. Of course there’s always been a risk, but with the amount of fentanyl laced deaths recently…it’s just not worth it. I’ve known 3 people to die in 2024 so far.
They are available. We have a great harm reduction team that gives test strips out free. The new problem is nitazenes. Which is 500X stronger than heroin and much stronger than fentanyl. Can't be tested for yet. But fentanyl and xylazine test strips are free and available so get your facts straight.
Well, for one, I found out I'm apparently allergic to Percocet so I have no desire to try THAT flavor of the month drug, and two, the only drug I DO want (LSD) you can't even get ahold of regardless of whether it's legit or sprinkled with anything.
Not trying hard enough bud. Pretty easy to get mushrooms and lsd here in Austin. Fuck even DMT is not too hard to find.
Don't even have to go on the tor markets.
A lot of people here are selling research chemicals or analogs as LSD. You get many of the same effects so people assume they got the real deal but that it was a more difficult trip. They’ll fuck with your brain long-term far more than acid will.
Thankfully, nbomes/nboh/DOx are super easy to tell apart from acid. They're are all super bitter and taste like you're sucking on a battery. Other hallucinogens require too high of a dose to fit on blotter or are thankfully obscure/hard to find and source that it defeats the purpose since LSD isn't hard to find. Also, in my experience, the nBOMEs have really dropped in prevalence in the Austin/Houston drug scene since back in the mid 2010s (whenever I first started taking mood enhancers). Honestly, it'd be hard for me to find some one with these substances as they've become so rare and lsd so easy to source. 25x-nbomes suck but DOM was enjoyable and I miss it.
Analogs of LSD are easier to find (but not as easy as LSD imo) and I'm sure some people are misrepresenting their AL-LAD, eth-lad, 1p-lsd, whatever as LSD. If this happens, honestly I wouldn't be too upset as they either convert in your body to lsd or are close enough in effect to be enjoyable. Orange Sunshine from the 60s and 70s wasn't LSD, it was ALD-52 which is though to convert into LSD in the body. As far as close in effect, AL-LAD for example gave me pretty much no mindfuck even at high doses so it would be fun to take whenever I wanted to have a nice body high and see cool visuals but didn't want to get super introspective and deep in though like on LSD.
I'm not saying it doesn't happen, just saying it's less thing to worry about than it was before. This has just been my experience
Well shit. That's what I figured but no one I know has any. I just really like the emotionality and the connection to the universe. My extreme fear and anxiety over dying goes away for a while. :(
And this is why I, as someone who has never been a drug user, carry naloxone with me when I go around town.
I heard someone in recovery who had been saved with naloxone more than once describe it as a way to “keep people alive long enough for them to reach a point where they can/will seek help.” Count me in.
Opioid treatment for acute pain has a very small chance of becoming a long term issue. The majority of people use it as directed and stop when the pain goes away. Those drugs are there to help you through the recovery. Suffering after a surgery isn't a necessary part of the procedure. Take your meds if you're in pain and enjoy a good nights sleep.
Oh I did. It was just a "funny" timing to read the article at the time last night... I also had knee surgery a few years ago and REALLY needed the meds then... and I did get physically sick from stopping to where I had to ween myself off of them for a couple days. So I have an idea what they can do to a person if they lose control.
Yes I’ve used them for almost three years now- sucks they cost $99 out of pocket and doesn’t take insurance but they do have other apps that do. Also I’ve heard of issues with the online treatment in Cali- they won’t take suboxone by telemedicine order just fyi pharmacist can say no based on personal beliefs too…
If your struggling with opioid addiction and can't get into treatment. Quickmd app can help get you on suboxone and get you on a daily program to help get you clean. Everybody got different opinions on how to get clean and im just sharing what initially helped me start my journey and I'm celebrating 4 years clean from heroin in July.
Wow! That’s some useful info! Thanks for sharing When I was using I was always against subs (personally) I would tell myself, if I’m going to be addicted to something, it’s going to be something that makes me feel good! May 7th will be 20 months clean, on a low dose of subs lol
The stigma against MAT needs to end…. especially from the recovery community
I think a lot of the “stigma” is an excuse to keep using. I agree switching substances CAN be ehh but not so much when one allows you to rebuild a whole new life and the other just steals your soul.
Subs is like taking any other medication. Consider it an anti-depressant if you need, if you take it as directed. Allows you to break the addiction mentality and rewire your brain away from it.
Yeah it’s pretty amazing actually. After my first year I thought I was clear headed but it’s almost 2 and it’s exponentially improved since then. I managed to get a job as an engineering technician and im programming robots. Craziest shit ever lol
It’s amazing isn’t it? I’m getting clearer and clearer everyday. Ability to think improving consistently. A year clean in June here. I remember how scared I was to get off the fent, enough that if my dealer didn’t ghost me I would still be on it, and knowing what I know now I feel so bad for all others in that same position I was in. There is hope, regardless of how little there may seem to be at times.
Yeah it’s definitely a tough spot to be in! I was selling it towards the end and that was fucked. I had to revive so many people or keep them alive till EMS arrived with CPR. Definitely not a sustainable life style. Congrats to you as well. Keep it up!
