What is your food/drink vice and what does it cost?

[kork13]

With the legalization and proliferation of recreational marijuana in California and elsewhere throughout the US, I am surprised that no one here admitted to smoking marijuana or consuming its edibles.

Note that the use of marijuana is still illegal federally, so all government workers are subject to that restriction, along with employees of companies that cross state lines. Also, many (most?) workplaces that require drug testing can still terminate a person for the use of drugs, even if it's legal within that particular state. Not all companies may elect to do so, but it's fully within their right to do so.

Personally, I never have and never will understand the idea of wanting to use drugs & alcohol... get high, get drunk, or whatever... under almost no circumstances do such things help in life. It only makes you lose control of your own faculties and your ability to make sound decisions for yourself and others. No thanks.

It's legal here in Alaska, and even in places like Costco and the local supermarket, they hand out samples of stuff that has marijuana seeds or oils or whatever... It's ludicrous that I have to watch out for that stuff, because I 100% WILL lose my job if I use it.

[disneysteve]

It's legal here in Alaska, and even in places like Costco and the local supermarket, they hand out samples of stuff that has marijuana seeds or oils or whatever... It's ludicrous that I have to watch out for that stuff, because I 100% WILL lose my job if I use it.

That's insane. Even if a state legalizes marijuana, it should still be tightly regulated and controlled. They shouldn't be handing it out for free like that. That's just plain stupid and puts people at unnecessary risk.

[QuarterMillionMan]

Thanks Kork for that information, very good information. I live in an apartment so smoking marijuana won't be a possibility for me. However, I may try edibles such as rice crispy treats, or gummie bears infused with marijuana. I don't plan on doing it everyday. Maybe after a stressful day at work to help with taking the edge off much like how people might have a glass of wine with dinner. Actually, I voted against it on Proposition 64 in Los Angeles . But now that it'll become law in January 2018, when in Rome do as the Romans do. For medical purposes the tax is 5% to 10%, but for recreational use the tax jumps to 25%.

[disneysteve]

For medical purposes

"Medical" marijuana is a thing here in NJ. What have I seen? People who were already addicts have managed to find a doctor who would fill out whatever forms need to be done to get them their magic card. Now they can smoke pot all they want and not get in trouble for it. They just whip out their card and they're "legal". They don't go to the licensed dispensaries, of course. Those are too expensive. They just keep buying drugs on the street like always.

And there are definitely doctors running practices to do nothing more than issue medical marijuana cards. No exam. No testing. Just pay your money and get your card. The whole thing is a huge farce.

[Gailete]

"Medical" marijuana is a thing here in NJ. What have I seen? People who were already addicts have managed to find a doctor who would fill out whatever forms need to be done to get them their magic card. Now they can smoke pot all they want and not get in trouble for it. They just whip out their card and they're "legal". They don't go to the licensed dispensaries, of course. Those are too expensive. They just keep buying drugs on the street like always.

And there are definitely doctors running practices to do nothing more than issue medical marijuana cards. No exam. No testing. Just pay your money and get your card. The whole thing is a huge farce.

Then there are those of us with chronic severe pain that are having more and more problems getting our legal, medically managed narcotics. When my doctor for the last 15 years moved out of state we found ourselves in an almost impossible situation. It took awhile, but it appears that one of the 2 main medical facilities in our area seems to have mandated to all their doctors to not prescribe narcotics. Everyone seems to think that those of us on them are just wanting a buzz of some sort. I would be happy to not have to take all the meds I'm on and I have never had a bit of a buzz or artificial high from my pains meds. But after a bad fall in March, I've had horrendous hip/back pain. My new doctor decided after telling me a few weeks before that he would continue me on my meds, decided he wasn't 'comfortable' prescribing them for me. So at the point I needed more control I got less. I get an MRI on Thursday. Hopefully they will find the source of the pain, like a cracked bone of some sort.

Unless I die in the next couple years, or the national thought on narcotics changes, The older I get, the more pain I will be in and the harder it will be to have pain control. I lived through the hippie years of drugs all around, etc. I didn't take that crap then and I don't intend to take and use them now. And here abusers will continue to find ways to get their highs while those of us with honest, medically driven pain are denied what we need.

[Nutria]

Personally, I never have and never will understand the idea of wanting to use drugs & alcohol... get high, get drunk, or whatever...

Four reasons for drinking come instantly to mind:

• It's cool.
• Boredom.
• Emotional pain: There's a tear in my beer wasn't written for no reason.
• Stress relief (ethanol is a CNS suppressant) after a long, hard day of work.

under almost no circumstances do such things help in life.

Which is why Postpone The Pain and The Bottle Let Me Down was written.

[Nutria]

Then there are those of us with chronic severe pain that are having more and more problems getting our legal, medically managed narcotics.

My mother mentioned the same thing to me, about the problems getting opioids for her husband.

Blame the corrupt doctors who run pill mills.

[~bs]

I smoke cigars, but not cigarettes or anything other substances because I either don't like those things, they're very addicting, or illegal.

And yes I do think habitual pot smoking is harmful to your health. But like many other controlled substances, there is medicinal value that may outweigh the harmful effects for some people.

I think pain killer abuse is far worse than anything talked about in this thread so far. Even if your doctor is careful in prescribing, and you take the medicine according to their schedule, you still can get addicted, especially if taken over long periods of time. If you take strong pain meds, be sure to not let anyone know you're taking them. There are a lot of addicts out there who will do anything to get their hands on your prescription. if you watched the series "breaking bad", where the guy with the card collection gets his house broken into and torn apart looking for meds, that **** really does happen.

