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(I posted this elsewhere earlier before I noticed your pinned comment) 4:20! Omg, I've said this very thing sooo many times throughout the 3 decades (wow!) of my active journey! I just can't picture what I'd do with myself and feel like life as a "square " would be so boring! It's all in what one becomes accustomed to and sees as normal for themselves, I suppose, yeah??? Best wishes and ❤ to all
I think they should've also interviewed the friends and family of the users about how well they're functioning. Heroin users aren't always the most reliable narrators so it would've given a more balanced view.
I mean.. Everyone’s going to have their own opinions? People who don’t use will say nasty things about someone who does use even if they’re just like you and me but use. I make 150k+ a year and I’m a user with a 2k a day habit (none of that 150k goes to my habit, it’s all profit) I make more money than mostly everyone in my family and they have no idea I use.. It’s a sad life but there’s not much I can do in my position. I’m going to try and ween myself off slowly but surely when I’m really ready. My main fear is relapsing and ODing.. It’s not so much the using that kills you instantly, it’s quite safe when you have a tolerance - it’s when people quit and they don’t understand this stuff exits your body QUICK! They’ll use a dose they just used a couple days ago and BAM.. Most people die from choking not being poisoned by the opiates
@@daphne.chronopoulou Good for you Daphne that you're able to "function" with the addiction. I think the problem with drugs is that most people abuse them and ruin so many life(s) in the process. It's rare (as you've said) to be a functioning heroin user and for sure it's rare to be a productive member of society. Vice should go to Afghanistan and interview the people there, this drug ruin societies. Yes, some people can function while being an addict but most people abuse it! It's hard for me to comprehend the motives of the people who wants to decriminalize these kind of drugs, do they really think that helping the few who are "functioning" will makes the problem disappear?
I was a “functioning” addict for years, until I wasn’t. I eventually lost everything and my life continued to spiral out of control. I have 9 1/2yrs clean now! I never thought I could make it. I am living proof everyone deserves a 2nd chance!
Here's what I can tell you guys: I worked a full time job, 10 hour days, $18 an hour. I lived at a homeless shelter and was on parole. I snorted heroin everyday all day. If I didn't have the shelter, I would have been on the street, because every two weeks when I got that $1,000 - guess how much went to my habit? All of it. If you're a doctor, sure, you can be a functional dope fiend because you make enough money to support your habit and everything else that is necessary to survival in modern times (rent, food, phone etc). When you're working class, it isn't so possible. I will say that I knew people who were tow truck drivers and delivery men working for Amazon that were IV users and still maintained their lifestyle while also being somewhat responsible, but they were literally a missed rent payment away from being homeless. It isn't a safe bet to be a "functional" user.
Literally all of us who aren't millionaires are one missed rent payment away from homelessness. Drug use is not even considered one of the major indicators of homelessness. Increased prescribing of opioids is actually associated with a reduction in homelessness. Generally only 1/4 of heroin users move on to long term use and an even smaller percentage move on to destructive patterns of use
When I was in active addiction, my dealer "opened up shop" on the corner at 6:00am sharp every day. The dope boys were out from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm every day no matter what. And because I was strung out, my happy ass was parked on the corner at 5:50 every morning. While I was waiting for the boys to come out, I'd look around at the other people sitting in their cars doing the exact same thing I was doing. I'd see emaciated homeless people, I'd see cars with college bumper stickers, I'd see construction workers in their trucks, I'd see men in suits in their BMWs, I'd see girls with their sorority letters on their back windshield, I'd see mini vans with empty car seats in the back. I always wondered which ones were absolutely spiraling like me and which ones were still functioning (for now)
Thank you for sharing this. this was really interesting to think about- I hope you are doing better now. it takes a lot of bravery to look an addiction in the eye and get out
so eye opening. people who don’t use really think they know but they just don’t. people should be more empathetic if we're going to even understand what addiction and drug use is in order to handle the drug crisis.
I was a functioning heroin user for years…with wife and kids and half million dollar house. I can’t nail down the day it happened but my life was suddenly no longer manageable and there was no turning back. Even with absolute discipline…it always catches up with you.
Exactly. I became addicted to morphine and then heroin around 15 years old and did it for almost 15 years, most of it highly functional. But it eventually will catch up with you.