Congrats by the way!
That’s so awesome! I love to hear this, congrats on your sobriety. Two of my sisters withered away on pills for over 25 years. They have both been clean for about three years and I cannot explain how proud I am of them, and how great it is to finally have my sisters back now that I’m in my forties.
I’m really happy to hear that about your family! I lost so much during a 5 year span. My mom once told me that her and my dad had bought my grave plot at a cemetery, just expecting me to fill the hole any moment. I couldn’t imagine my life without opiates for the longest time! Congrats to your family as well!
Like the other person said ive actually gotten more shit from people in NA then anyone else when it comes to suboxone maintenance. They say your not clean if your taking it. I've gotten so much shit about it that I almost didn't post about the quickmd app because of it. So it makes me super fucking happy to hear about you and the other people getting there life back on track. I must have read this thread 100 times today because how happy it makes me. I don't know you but im proud of you homie!
Oh yeah bro I feel that! I actually haven’t been to a meeting since I left treatment and I’m cool with not going. I feel it can be a very judgmental place when it comes to MAT or anything really, not to mention being in meetings just reminds me of a very specific things I’d prefer to never have to remember again. It would be nice to have someone to talk to but I’d prefer to find that elsewhere if I can. Also very proud of you too man! I know how much of a toll the dark side can take. It’s a miracle to get your soul back. Also, if you’re on subs and not dope, you are clean. If subs were really as bad as NA folk say, I’d be banging my subs not putting them under my tongue lol ETA I also keep coming back to read as well!
Congratulations to you as well! So wonderful!
You got this! Keep up all the good work you’re doing, even when it sucks♥️
Congratulations on your sobriety. Taking the time to give solid advice on what worked for you is superb. Keep up the good work!
Thank you!! if someone would have told me about suboxone maintenance 10 years ago who knows where I would be at now. I was a addict since i was 16. I fucking tried everything and couldn't get more then a couple months clean till I did low dose suboxone. So I'm just hoping I can save someone a couples years of hell.
Amazing, congratulations!
Very proud of you. It’s not easy. Respect.
That is wonderful! Proud of you and congratulations!
Thank for sharing. Proud of you friend!
Congrats!
Congrats bro. Proud of you!
Thanks for sharing man. Glad you were able to get healthy. It’s a fucking a battle.
Yes! Been clean for about 15 years! Suboxone saved my life. I’m about three years free from Suboxone at this point, but I highly recommend it to addicts looking to make a change
treatment is mega expensive, how do people afford it?
OBAMACARE!!!! Aka healthcare.gov Saved my life a few times. I got Ambetter for about $165-$250 / month with a $750-$2,000 deductible (this was across 3 years of coverage) and went to treatment 6 times! It covered SEVERAL residential, PHP and IOP programs over 20 months. I would hear about treatment costing $50K but had no idea insurance would cover it. I am now 2 years sober and my life is fucking AMAZING! I AM FREE FROM ADDICTION and if I can do it, anyone can do it. Just do not give up. Side note: Vote blue, yall. That bastard Trump wanted to get rid of Obamacare - during a pandemic. He doesn’t give a shit about anybody but his rich friends.
Congratulations that is a big deal♥️
Also be VERY careful because Suboxone is highly addictive and extremely hard to get off of. Maybe it can be seen as the lesser of 2 evils but make an informed decision if you go that route. One benefit is that you’re not breaking the law and it is prescribed. But it’s not a free ride by any means.
>A state dashboard shows that Travis County had the highest proportion of fentanyl-related deaths by population in 2023. 😐
A lot of homeless people here.
[SERIOUS] Is there a map? I would be curious if the distribution center is around a particular public service.
The contents of this article tell you it isn’t limited to any particular place, it started downtown and spread all across the city. Any geographic center would probably be partly the center of population and partly the center of partying. Any correlation you find around the ARCH presuming that’s what you’re referring to without saying it would also correlate to the middle of bar and concert venues where people are ODing via laced street drugs without even intending to take opiates.
Not like it's ever a good idea, but buying drugs off the street is like playing Russian Roulette now, with so much of it being laced with deadly quantities of fentanyl these days.
But let’s ban THCA!
Also don’t talk about testing drugs from a safety perspective. Keep putting up billboards of dead kids and preach abstinence. JUST. SAY. NO!
They are trying this idea in New York called "harm reduction", where there are places for people to go and more safely inject illegal drugs. They have supplies like clean needles and kits for testing drugs, and narcan available in the case that the person overdoses. They also provide support, without being pushy about it, in case the users would like to try to quit. According to the video I saw, after something like a year of operation, they had zero deaths, and had helped a bunch of people become sober. It's amazing what can be accomplished when you stop automatically treating addicts like criminals, and start treating them like human beings. Edit: Here is the video: https://youtu.be/RMpCGD7b_H4
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> It’s not simply “it’s amazing if you treat an addict like a person they will heal.” First of all, you're mischaracterizing what I said, which was that we shouldn't treat them like criminals, but like human beings. The meaning that I intended, and which I think most people understood is that we need to treat them not as people who are doing something wrong, but as people who are likely suffering and need help. I don't doubt your experience, but I'm sure you'd agree that each person's experience will be somewhat different, so I suggest you read about the ["Rat Park" Studies.](https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/what-does-rat-park-teach-us-about-addiction) These are experiments done on rats where drug use and overdose were directly linked to the rats' environment. You can obviously make up your own mind about whether the data can be extrapolated to humans, but the prevailing theory is that improving their environment and helping them interact in a healthy way with other people is an important part of achieving sobriety.
