I agree with many of the comments here, but one thing we do have to consider also. Some think this is related to a “desire to escape”.
Anyone priced pain killers lately? Prescription drug prices have gotten so high many people who would otherwise never consider illegal drugs are beginning to turn to easily available (too easy) heroin at cheap prices instead of the incredibly expensive and hard to get pain killers they actually need.
My former neighbor had 3 back surgeries over 30 years ago, and has been in constant pain as long as I’ve known her. She had a running prescription for Vicodin III for years, and that has been cut off now and a weaker drug prescribed, to get anything that will actually work, she would have to go to a “pain clinic”, shell out a lot more money, and convince them she actually is experiencing serious pain. Then the prescription, even after what Medicare covers, woud still be very expensive. Fortunately she wants nothing to do with any illegal drugs, but it really bothers me to see her at over 80 years old barely able to walk sometimes and constantly in pain due to back surgeries that didn’t solve the original problem to begin with.
Many people are in the same situation, but much younger, prices are astronomical, pain reducing drugs are much harder to get now, and they still have to do something, even if it’s wrong. It’s not about escaping reality to them, it’s about decreasing debilitating pain.
I know exactly what that feels like, I’ve hurt my back a number of times, I’ve had to crawl to the bathroom...crying from pain. Passed out from pain in one case. It’s not fun. I wouldn’t touch heroin, it scares me. Highly addicting and I know it. But at that time, I would have paid dearly for ANYTHING to make it go away.
That’s the position a lot of these people are in. I Have no idea of this is the case in this particular situation, it might well have been just doing drugs to get high, we have no idea judging by what we see in the article. But we also do need to consider the fact that we have a serious problem as well, that is not related to simply getting high. Pharmaceutical companies are miking billions and still raising prices with no oversight. Regulations have made it much more difficult for pain patients to get the prescriptions they need for pain at the same time. This incident may have nothing to do with that, but we don’t know. That doesn’t mean it isn’t still a problem.
Great post.
Well said.
My husband hurt his back in June and the hoops he has to jump through for medication are ridiculous.
Thank you for offering your perspective. It is worthwhile to consider, maybe in this case, but certainly in many others. Pain at that level reduces your quality of life. My aunt suffers back pain, also.
I doubt this young couple were taking heroin due to crippling pain.