@@jbmp1390 I cant relate to heroin but you really do believe youre in control and then when you realise youre fucked you just dont even care anymore! Very proud of you for being clean
One day you realize you are a total slave to it and functioning in service of the addiction. Then hopefully you eventually want that to change, and hopefully that works. Gotta have hope because addiction is a crafty, slick-talking Salesman who's trying to convince you that you don't have the problem in the first place. It's a mind/body/soul change you have to make. Just gotta work at it (and keep working, forever)
As with all long term use of drugs...see how you feel when your 40yrs+. That goes for oh so healthy skunk etc. Greetings from someone who works in healthcare.
I was never functioning as an addict. I was a homeless junkie for MANY years. My family and friends disowned me. Not to mention I was also smoking crack. I am proud to say I've been sober for 4 years in February. My life is completely different and I'm so thankful everyday I wake up and no longer have to live this lifestyle.
According to society’s view of “functioning” I was a functioning opiate addict for 5 years, finished engineering school and had a really good engineering job, no one at my job knew I was using, I could pay all my bills and take care of my dog and my girlfriend from a material standpoint. But I was MISERABLE the whole time and wanted to quit but could not. I also emotionally deprived my loved ones. There really isn’t such thing as a functioning heroin user, no matter how much you lie to yourself
It really depends on the interpretation of the word "functioning." Also, some people have underlying mental and physical health conditions that could be worsened by drug use, which would alter each individual person's physiology and mental health along the journey of addiction. The lady from Greece for example. She looks quite healthy (I was actually shocked), is an accomplished poet and actress, has a husband and a house, and she seems quite content with her habit and seems able to control it. Take my words with a grain of salt though. I've never tried heroin but I've been an opiate user for years and have been on Suboxone for 7 years (I know- I'm a unique case. You don't see many people like me who take Suboxone but never have taken H). This is an interesting, nuanced, COMPLICATED issue. I'm fascinated by everyone's input on this. This video kind of blew my mind though. The picture in my mind I have of heroin is people nodding off and talking in a raspy voice.
Ye people only consider you an addict when you can’t pay bills and what not even tho there isn’t anyone doing heroin cuz thier mentally stable and happy there’s always somthing wrong even if you have the money to pay for it and your family
@@stephenbailey6878 the lady from greece is more the exception than the norm - and really it is her interpretation and self-report that purports her to be a 'functional' user. which opiate did you use? theyre all six of one and half a dozen of the other really
Respect to the woman doing the second interview when she was sober and able to give the other perspective. She didn't want to give the world the wrong impression about her drug use.
@@daphne.chronopoulou Really appreciated your story, Daphne. As someone who indulged in every drug available at one stage in my life, the irony is that it was alcohol that destroyed me. I'm long-time dry now and the thought of alcohol disgusts me, if I were to have something recreationally on special occasions I would choose to smoke opium but it's impossible to obtain. It was really valuable to hear the second part of your interview because I didn't know about the brutal comedown. Thank you for sharing your story.
My old friend considered himself a functional addict. He followed 3 rules: never spend money you need for other things, never use needles, and never go to work high. He broke his own rules, eventually. He still maintained a job working in schools with kids for years. He had friends, a band (he was a very talented guitar player) and even girlfriends, but none of it ever seemed real to him. He was really bright and one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. His father died and left him some money, and his mom kept control of it so he could not spend it on dope. But he got a job and used his paycheck for drugs. Eventually he killed himself, so sad.
@@Fiorellandia he's probably just wondering if it was an accidental overdose which his friend wrote off as "killed himself" or if it was an actual intentional suicide
I was a “functioning” IV heroin addict for 5 years. I’m now 3 years sober. Recovery IS possible. No high is worth losing your life. My heart is with everyone who’s still struggling with this addiction. It’s a nasty, very intense and brutal drug.
@kelison8507 First off Congratulations beautiful We Do Recover❤ I myself was a functioning user kept a job for almost 2 of the 4 years, I lost everything I worked so hard for in a matter of maybe a year if that. I’m blessed to be alive today and today I am Sober the date of last time I used anything was August 20th 2019. If I knew half of what I know now back then absolutely No way would’ve ever signed up to become an addict. One of the most inspiring things I’ve heard is “ when you’re using you give up everything for that thing but when you’re sober you give up one thing for everything” that’s so true and I wish someone would’ve said that to me when I was using. What keeps me from relapse & using is remembering how terrible it was coming down and waking up everyday thinking what lie or sin will I commit today in order to not be “sick”. I thank God daily for the chat at starting over and living a beautiful drug free life. If I can anyone can it takes a lot of patience courage hope and an abundance of effort. ❤ Peace Love and Blessings too all those struggling, those fighting the battle and those that are on the path to recovery ❤️🩹 Drugs Do Not Discriminate no one is above addiction it can happen to ANYONE remember that those who judge & stereotype!
