[incadenza]

I can only speak to Heroin, not prescription painkillers.

1) I had tried just about every other drug, and I felt at that point like they had been unfairly demonized. A high school friend was doing heroin, and so I wrongfully assumed Heroin would fall into the same category. I was pretty young.

2) 14

3) My usual habit for the ten years of my addiction was around 100-150 a day. I simply couldn't find a way to reliably get more money than that.

4) Drug dealers that I knew or in downtown areas. (West Coast)

5) Life was untenable. I was thrown into a detox for one last time and then six months of rehab. It stuck this time, it's difficult to say why.

I was not, as seems to be the common case these days, drawn to opiates after a major surgery or chronic pain. Nor was Fentanyl / overdose rates nearly as bad as they are today.

Hope this helps?

[icebraining]

1) is an important insight. The fable of the Boy Who Cried Wolf works for everyone, not just children. Unfounded alarmism will destroy one's credibility, ultimately to the detriment of both sides.

Glad you kicked the habit. A friend of mine did so too, but was left with some very real permanent damage. Hope you got off easier.

[iambateman]

Thanks for writing this...

Agree with @icebraining on #1...it’s not fair to group all substances into one category.

hope the best for you...