[bearishgurl]

[quote=moneymaker]Don’t know if I know any drugs addicts that work a full time job, I suspect the only ones that do successfully are drug dealers, until they are caught. . .[/quote]You would be surprised, MM. Some addicts can pick up their work clothes at the cleaners and shirt laundry weekly and arrive to work mostly “on-time” and looking good. This can go on for years as long as they are “functional” and don’t have any physical or emotional setbacks which cause them to double up on their “pain” meds for a “crutch.” They are careful to keep their (pill) habit hidden from public view and not use as much while at work. It’s the binging weekends and vacations that often cause this group not to come back into work on Monday or the agreed upon date. And people who have been on the job with the same employer for years … even decades can likely perform their duties with their eyes closed or even a little bit high without being suspected. The telltale signs would be falling asleep at their desk or disappearing with no explanation in the middle of the biz day or calling in “sick” frequently with various lame excuses. These people are insidiously sliding into an abyss that they will never be able to climb out of without lengthy one-on-one professional help. Meanwhile, some of their physical function that you and I take for granted is slipping away from them, little by little. If you notice this and try to talk to them about it, they’ll claim the reason is because of something OTHER than their pain med, perhaps a side effect of another (non-narcotic or SSRI) med they’re taking and they can’t stop taking that or this will happen, blah, blah.

This whole downhill course is much shorter for the addict who is able to procure and sustain a 8-12 pill per day habit. This group usually becomes too disabled to hold down a job within a matter of weeks/months (as opposed to the employed addict who just binges 1 – 2 times per month or several times per year).

[bearishgurl]

[quote=FlyerInHi] . . . I’m lucky that, in my family, we cooked from scratch, instead of consuming Big Food. Big Food continues to blanket the airwaves with commercials telling us that buying name brands is a sign of caring for your family.[/quote]We did, too, but it was primarily due to the culture of my parents and for economic reasons. We even grew some of our own vegetables. In addition, there wasn’t anywhere near the selection of “Big Food” when I was growing up as there is today. I could count on my two hands the times I had a bottle or can of soda growing up. It was always when I was at a large family picnic and there was a separate ice chest of fruit-flavored soda and root beer for the kids. I didn’t even try (Diet) Pepsi, Tab or Dr Pepper until after I graduated from HS. We never had soda around the house and my schools were not allowed to sell it. As an adult, I took cans of Diet Pepsi to work to save $$ from buying it in a machine. I NEVER, EVER drank soda with sugar in it and NEVER bought it for my kids. To this day, none of them drink it.

[bearishgurl]

scaredy, you are in a position to see first hand the journey people take after opioid addiction (legal or illegal) sets in. It’s all predictable and it’s so hard to talk them into checking into detox/rehab. If it was prescribed by their doctor, then it is somehow must be okay. After all, their doctor knows what he/she is doing, right?

That is, if they haven’t been “doctor shopping” to get opioid prescriptions from more than one doctor. I think this would be harder to do with the advent of the ACA and the “big insurance computer in the sky.” At least if they were using their insurance to pay for these prescriptions and not paying cash.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=scaredyclassic]just for me, pooping > peeing[/quote]The duodenum is typically the second organ to be blocked with panc. The temporary “work around” for this is so ugly, I won’t even mention it here. The reason it is “temporary” is because you’ll you mostly bedridden and on so many opioids by then, that you won’t care anymore :=0

[bearishgurl]

[quote=scaredyclassic]don’t get me wrong. i like to pee. in fact, this great poem by garrison keillor speaks directly to my fondness for urination.

[snip][/quote]

I understand, scaredy. I’m sure you’re aware not to overtax your pancreas with a diet of excessive refined sugar and excessive 100-proof alcohol. If cancer just so happens to develop and originate within it, your kidneys and/or their “transportation system” will likely be one of the first organs to be blocked by tumor, causing you to be permanently catheterized. It all goes downhill from there . . . faster than you can imagine. The really sad part is . . . you very likely won’t even know about any of this until it is too late to do anything about it.

Just a FYI …

[bearishgurl]

[quote=flyer]This particular addiction is at unprecedented levels, and across every social and economic strata. Have personally known a couple of kids my kids grew up with who are gone. Both seemed to be lost souls after college, and even with treatment, they relapsed. There were huge performance demands from the families, among other issues.