Fun fact: fentanyl isn’t nearly as common in the UK as it is in the US. It’s near impossible for US citizens to get heroin anymore. It’s nearly fully replaced with fent. Which is likely a part of the reason this documentary was filmed in the UK.
Fentanyl took over basically in the blink of an eye. When I first started doing heroin, I was pretty damn sure it was heroin. One day (maybe a few months to a year), it was a white powder, much less and much stronger. Started to get cheaper too, as the cut mixture of heroin and fent was entirely replaced by fent powder with various inert cuts. I consider myself lucky I stopped before tranq dope became a thing here (I’m on the east coast that has had a supply for reasonably pure H for years)
This has to do with geography. Afghanistan distributes huge amounts of heroin throughout Europe. I've read Afghanistan supplies about 80% of the worlds heroin. Mexico has problems growing enough poppy plants , it takes long to grow and whole crops can be destroyed by government. They simply can't fulfill the huge demand so they turned to synthetic
@@bluntvillez temporary and cure are oxymoronic. It dumps a bunch of happy chemicals on your brain that seem like they’re alleviating depression, but your body builds a tolerance to this, and it can ruin your brain’s capacity to feel happy or recover from depression naturally. Do NOT use opioids to address your depression, there are so many better ways. Other medications that can help too.
that's why I stood the f away from it, even when I was at my lowest, homeless etc. I knew that I would feel so good, I wouldn't be able to stop. I tried one oxy years ago and that was strong enough...
I am really in full respect of that man that didn’t bring a woman or child into the equation. Kudos to him for knowing what he wants and not letting it affect someone else. This perspective in other areas would save a lot of pain and suffering.
Be right to your kids, for sure, that's #1 to preventing this, but have a real talk with them, because once addiction starts, and anyone can get hooked, it's a life long problem, even when you're sober for a long time. Believe me, those people who say they don't even think about drugs anymore and such are full of crap. Being sober for a day is a battle you have to keep fighting until the day you die. On another note, this is what heroin felt like to me, and I had the most loving mother. Sometimes, you can do everything right and it still happens.
As someone who is now 8 years 12 days clean, I can say without a doubt that no one should try heroin for any reason. There's no reason to. They talk it down here, but for there to be a 30% chance that you become addicted and go through what I went through for a 3rd of my life, or worse, end up like the many, many friends who I lost along the way to that insidious drug, it's not worth it. Not even close.
Calm down. It's literally just another morphine analog. The addictive potential of opioids is completely overstated and exaggerated. The addiction rate is virtually still the same as with alcohol but still significantly less than that of nicotine. There's at least several decent reasons to try it if you are responsible enough and are pharmacologically literate enough to understand what's happening and how it works. Whether just for experimentation, or treating pain, or slowing down heart rate or palliating a harsh stimulant crash, etc. there are still genuine reasons for using it. It's not like crack or meth; two drugs which essentially have no real reason for even trying unless normal amphetamine doesn't last long enough for you. Just the thing about pain relief alone is enough for me to actually feel extremely nervous when I don't have opioids in the house. Morphine derivatives should be standard medicine cabinet drugs. Edit: Go ahead, keep crying. Opioids are easy af to utilize without abusing them and there's nothing you can do about it lol. And like I said, I get nervous not having opioids in the house for the same reasons I get nervous not having other medicines like aspirin or ibuprofen in the house. Keep coming with the strawman arguments though.