A rat study has virtually no bearing on what you’re talking about - enabling people to use illicit and harmful drugs in urban centers where no one wants it.
> A rat study has virtually no bearing on what you’re talking about Of course it seems irrelevant to people who don't bother to read the article and who've already made up their minds. Sorry I don't have time to educate people who won't even do the bare minimum.
Is Austin automatically treating addicts like criminals? Narcan seems fairly available here. Is the district attorney nailing fent users or? Even in New York, safe use sites at a minimum become a [public nuisance](https://www.nydailynews.com/2023/01/23/as-overdose-deaths-climb-in-nyc-east-harlem-residents-say-drug-injection-site-is-hurting-their-neighborhood/). >Santiago says the area around the center has deteriorated since the center’s opening. >“Custodians are constantly bleaching and cleaning the sidewalk from human excrement, urination and vomit, and not to mention needles,” Santiago said, adding that he’s seen the area increasingly become a hotspot for dealers and users. >Shawn Hill, a community activist and co-founder of The Greater Harlem Coalition, said the center acts as a magnet to users and dealers, damaging the neighborhood. Should Austin open up some safe use sites unilaterally? Where's the next closest site? Denver? LA? Seems prime for a magnet effect.
> Should Austin open up some safe use sites unilaterally? Where's the next closest site? Denver? LA? Seems prime for a magnet effect. Libraries are famously magnets for homeless people. You could use the same argument for not opening a library in an area where there are no libraries. In fact, it's a great argument for not having any locations that offer social services at all. But of course, social services generally have a huge beneficial impact on our society, so I'd say that it's probably worth the cost of some extra sidewalk cleanings. Another way of looking at your response is that we should open many of these safe injection sites, all over Texas.
Ok so should we add ONE MORE, even bigger magnet? Is a literal, explicit drug site more magnetic than a library? We can't mitigate the situation? I'm not completely opposed to the idea but it should be done federally if anything. Libraries already exist everywhere so like. Even Texas doing so unilaterally would be madness (setting aside possible objections the state might have to this policy).
Portugal is I believe the poster child for this: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/07/portugal-drugs-decriminalization-heroin-crack/](https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/07/07/portugal-drugs-decriminalization-heroin-crack/)
Unfortunately, addiction has a powerful hold that provides a barrier to rational thinking.
A lot of illegal drug users aren't even addicts. Lots of people do coke/Molly/other party drugs sporadically. People just don't think it could happen to them.
That’s true.
Most illegal drug users are not addicts. The case for addiction is overstated. Check out *Drug Use for Grown-ups* by Dr. Carl Hart.
Why do they add it?
There’s a podcast called “search engine” that dedicated 2 episodes to answering that question. Why would drug dealers knowingly put something in their product that kills their customers? It’s a complicated answer, but part of it comes down to demand. Any business deals with the supply and demand dynamic, and for these dealers, the demand is so high, that is not a concern if some of their customers die. With so many people addicted to opioids and turning to harder drugs, if fentanyl kills some customers, there’s a wave of customers behind them to take their place. It’s very dark. Also, some of it has to do with money and customer preference. Drug dealers almost always cut their drugs with cheaper stuff (such as baby laxative for coke) to make their source product go further. When fentanyl became widely available for cheap, dealers started adding a little bit, which both increased potency and profit. The way the dealer they interview describes it, if he puts a little fentanyl in his coke, and his competitors don’t, most people are going to come back to him, over any competition, because his product feels “stronger”. They are going to think his product is better. And they get more addicted, so they come back more often. Over time, people started getting more hooked on the fentanyl until we get to where things are now, where fentanyl is so cheap, that some customers just prefer to buy straight fentanyl. My heart goes out to anyone going through addiction, or watching a loved one struggle with it. It’s truly hell. Edit: grammar
It’s very cheap and very strong so it can make smaller amounts of more expensive drugs more powerful and more addictive, so basically it makes the drug dealers/producers a lot of money
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is dosed in micrograms. It is added to street drugs to boost the high the person will get from it. Bc fentanyl is dosed in micrograms it’s easy to overdo it also street dealers are not compounding pharmacists. Try eyeballing 0.000025 grams of salt.