Then there are those of us with chronic severe pain that are having more and more problems getting our legal, medically managed narcotics. When my doctor for the last 15 years moved out of state we found ourselves in an almost impossible situation. It took awhile, but it appears that one of the 2 main medical facilities in our area seems to have mandated to all their doctors to not prescribe narcotics. Everyone seems to think that those of us on them are just wanting a buzz of some sort. I would be happy to not have to take all the meds I'm on and I have never had a bit of a buzz or artificial high from my pains meds. But after a bad fall in March, I've had horrendous hip/back pain. My new doctor decided after telling me a few weeks before that he would continue me on my meds, decided he wasn't 'comfortable' prescribing them for me. So at the point I needed more control I got less. I get an MRI on Thursday. Hopefully they will find the source of the pain, like a cracked bone of some sort.

Unless I die in the next couple years, or the national thought on narcotics changes, The older I get, the more pain I will be in and the harder it will be to have pain control. I lived through the hippie years of drugs all around, etc. I didn't take that crap then and I don't intend to take and use them now. And here abusers will continue to find ways to get their highs while those of us

ethical doctors are less willing to prescribe pain killers for long periods of time due to the things I mentioned above. in hind sight, if the pain wasn't too bad initially, might have been better to try manage with OTC drugs. He's taking you off the drugs to see if you're healing and how well you manage without it and to reduce the chances of addiction. Without "proof" you really need the medicine, they won't prescribe it.

[Gailete]

ethical doctors are less willing to prescribe pain killers for long periods of time due to the things I mentioned above. in hind sight, if the pain wasn't too bad initially, might have been better to try manage with OTC drugs. He's taking you off the drugs to see if you're healing and how well you manage without it and to reduce the chances of addiction. Without "proof" you really need the medicine, they won't prescribe it.

I have complex problems that had me out of the running for using OTC from the beginning. I started on pain meds when the only other option was to be curled up somewhere, sucking my thumb and crying for the rest of my life. I will be needing the strong stuff for the rest of my life as there is no cure for what I have and it only gets worse. Addiction is the least of my worries. My worry is not having enough pain control that I don't have any quality of life. With meds I am and can still be a somewhat functioning member of society.

I don't think with some doctors that it has anything to do with ethics. If the hospital that they work under its umbrella, gives a system wide response to pain meds is that they will not be prescribed, they can't prescribe them and instead try to chase everyone to pain control doctors. One of the main ones in our town is a nut job (I have, as a nurse had to be associated with him) I wouldn't go to him for a band aid! However many of them are not honest about why they are taking you off of what you have been on. How can one say he will prescribe them one month and then the next month say he doesn't feel comfortable prescribing them? Nor do they give any kind of warning that they will be taking you off of narcotics, they just cut you off and leave you to withdraw from them on your own, which is very BAD medical practice. I know I don't take that stuff because I like to. I take it because of unrelenting pain.

[~bs]

^

Perhaps try find another doctor... I know a few people addicted to pain meds, whos reason for taking them started out legitimate, then proceeded to be a necessity, and not because of any pain. The worst guy I know is so immune already to the effects of the painkillers, he pretty much needs to pop his pills, smoke weed, and drink hard liquor just to feel any sort of high. The amount of drugs he takes would send a normal person to the ER. To get his meds, he pretty much just goes around trying to find any doctor to prescribe them. And you better believe all the addicts know which doctors are easiest to get prescriptions from.

Anyways, if your current doctor continues to deny medication that you need, you probably should see about getting an opinion elsewhere. $0.02

[Gailete]

Anyways, if your current doctor continues to deny medication that you need, you probably should see about getting an opinion elsewhere. $0.02
Like

I did.

[disneysteve]

he pretty much just goes around trying to find any doctor to prescribe them.

Thankfully, more and more states (it might be all by now) have registries for controlled substances. Doctors and pharmacists are required to check the registry before prescribing or dispensing. Obviously, not all doctors do what they're supposed to but this has sharply cut down on doctor-hopping.

Years ago, someone could come to me and give me a very legit story for why they needed pain meds and there was absolutely no way for me to know that they had told that same story to the doctor across town the previous day. They could get prescriptions for the same drug from 5 different doctors at 5 different pharmacies and nobody would ever know. It is far, far more difficult to get away with that now.

Any legit doctor who prescribes controlled meds should also be routinely drug testing his patients. We have discharged many patients for failing their drug test.

The problem is the laws have gotten so strict that doctors are afraid to write controlled meds because it isn't worth losing their license over. It is one of many reasons why I am leaving family practice next month. Dealing with the constant threat of suspension every time I sign my name to a Xanax or Percocet prescription just isn't worth it anymore. At my urgent care job, it is extremely rare for me to prescribe any controlled medication.

[~bs]

^I believe our state just started with the exchange, last year maybe? We'll have to see how well the state narcotics division monitors it. And the doctors can probably still fraudulently dispense the drugs without getting caught unless there's a formal way they crosscheck the amount of drugs ordered from the pharmacies with what the doctor reports on the registry.

Perhaps this is one case where they went overboard with the regulations, but it was in response to what is a HUGE problem. And even assuming you cut the addicts supply of pills, now you need to go through the process of helping them with the withdrawals.

[disneysteve]

even assuming you cut the addicts supply of pills

The pills seem to get all of the attention but at least around here, most overdoses and deaths are due to heroin, not pills. I guess it's because they feel they can do something to regulate and monitor the pill prescribing and dispensing. There's not really anything they can do about the heroin.

[disneysteve]

^I believe our state just started with the exchange, last year maybe? We'll have to see how well the state narcotics division monitors it.

If nothing else, it gives the honest and ethical doctors (which is most of them) a very powerful tool that they didn't previously have.