@@Ryan88881 listen to you. heroin chic, huh? no person in their right mind would say heroin or morphine should be in a standard medicine cabinet. right next to the revolver with one bullet in it for dealing with anxiety.... you'll feel so alive after winning a round of russian roulette, whatever you were feeling anxious about will automatically be washed away
@@eugenegreen2285 That makes no sense... Anyone with a halfway functioning brain and even a relative degree of education on the matter would concede that morphinan pain killers absolutely should be standard medicine cabinet drugs. What's wrong you? We already have much worse, less efficacious drugs in our medicine cabinets genius. To suggest it shouldn't be a standard household palliative medicine or medical tool is psychotic and divorced from reality. Inform yourself. Tylenol is much more toxic, Benadryl is fantastically unhealthy and dementing, alcohol has the same degree of addiction potential... I could go on. The fact of the matter is that the morphine derivatives (along with morphine itself) are actually effective and viable, not only in terms of pain and sleep, but ventricular tachycardia as well. There's a million over-the-counter drugs that cause tachycardia and yet, a shocking poverty (essentially a total absence) of over the counters which can effectively reverse or counter it. Your analogy is even more incoherent in its rationale than your initial posits. Russian roulette is a nothing burger or an almost invariably fatal shot to the head.. What about it? Because it still can't be safely done. Morphine-related opioids can EASILY be safely done. In fact so easy, that comparing it to Russian roulette is impossible. Driving even just 15 minutes on the freeway will always be exponentially more risky and dangerous than taking a quality controlled measured dosage of 15mg of morphine. There is no Russian Roulette-like factor to even speculatively entertain here. It's just glorified codeine.. Grow up. I knew you would be dead wrong in whatever it is you were going to spew here, but given your opening statement I was actually expecting a far more weighted counter. This is such weak sauce even for your crowd. You wanna try again?
After experiencing a "functional" heroin user up close, I think the biggest problem with Heroin is the optimism it gives people about being able to solve their problems, while at the same time decimating their ability to do so. Especially with anxious people this will play very very badly - as in, the drug initially lets them feel like everything is possible and probably even give them good results in terms of functionality (if they were standing in their own way, social situations etc.), so their anxiety may be lifted, giving them a good result even when sober. If they keep using after that good result, soon the problems get increased by sideeffects of the drug, and physical addiction - having overslept and missed something important, having money or health problems and not being able to talk about the real cause, in general hiding aspects of their habit/addiction from someone and becoming less reliable and less able to communicate - and step by step, the anxiety about their life when sober increases, requiring to take the "medicine" even more frequently. And step by step, that chemical optimism becomes the only thing that's reliable about their life.
Very close to how I felt when I was addicted to Xanax. I was a functioning addict until I wasn't anymore. What the woman in the video who is a recreational user said is very true -- all the pain comes rushing back once you're sober again. So the longer you're self-medicating, the pain has built up and it becomes absolutely unbearable to be sober -- xanax gave me a euphoric feeling. It's the same with anxiety though, in that it all rushes in. It took years and years for my nervous system to sort itself out, and a lot of self work too, with a few years of non-narcotic medications.
@@brittanyw.9351 Great you're out of it... my flatmate who experienced this "functional" Heroine addiction was a PhD student, really bright and friendly guy from a rather successful family, and until the end (when he finally decided he needed a break and moved back to his family) it's as if he couldn't let reality sink in, there was always the big break and opportunity just around the corner, something he'd do that would undo all the problems with his job and people, and he was being "95% as good as clean" anyway, while he was literally falling into the life of a homeless, alienating all friends, and attracting *very* dubious new ones... I hope you've overcome this terrible cycle for good. I'd guess those few moments when you're actually sobering up and you start to realize what is going, all the built-up anxiety returning at once, that must be an utter nightmare.
My mother was a "functioning" alcoholic and pill user for more than a decade. Held down a job and every thing. But our home life was in shambles. After she recovered her brain was like scrambled eggs. We all suffered because she insisted, that she "didn't have a problem". I hated living at home.
My parents did drugs when I was younger and they were able to function for a few years without my siblings and I knowing. They started spiraling out of control when I was in middle school when they would smoke up all the money, which resulting in us getting evicted and my siblings and I had to live with our grandparents.
I'm recovered from meth over three years now, and it still feels like being normal is an eternity away. Always remind her of how proud you are that she made the effort. It is so much easier to end it all, than hold on for an undear life. I hope she's doing better.