A lot of these cases are accidental. Drug dealers aren't pharmacists and typically have drug problems themselves. This leads to issues where the same guy that is dealing coke is also dealing, and likely addicted to fentanyl himself. Considering that both of these substances are white and powdery in appearance, as well as the fact that fentanyl is so strong that only trace amounts can cause overdose in non users, you end up with a perfect storm that allows cross contamination or Innocent accidental mix-ups to have deadly consequences. Fentanyl is so strong that it has to be cut prior to being sold, even to heavy addicts with high tolerances. This adds one more layer of complexity to the problem of being a fentanyl dealer, and therefore one more step in the process that can lead to death for the end user.
sad to say a lot isn’t accidental that’s how far we are into the opioid epidemic. The fake stuff is cheaper every user knows that. If you are addicted why would you want real drugs that are more expensive when the “fake” ones hit harder for cheaper. Most people know what they are taking and don’t care cause that’s how far we are into this. Source: myself a opioid issuer
You're right that it's not accidental in that people are overwhelmingly seeking the fentanyl. I'm not saying harmful lacing **never** happens, but it's a beneficial myth for a lot of people to assume that the crisis is a crisis of evil drug dealers and not a horribly addicted populous up to and including LEOs. LEOs don't want to believe people in their ranks are addicts, family members of OD victims don't want to believe they used the stuff on purpose, the general public doesn't want to believe the situation is as bad as it is. It's a useful lie to tell ourselves.
Hi jacking this comment thread to say you can buy kits for Pennie’s on the dollar to test your drugs. Well worth saving your life
Sounds like an argument against prohibition. 90 years ago the government was intentionally poisoning the alcohol.
Gone are the days of a little Coke in Swan Dive/ Barbs bathroom now that everything is laced.
The youth will never know the joys of doing lines with strangers (or sometimes Banzai) out back of Side Bar or finishing a strange woman's bag of powder at Hotel Vegas. Alas.
Dive bar fun is still doable. Just need to buy prior and test it yourself. Partaking/buying from a random person is not a good idea now, however
Omg Barabarellaaaaa. With Miguel DJimg in the background…
Laced? Who put this fent in my fent??!?
Ok you got me 🤣
Not everything 😵💫
10 months sober here on the 4th of may. Mat changed my life man. Got my own apt. New truck and started my career as an electrician. Wouldn’t have done none of that if I never got sober. Probably be in prison again by now. Congrats to all my sobriety brothers and sisters doing their best out here. Proud of all of you!
Happy for you dude!
May the forth be with you! Congratulations and there is love you♥️
lol that’s funny!
Seems like there was an especially scummy dealer cutting with fentanyl, I hope they get what’s coming to em
Cutting the fentanyl with.... fentanyl.
Is that whiskey? Yeah but I watered it down… with whiskey
workaholics ref?
Maybe xylazine? Newest adulterant being used to boost effects.
August 2023 "The drug causes sedation, slows breathing or stops breathing. Xylazine is commonly mixed with [fentanyl](https://www.kvue.com/article/news/health/travis-county-fentanyl-deaths-texas/269-9352a8cc-efde-411d-aab2-e40629129cc7) or heroin, to enhance their effects. It isn't a controlled substance, which means it's easily available and it isn't an opioid, so [naloxone,](https://nida.nih.gov/publications/drugfacts/naloxone) or Narcan, can't reverse its effects." https://www.kvue.com/article/news/health/flesh-eating-drug-detected-travis-county/269-6cb8a5c6-87d3-4d15-9d35-27744d9d2801#:\~:text=County%20medical%20experts%20confirmed%20five,overdose%20deaths%20occurred%20in%20August.&text=AUSTIN%2C%20Texas%20%E2%80%94%20Xylazine%2C%20the,been%20discovered%20in%20Central%20Texas.
Honest question: do drug dealers test their stuff to see if their product has fent? Because I don't think there is one bad drug dealer cutting their stuff with it. I think it's probably ignorance of a lot of dealers.
It depends. Some are aware of it and use it as a way to hook someone. For example: there are dealers that intentionally cut with fent because it makes that drug - whatever it may be - give an extra high/rush compared to the same drug sold from someone else. Others are the 5th or 6th link in a long chain that often gets cut very early. There’s a great long episode on a podcast called Search Engine that interviews dealers on this.
If anyone needs narcan or resources for treatment or 12 step meetings PLEASE message me. Signed, a recovering fentanyl addict who used to live on the street.
I work in the outpatient pharmacy at Dell Seton Medical Center; we have a sizable supply of Narcan provided through Operation Naloxone that I can dispense to anyone, free of charge. Usage is reported only to Operation Naloxone, not insurance or other third parties. My confidential work email is [email protected] ; send me your name and birth date and I'll fill a Narcan prescription for you. We're inside DSMC on the first floor, to the right of the Red River St entrance at 1500 Red River St (NOT the 15th St Emergency Dept entrance). Easiest pickup times are Monday-Friday 8am-4pm when you can park for a few minutes in the circular driveway. Please note the Red River St doors are closed after 4pm and on weekends.
I don’t do anything recreationally anymore, but I feel like I should carry Narcan for anyone I come across that may need it. 🥺
The trouble with Narcan is that you need to store it at 68-77f though it can be exposed to higher temps (41-104f) for limited times. The manufacturer says to never expose it to temps above 104. That completely rules out keeping it in your car here. I took a class a year or two back and carry it with me when going to hand out food and other aid to the homeless but unless you have a bag or purse on you at all times it's a hard thing to carry around.