Imo, this is a very sad commentary on the state of society, when, even long after treating the physical pain, huge numbers of people are seeking out drugs to fill an emptiness within from which they feel there is no other escape.[/quote]Agree flyer. Even people whom I thought were multi-talented and had everything going for them.

The (very bureaucratic) CA Worker’s Comp system is also part of the problem, IMO, as are most of the physicians who work within it. Even with qualified counsel, it can take 6-8 years to settle a serious worker’s comp injury, all the while the “applicant” is still on pain meds, is NOT rehabbing and NOT able to return to work or retrain (if appropriate). It’s a travesty.

[bearishgurl]

Wow, NH is just a (geographically) small state of 1.3M and its residents apparently have a HUGE opioid overdose problem …

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/02/08/new-hampshire-state-police-lab-swamped-heroin-opioids/79876578/#

… which their State Police lab can’t even keep up with. I’ve seen “bucolic” fall pictures of NH and it “seems” like it would be a nice, peaceful place to live.

What went wrong? Why is a good portion of that population so depressed that they resort to (legal and illegal) opioids?

This is such a shame.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=FlyerInHi][quote=bearishgurl]
I did not watch the Super Bowl but Good L@rd, that was one of the most ridiculous commercials I have ever seen!

It’s totally sending the wrong message to a vulnerable population. In short, this group needs to get OFF opioids and take up a much more holistic lifestyle, including mind-body exercise classes and revamping their diets to eventually eliminate all processed foods. After they have successfully detoxed, they can take up more strenuous exercise, such as weightlifting and cardio.

If these addicts can successfully stay off opioids and substitute that habit for the above, they will undoubtedly feel like a new person by the end of the their first (sober) year.[/quote]

Yes… Sounds too logical.

When I told my friend this exact same thing, the response was “you’re talking out of your ass.”

People who are obese want to work out at the gym while eating the same things. They think that adding protein shakes and working out vigorously will do the trick. After the work out they are dead tired which causes them to binge eat, drink and pop more pain killers.

Like you said, you cannot talk sense into addicts.[/quote]I have found that you can’t win a “popularity contest” with these addicts and shouldn’t worry about being shunned by them. SOMEONE needs to say these things to them instead of constantly enabling them.

I noticed that the “protanogist” in the Movantik commercial was pouring straight sugar on his coffee at the breakfast counter … and he was apparently just starting his day! I believe that a diet of excessive sugar (as well as excessive starch-turned-to-sugar) is the root of so many evils including the root cause of and cause of rapid spread of several gastrointestinal cancers. You can tell me I am talking out my a$$ and I will tell you to fuel your own “sugar addiction” at your peril :=0

[bearishgurl]

[quote=FlyerInHi][quote=scaredyclassic]Did u catch the opioid constipation medication commercial on the superbowl? Hilarious! How many constipated dope fiends are there in the nation that this commercial pays off???!!!

Cray cray[/quote]

haha, I missed it. Here it is:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/opioid-addiction-obamas-eye-5m-210600315.html

The drug is Movantik. There are so many drugs now. Seems like the drug companies are the biggest advertisers on prime time these days.[/quote]I did not watch the Super Bowl but Good L@rd, that was one of the most ridiculous commercials I have ever seen!

It’s totally sending the wrong message to a vulnerable population. In short, this group needs to get OFF opioids and take up a much more holistic lifestyle, including mind-body exercise classes and revamping their diets to eventually eliminate all processed foods. After they have successfully detoxed, they can take up more strenuous exercise, such as weightlifting and cardio.

If these addicts can successfully stay off opioids and substitute that habit for the above, they will undoubtedly feel like a new person by the end of the their first (sober) year.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=Blogstar]Gotta use my health insurance to go to rehab to get off subscription addiction that my health insurance funds. Can I pass on that and just get a less expensive education for my kid?[/quote]Sure, Russ. But if you decide to sign up for Tai Chi class instead of hitting the Rite Aid counter with your new scrips, I don’t think your decision will impact UC/CSU and CA CC tuition and fee rates, lol …

[bearishgurl]

[quote=Blogstar]. . . I would bet my liver that that’s where many middle class san diego opioid addicts get their fixes. . . . [/quote]Every . single . opioid addict I have known was still attempting to hold down a FT job in which they made $60-$120K annually (but calling in “sick” a lot). All had seniority at their workplaces and had worked there an average of about 17 years.