I was semi ”functioning” opiate addict for 7 years, using Subtex, doing university, and acting. I was using because of trauma from sexual abuse. Using opiates made me able to stay alive and seek therapy. After two years of therapy and finding dancing again I was able to stop. I quit opiates because I wanted to be a better dancer. Soon I have been 3 years sober, doing trauma therapy, dancing. I wish I can soon work with sexual abuse victims and help other people 🙏🏻 Best wishes for everyone who is struggling with trauma and addiction, it is possible to recover ❤️
I have been through a lot of trauma and abuse as well. I made one attempt at my life 3 years ago. But I’ve never grown the balls to try her0in. Should I try Subtex? This documentary makes me feel like I should try opiates.
@@lesliecano4963no. Subutex is an opiod technically, but it will not induce the same euphoria/“high” that traditional ones like oxy or opiates like heroin. It is possible to get a high from it without ANY tolerance, but IME it isn’t recreational or fun whatsoever. You’re more likely to get way too high and be puking for HOURS on end, hot and itchy for about 12-24 hours. Subutex is a brand of bupenorphine (the primary active ingredient in suboxone , an opiod blocker), which is meant to BLOCK opiods. It is unique in that it is an opiod that prevents other opiods from working, while having a much lower potential for death and abuse on its own. I’m not recommending you start opiods or opiates, but it doesn’t even make sense to use bupenorphine to do so. You will build a tolerance VERY quickly, as it is more potent than oxycodone, and is only a few times less potent than fentanyl (just without the same risk of OD). take it from someone who was a heroin /fent/opiod addict and was on suboxone, it is not something you use for fun. It’s to hold opiod withdrawal at bay, while you recover from using “actual” opiods. Anyone Wil tell you that getting to a point where you NEED suboxone (which suboxone in its self will eventually cause), you will regret it for every day for the rest of your life.
@@lesliecano4963I would not recommend, highly NOT recommend that you try any form of opioid for recreational purposes. I literally changed the receptors in your brain. If you want to experiment with a substance look into psychedelic therapy with a psychiatrist.
@@lesliecano4963you should talk to some1. You don’t want to get hooked on no H especially since the streets is flooded with fentanyl. Smoke some weed and realize we all go thru things in life. Going to Opiates will only make your life worse.
watching this makes me miss my father. a non functioning user for many years and then a functioning user finally transitioning to clean and helping others. he would have fit nicely in this piece. sadly he passed away about 4 years ago from unrelated health issues. but he spent his last 8 years clean and happy. to those that can function on it. well done. to those that can't. please find help. for those who have never done it. please never do.
@LarryDavid.blochain I'd argue you're wrong but there would be little point in doing so. I know what I saw, learnt and came to understand. Your opinion matters very little
@@LarryDavid.blochainIf they have a job, a healthy relationship with their family, and a stable income, I don't see how you could say they aren't functioning.
I was a functioning heroin user for years. I worked at a bank as a financial advisor. I was a top ranking employee, at one point being in the running for top banking sales in Canada. I owned my home in Vancouver BC (one of the most expensive housing markets in Canada), which I bought while I was in active, functioning heroin addiction at age 23. I was engaged, went to the gym daily, and ate healthy. This went on for years. It worked until it didn’t. My work sent me to treatment and I’ve been sober since April 26/16. You truly don’t understand how beautiful life could be until you’re free from the chains of substance use. For those saying functioning heroin use isn’t a thing, you’re unfortunately wrong. But I don’t recommend trying it. Regardless of how long you maintain functionality, it eventually falls apart. Especially with the toxic drug supply. People are dying every second of everyday.
Not everyone eventually falls apart. I am a better functioning human being because I use low doses of opiates. I can say with 100% certainty that there are plenty of people like me who function better with certain substances and it is absolutely no one's right to tell them they can't use those drugs
@@jordanpearson894This has been my experience and the experience of those around me. However I’m happy it’s working for you, and I mean that genuinely! Best wishes and I hope it continues this way.
Daphne, taking it recreationally seems to be a big lie, especially in her age and number of times she snorted it during the interview. she is a full time user, just trying to sugar coat it.
I got the same wibe, and I also feel that its a little bit immorral and unethical to be a drug activist whilst still being addicted yourself, like she clearly was. Interesting piece non the less, and opened my eyes to the stigma that heroin has, which is sad beacause it makes seeking help even harder. But I still wouldn't say that you can still be fully functioning whilst being addicted, without any issues. It makes the drug in it self seem less harmfull and downplays all the bad it brings to the sociaty and individual lives. But we should also improve our handling and understanding of addictions, but a just feel that we should listen people that want to end the addiction they have or had.