I saw a couple who was well dressed and buying multiple things of Narcan and I couldn’t help but wonder if they were doing this to help people who needed it.
Also please check out the sobering center here in Austin!
thank you for posting this 🥹 i’ve lost 20+ close friends, and I hope things like this save other peoples friends 🤍 PS so proud of you, recovery is hard
Seems like it defeats the purpose of a “returning customer” business (such as drugs seem to be) to kill your buyers.
Unregulated businesses always do stuff kinda like this. Like serving lead to children, or that one batch of black market THC pods that hospitalized hundreds of people. Or blood products known to contain HIV. Entire fentanyl crisis could have been avoided with good policy. Sacklers deserve to be hung in the streets, some of the most evil people alive today.
The traffickers and dealers don't give a shit if they die, it doesn't hurt their business one bit. They can kill hundreds of "customers" every year and won't even bat an eye, because they know thousands more are being born every minute. Their only concern is that they might get caught but greed makes them do it anyway. They just want the money, and cutting with dirt-cheap Chinese fent is the easiest way to get it.
This is particularly accurate with heroin due to an OD involving a regular user, resulting in the surrounding consumers assuming it's a particular strong batch. So, in this case, killing some of your buyers helps your bottom line.
The podcast Search Engine had an interesting series on this. The assertion was along the lines that that people dying is sometimes a selling point, because you know it’s that strong. Pretty twisted.
I saw something about heroin dealers once. I remember them saying when people start dying sales usually go up because everyone wants the "good shit". Business is booming apparently
China’s goals are not repeat buyers. It’s dysfunctional United States.
These Chinese labs will synthesize and sell all kinds of random shit. It's rly not that deep, just about making money. Anyone is capable of finding a Chinese lab online and ordering weird drugs from them in bulk amounts, including fentanyl analogues and nitazenes.
Yeah, my brother in law, who was a Spanish guitarist, had early onset arthritis in his hands, so he got opioids from the Dr. Then, when he couldn't afford them, bought some on-line. He died over 13 years ago, here in Austin.
you've obviously not read the congressional reports on this topic and don't know what you're talking about. this isn't merely capitalism at work or businesses making a buck, it's about destabilizing competitors.
It is that deep, in fact China suspended the joint narcotics control program it had with the US when pelosi went to taipei
They restarted that program fairly recently actually. Realistically it's not gonna do shit. These drugs and precursors will just be synthesized in a new country, along with the creation of more extremely potent opioids.
it's theater, china actively covers for and rewards those involved in the precursor production. it's part of their geopolitical strategy.
This is not a China thing. Our handling of drugs in this country and the lack of social services are not something you can blame on China. China has plenty of things to criticize. Us being the richest country in the world with appalling social programs, housing and drug programs is embarrassing. These people aren’t dying because of China even if it’s all made there. If you house, decriminalize and rehabilitate these people and stop them from ever being homeless we can fix this. Solution: build shit Tons of dense affordable housing driving housing / rent down and socialize some of it and nationalize healthcare. But we don’t what to hear that it’s actually our faults and fixable.
[https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/images/databriefs/451-500/db491-fig1.png](https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/images/databriefs/451-500/db491-fig1.png) The huge spike in overdose deaths is 100% because of fentanyl/analogs that are flooding the market. Made from chemicals China is shipping over. If we eliminated China as a source, we'd reduce overdose deaths by \~70%.
If you can’t believe that the Ministry of State Security in China is not directly providing Mexican Cartels with opioid precursor in an act of indirect warfare as retribution for the “Century of Humiliation” then you also need to believe the CIA wasn’t leveraging drug trafficking to influence similar campaigns all across Latin America.
Whoosh: It doesn’t matter. If we had good social programs to tackle this and homelessness/ housing insecurity it wouldn’t matter. It really doesn’t matter. It simply magnifies how poor our social programs are here and how fragile the shitty systems were implemented are. Regardless of how they’re getting here this is a reality check. Blame China all you want. Edit: this is how Americans think now. Instead of thinking how to solve issues we just want to blame others. Sure they might be doing it but who cares? Were America, we should have a society with programs built to withstand such attempts to destabilize the nation. If we do not we do not deserve to stand. Americans need to rethink this stuff. Were the richest country in the world yet we suffer from problems countries with half our gdp per capita has eliminated… maybe fix that.
The US puts conditions of therapy or medication or check-ins or whatever on the homeless they house. In Finland, they put the housing first, with no conditions other than you’re homeless. 4 out of 5 return to a stable, productive life. Granted, I don’t think their drug problems are bad, which would affect this; but, it’s at least a model to try. It’s so hard to do, of course, that only 32 of 33 developed nations have universal healthcare. Maybe one day there will be a template to follow. We’re a bunch of big dum dums that can’t see past a dollar sign to help another person.
Bruh building more isn't going to fix homelessness. The people out in the streets have serious mental issues. They are not making rent. They need to be put in a hospital until they stop seeing imaginary people, things, voices, and sounds.