They weren’t “crack addicts” on the street. All but one were established homeowners.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=spdrun]$7-10k is CHEAP as compared to jailing someone. Addiction treatment should be provided for free, no questions asked, by the gov’t — the return on that would be huge.[/quote]spd, the average rehab period for opioid addiction is about 75-90 days but selected patients can get released in a minimum of 28 days (4 weeks). I believe medical insurance and healthplans in the US are now mandated to cover a portion of it, depending on the patient’s plan (bronze, silver, gold or platinum).

[bearishgurl]

Umm, “opioid addiction” has many faces … of ALL colors and races and is a HUGE problem in the US. I have known SEVERAL people who were prescribed Percocet (and its various close cousins) for injuries they sustained at one time and 1-8 years (and 1-3 surgeries later) are still taking it daily, sometimes up to 10 caplets per day. I did feel sorry for these people (a couple of them were very close friends at one time) but I can personally attest here that you can’t talk sense into these people cuz they’re addicted. This addiction manifests many varied and detrimental side effects on one’s life. I just ended up feeling sorry for them and had to distance myself.

Pain doctors are simply (legal) delivery systems of narcotics from Big Pharma. They don’t care if their patients become addicted. To them, addiction is the lesser of two evils and is the price they must pay for being “pain-free” (or nearly so) and so that doctor was considered “successful” in treating them.

People, it is incredibly easy to start taking a (legal) opioid for pain, obtain your first “refill” and quickly become addicted. It’s a very slippery slope :=0

We all need to have compassion for this group but in the same vein, these people need to be convinced to sign up for a detox program ASAP if they’re ever going to get their lives back (and not pose a danger to themselves or others, such as while driving). There are various centers across the nation who specialize in this niche, but it takes a minimum of 28 days in residence and costs $7-$10K. It’s worth it, even if one has to take a medical leave of absence from work.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=temeculaguy][quote=paramount]I do like Apple for tablets and phones – I don’t see any reason though to buy a Mac desktop.

I buy off lease PC’s off of ebay for $100 bucks or so and install a decent video card.

However, Mac Laptops even a few years old still have value. Most PC laptops have already been e-recycled.
[/quote]

I agree about Mac laptops. I have one kid who just finished college and one midway through. I bought the first one two pc laptops at about 500 each. Kid 2’s pc laptop ($500 costco hp) had a crappy hinge and had been repaired at a shop with bolts and some other repairs for $100. Now she cant move it or it craps out. I am typing this on a macbook air I bought used at DC computers (off lease, great shape) in 2013 for a 2012 model i7 for a bit under $1000. Still perfect, I never touch my Dell desktop that cost $700 about the same time. Mac is still as fast as when I got it and has a resale value on e-bay about $500. I know this because I’m thinking about buying kid #2 the same model. So if I had originally bought each kid a $1000 Mac laptop at the beginning of college, they would still have a viable laptop at the end of college with a value of 500. Instead I have a few $500 doorstops.

While its the exception to the rule, going cheap cost me in this area and I regret it.[/quote]My kid(s) had/have the MacBook Pro during college. Still going strong lo-o-o-ong after graduating! A PC laptop is okay for me because it is not my main computer and therefore gets only light use. The original battery in it lasted ~6 years before I had to replace it. However, it is a heavy, multimedia laptop that college kids wouldn’t want to carry around on their backs.

[bearishgurl]

[quote=spdrun]Vista is ineligible for a Win 10 upgrade, so it won’t.

Win 7 is supported till at least 2019, so the activation will work until then. But I suspect it will work much longer, since AFAIK, they still allow XP activations. When it doesn’t, you can always get a crack.[/quote]Good to know, spd. I like things just the way they are, thank you (incl my circa 2010 3G phone with the minimum 300 mb data plan for $3 mo just so it will work, since I don’t use data, lol). The phone was “free” from one of my kids, hence I haven’t been under contract with a cell phone carrier since 2006. My kid wanted me to learn to text :-0

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