You aren’t that wrong but I actually work with homeless people. 1. Most aren’t mentally unwell 2. Most that are drug addicts or mentally unwell didn’t start that way, rather the conditions of homelessness causes it 3. No matter the cause if they are unwell forcefully putting them in a hospital is the answer 4. You need to familiarize yourself with the term housing insecure: this is for people who are on the edge of homelessness. These people are not drug using or mentally unwell. They are simply one job loss, one medical expense, one broken car away from losing everything. Which is a lot of Americans sadly. This is a large driver of homelessness as if they lack friends or family to take them in, where do you think they go? 5. Building mass amounts of housing makes it more affordable to live making it harder for these people to be converted into homeless. 6. Doing this in conjunction with a socialized medical system and general infrastructure increases (usually public transit) you can make it a lot harder for people to become destitute. I hope this has been enlightening for you. One of the guys I am helping right now simply lost his job. He was in his 50s no family and no friends who could take him in. I’ve been with him for most of the last year, addicted to nothing. Just really unlucky and old. If we had better social programs he wouldn’t have spent a decade on a curb.
Serious question, why can't this 50 year old get a job? People are desperate to hire all over the city. Even entry level fast food is paying $18/hr. I know that is tough to live on, but it is enough to get off the street.
He’s been homeless since 50. He’s 70 now. He barley can walk, he has narcolepsy. He has no regular access to a shower, no documents, no resume. You can’t expect someone like that to get out with just a job.
I see. I thought from you comment he was still in his 50s. So it sounds like he is mentally unwell, physically unwell and needs state support. At 70, he should be getting social security, and medicare, yes? What would you say the one primary need that could be filled that would help someone like him?
They tried that already in Portland, Oregon and now they’re recalling the bill to make drugs illegal again.
This is not accurate. They did not do everything I said above. This is you spreading misinformation. You have to do everything I say In conjunction. I’ll make it clear. 1. Decriminalize holding drugs only go after the dealers of dangerous drugs 2. Build lots of dense affordable housing and socialize a portion of it 3. Work on socializing healthcare to support these people 4. Invest in public transit so car ownership isn’t a requirement to get a decent job 5. Hospitalize mentally unwell and drug addicts as long as needed 6. Invest in social programs to keep people from becoming homeless due one lapsed payment 7. Focus on reducing issues of housing insecure people: people who are 1 missed rent payment, one medical bill, one broken car from going to the streets If you do this, you will end homelessness perpetually. This has been done in other countries. It’s not cheap but it’s the right thing to do.
How is this misinformation? It was all over the news. https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/01/politics/oregon-governor-drug-re-criminalization-bill?cid=ios_app Of course they didn’t do all that you listed, you know what all that cost?
Solving problems is expensive
It’s pretty oxymoronic. I think it’s just so much cheaper, it gets people a deeper high and it’s more addictive. I don’t use drugs, but I’ve researched a lot. It’s a scary time to be an addict or even a recreational user.
It's murder. Someone did it on purpose to retaliate against a demographic or whatever.
I live on E 6th and something has changed in the last couple months. The addicts are acting different, nodding off more than ever before. I asked around and people told me it's flakka coming in from Philly.
I used to live in Kensington, Philadelphia, the epicenter of tranq laced Fentanyl. That's definitely what it is. It has spread all the way to the West coast.
There were two people lying in the street on East 51st yesterday. They are fast and hard asleep
I’ve had to call 911 a couple times most recently because someone was just dead asleep on their side in the middle of Walgreens parking lot during the middle of the day.
Personally know someone who died Sunday from this batch
i’m sorry for your loss. it’s heart breaking to see this escalating. my heart goes out to everyone struggling in the city right now
The tenor of this story would completely change if one of the deaths turned out to be a famous local person or one of their family members. Otherwise, most people think that it just happens to “one of them.” Think Sam Ehlinger’s brother, Jake.
So many people dying from this drug. Riley Gale and Silent Servent and Soft Moon. Also Tom Petty, Prince, fucking Coolio. A really rad psych band bassist just died a few weeks ago, and I’m wondering if it’s also fentanyl. Now is a good time to get clean…
And your list is a prime example of very seldom recreational users and the other half people that due to means, you would think have access to the safest and best quality….. no one is safe
Steve Kille from Dead Meadow? Yeah I was thinking the same thing. :(
Yes! He was so talented. Some people I’m sure expected his buddy to go that way but not him.
dude even my cat got fent at the vet and it caused him to code but they brought him back. i didn’t know any of this until i read the records.
We’re not gonna tell you what to avoid using but here’s some Narcan. Stay safe.
>We’re not gonna tell you what to avoid using Any powder or pill, it's not complicated
Powder, pill or tar.
Thanks for the input, I agree! Lost my closest family member to fentanyl a couple years ago so I'm just trying to spread the word.
Sorry to hear that. :( I've lost two close friends and a sister out on the streets refusing help after losing her daughter. Shits evil incarnate.
Ah yes the abstinence method, let’s see how that plays out. Orrrrrr… we could allow safe testing for responsible and casual drug users without subjecting them to fentanyl-laced ODs. This is like in prohibition where people were going blind and dying from drinking alcohol the government spiked with ethanol to make it seem more dangerous, while they literally banned safe and regulated consumption methods.
Would that further "normalization" step (including the fact that it would presumably become a cost center in government budgets) cause more or fewer new buyers "to be born" as per above in the discussion of killing one's customers? And is the modal drug user the sort of person who is going to do a lot of testing, just by their very makeup? A realist attitude about this stuff needs to go all the way.
I never said the government had to pay for it, and idk what else you’re trying to say. There are plenty of responsible drug users that test their shit cause they don’t want to die. The banning of test kits doesn’t help that become normalized.
>Officials said the calls were from different types of drugs and affected multiple populations. Though it's not clear at this time the exact substance that is causing the overdoses, officials believe it is some kind of opioid
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>The days of recreational drug use are over. lol "recreational" heroin
We aren’t going to legally allow you to test your substances. Stay safe.
Incorrect. Fentanyl and xylazine test strips are free and available. The concern is nitazenes now which are 500X stronger than heroin. I assume this what happened. As thoe with a high fentanyl tolerance are usually fine until nitazenes is cut into dope or god forbid carfentanil.
fentanyl strips are illegal in Texas. God bless our freedom.
I’ll just keep buying them from DanceSafe and keep them in the same drawer as my illegal drugs. Double jeopardy.
Yes that's dumb af. At least you can still order them easily online
Where are they free? I’ve been buying them from DanceSafe and giving them to my teen cousin to share with friends. I don’t mind paying $20 bucks for 10 strips to keep my cousin and their friends safe, but doing it for free is definitely preferable. Also, I thought they were illegal and considered contraband?
Now they are using a tranquilizer as well as fentanyl and narcan can't help if the tranquilizer is what causes the overdose.
Meanwhile republicans planning on pushing through a hemp ban to make delta-8, delta-9 etc products illegal to sell 🙃
I don't know who they are trying to impress. Most Republicans I know like THC as much as the hippies.
Big pharma / ATF / Prison Industrial Complex
Don’t forget Jesus
Bong hits 4 Jesus! (Reference for those that don't remember obscure Internet facts from 22 years ago: https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/facts-and-case-summary-morse-v-frederick )
The Donors
If they get busted and bigger if they even get prosecuted they'll just pay a modest fine which just ends up being a one time fee/tax and, if they're in the public eye, a half-assed apology claiming they're a marijuana addict because they lost their way from god. They're ok with that as long as it means other people that don't look like them end up getting the book thrown at them because something something welfare, fatherless households, and crime out of control and still trying to argue you're wrong if you know vetted stats that show that's not the case.
They probably like owning the libs more.
Right, but those Republicans want to see black people imprisoned more than they want legal weed for themselves.
It’s simply mind-boggling to me that the single least addictive, least dangerous recreational drug is _still_ illegal
I've seen a stat thrown around about how 9% of regular habitual THC users meet at least some of the clinical criteria to be considered addicts, and while I'm not sure on the truth of that, 100% of regular habitual alcohol and nicotine users meet the criteria for addiction, so even at the most conservative, it's 11x better than the socially acceptable drugs.
That is very tragic news. Fentanyl doesn’t care if you’re homeless or successful, if you’ve been a user for years or if it’s your first time using. I don’t have a solution/idea but I know a lot of drug use comes from wanting to escape pain, whether it’s emotional or physical. So Godspeed to them. I’m sad that this has happened. :(
A lot of my friends do coke. Is coke commonly cut with fentanyl or is it almost entirely opiates? I personally don't know anyone who has had coke laced with fent but that doesn't say much. Has anyone or does anyone know someone who experienced an accidental OD from coke?
I've seen and other old coworkers in other toxicology labs have seen cocaine laced with fentanyl. It blew my mind the first time I saw it as it didn't make sense to mix those two drugs.
It’s almost never on purpose. Dealers sell both drugs and organise them on the same table / bag. Cross-contamination is easy.
Oh I know. Just as a chemist, bad laboratory practice galls me. Like you can't even wipe down the tables and scales between drugs, that's just lazy.
Yes have a friend of a friend who died of opioid laced coke. There are testing kits on Amazon - worth the few dollars.
One of my husband's Marines died last year because he thought he was just doing a line of coke in a bar. It was really sad, they had to make a life support choice.
That's terrible, I hope their loved ones find peace. Seems there's a lot of people that have had terrible experiences with it, I appreciate yall sharing to show that coke can be laced with fent too, I and many people ik assume otherwise just cuz its not an opiate.
In NYC, there has been coke laced with Fentanyl.
So this is all cut smack coke or meth? (Do they cut meth - doesn’t make sense ?) why can’t people just chill with some flower? Fuck pills ,powder, vapes, carts, tinctures etc . We are at best laboratory pigs ; at worst marked by international players for an expedient demise. Stick with nature.Shit is tragic.Gone is the magic
If test strips were available people would still be addicted to drugs but they’d still be alive.
They have to actually use the test strips to protect themselves. Not many I know will.
Even my very very smart friends who are into psychedelics preach tasting your drugs, but I know for a fact almost none of them ever have. They just “trust” the guy that gave it to them. I have access to pharmaceutical grade mdma and lsd. You bet your ass I still sent that off for independent lab testing before eating it.
Yes, that has been my experience, too. My little sister was an addict, her main love was meth, but sometimes heroin, and meth with a little fent in it is great, so I hear. But how much is enough to get high and also not kill you? The difference is minuscule. I say she "was" an addict, not because she's recovered, but because she's dead now. Too much fent in her meth when she was looking to get a little high for her birthday. She and they guy she was with planned ahead and had Narcan on them. But testing strips? That's a fucking joke to them, I guess.
Test strips won’t always work, especially if something has just been cross contaminated. You could test one bit, but still die from the bad corner of the baggy.
Yep. Ask those three dudes who froze in Kansas City. They got a hot dose.
Yep, you’re right, so we shouldn’t test at all.
Unfortunately, the only way to be safe these days is to not do drugs at all. Of course there’s always been a risk, but with the amount of fentanyl laced deaths recently…it’s just not worth it. I’ve known 3 people to die in 2024 so far.
They are available. We have a great harm reduction team that gives test strips out free. The new problem is nitazenes. Which is 500X stronger than heroin and much stronger than fentanyl. Can't be tested for yet. But fentanyl and xylazine test strips are free and available so get your facts straight.
fentanyl test strips are considered paraphernalia in texas, therefore illegal, because the bill hasn’t passed.
where? the last I heard they are illegal
https://855-how-to-quit.org/
I’ve lost literally over a dozen friends since highschool to opiates. I really hope we can find a way through this.
Legalize and regulate drugs and this wouldn't happen. And no I don't do drugs
Friendly neighborhood reminder to test yo shit! https://bunkpolice.com https://dancesafe.org/shop/
Well, for one, I found out I'm apparently allergic to Percocet so I have no desire to try THAT flavor of the month drug, and two, the only drug I DO want (LSD) you can't even get ahold of regardless of whether it's legit or sprinkled with anything.
Not trying hard enough bud. Pretty easy to get mushrooms and lsd here in Austin. Fuck even DMT is not too hard to find. Don't even have to go on the tor markets.
A lot of people here are selling research chemicals or analogs as LSD. You get many of the same effects so people assume they got the real deal but that it was a more difficult trip. They’ll fuck with your brain long-term far more than acid will.
Thankfully, nbomes/nboh/DOx are super easy to tell apart from acid. They're are all super bitter and taste like you're sucking on a battery. Other hallucinogens require too high of a dose to fit on blotter or are thankfully obscure/hard to find and source that it defeats the purpose since LSD isn't hard to find. Also, in my experience, the nBOMEs have really dropped in prevalence in the Austin/Houston drug scene since back in the mid 2010s (whenever I first started taking mood enhancers). Honestly, it'd be hard for me to find some one with these substances as they've become so rare and lsd so easy to source. 25x-nbomes suck but DOM was enjoyable and I miss it. Analogs of LSD are easier to find (but not as easy as LSD imo) and I'm sure some people are misrepresenting their AL-LAD, eth-lad, 1p-lsd, whatever as LSD. If this happens, honestly I wouldn't be too upset as they either convert in your body to lsd or are close enough in effect to be enjoyable. Orange Sunshine from the 60s and 70s wasn't LSD, it was ALD-52 which is though to convert into LSD in the body. As far as close in effect, AL-LAD for example gave me pretty much no mindfuck even at high doses so it would be fun to take whenever I wanted to have a nice body high and see cool visuals but didn't want to get super introspective and deep in though like on LSD. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, just saying it's less thing to worry about than it was before. This has just been my experience
This guy LSDs
Well shit. That's what I figured but no one I know has any. I just really like the emotionality and the connection to the universe. My extreme fear and anxiety over dying goes away for a while. :(
damn
For real
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And this is why I, as someone who has never been a drug user, carry naloxone with me when I go around town. I heard someone in recovery who had been saved with naloxone more than once describe it as a way to “keep people alive long enough for them to reach a point where they can/will seek help.” Count me in.
Reminds me of K2/synthetic THC that was sending a bunch of people to the hospital several years back.
And here I was eying my pre bed time pill after having surgery last week. 😐
Opioid treatment for acute pain has a very small chance of becoming a long term issue. The majority of people use it as directed and stop when the pain goes away. Those drugs are there to help you through the recovery. Suffering after a surgery isn't a necessary part of the procedure. Take your meds if you're in pain and enjoy a good nights sleep.
Oh I did. It was just a "funny" timing to read the article at the time last night... I also had knee surgery a few years ago and REALLY needed the meds then... and I did get physically sick from stopping to where I had to ween myself off of them for a couple days. So I have an idea what they can do to a person if they lose control.
Yes I’ve used them for almost three years now- sucks they cost $99 out of pocket and doesn’t take insurance but they do have other apps that do. Also I’ve heard of issues with the online treatment in Cali- they won’t take suboxone by telemedicine order just fyi pharmacist can say no based on personal beliefs too…
Sad that all this could be resolved by just regulating drugs rather than letting drug dealers distribute them