@@leevilaasonen8495 well why do you think they are more popular among those in need? they come from the same background/they're doing it as well. It's not surface-level assistance where you're seen as a zombie in need and the only thing you're told is "Don't do it, you're better than that!", you're talking to someone who can help you and you know they're not flat ignorant about all what you're going through. It's a level of understanding that is important in rehabilitating those who have dug themselves way deep. and I ask this not in hostility (have to emphasize this because it's youtube lol), but could your first statement be a reflection of the stigma described in the video? there are many cases where recovering alcoholics help those in need as well. they are successful because they understand the background of being an alcoholic better (in a more grounded way, rather than being out of pure scientific/social help background). it may seem immoral/unethical, but they're very important for those trying to recover.
Also, speaking in a language that is not her native language (not judging, her English is great), I think makes it more difficult for someone who doesn't know her what she would be like sober.
Exactly. Using once a month or on weekends in moderation for fun is recreational. Needing something to get through a particular situation or daily life, let alone multiple times daily is at the very least a habit and most likely dependence and/or addiction.
I was a functioning Oxy user, then Heroin, then Fentanyl user. Recovery is absolutely possible. As I was explained, if you're an addict and you put 10% of the effort you put into your addiction into your sobriety, you will make it. Anyone reading this who's struggling, please dont give up. You CAN make it, you WILL make it. Determination and support will get you through. Family will get you through. The 12 steps will get you through. Please dont give up.
I was like this first guy, functioning with a job , apartment and heroin addiction but no life outside of that and it was a full time job keeping it all together. Literally worked just to support my habit, definitely a sad existence. Luckily I was able to get clean.
To all of the former addicts and those still battling addictions, in this comment section I wish you peace, the love you deserve, and healing. Happy holidays
I was a functioning heroin/opioid user for years. I held down a steady job and none of my coworkers, and most people who met me, had a clue. It was fucking miserable though bc there's NEVER enough. A constant worry of withdrawal and how to avoid it by any means necessary. Happy to say I've been sober since September 1st, 2018.
The problem is not heroin or any other drugs, the problem is prohibition! As adults, we should be able to live our lives whichever way we prefer. Anything you abuse, be it a drug, food, sport...becomes a problem. I have used opiates for ages, obviously i do not do it every single day,i do it quite often,though, three or four times a week. It goes without saying that my body has built some tolerance to it (this is inevitable) but Im not an addict. I do opiates because I love them, they are pleasurable and make feel happy and relaxed. It is my guilty pleasure, I always do it at night, after a hard day´s work and my daily gym workout. Im never gonna stop. Ive never felt it as a problem. Some people enjoy a glass of wine or some other alcoholic drink, in my case I prefer a couple lines of diacetylmorphine while watching my favourite tv show. There is an incredible amount of misinformation as regards drugs in our society, there is too much scaremongering, alarmism, which make people have the wrong approach towards drugs. Also, too much money is wasted on a fruitless drug; the war on drugs! If anything has been proven after all these years of prohibition and war on drugs is that it is absolutely useless to try to prevent people from taking drugs.
it’s truly sad that we consider “functioning” as “going to work and paying bills”. that’s what we’re reduced to here. you can’t be functioning on heroin. you can’t be your best self, you can’t be present. and if you have kids, even worse. you may think you’re a good enough parent just literally providing for your child, but emotionally you’re not. and that’s what really does silent damage in the long run in children of addicts. i’m glad these people aren’t at rock bottom, i’m glad they aren’t homeless. but they are cheating themselves out of a life sober. full of love and life. they are just pacifying themselves day by day and i really hope one day they can wake up and get sober. these people are one in a million cases and should be the exception not the rule. addiction always catches up. if you think you’re getting off scott free, you’re sadly mistaken . love seeing all these comments of sober individuals!! recovery IS worth it
Hmmm, I don't know if I can fully agree with you. I mean, just to be clear. I don't think heroin is worth it to not give it up when you have kids and you actually care about them. But mainly because of how everything can change 180 degrees in an instant and you'll suddenly start being an obnoxious junkie instead of a 'functioning drug addict'. Or you just overdose by accident and you're gone. But on the other hand, does it indeed strip you of part of your personality more than the traumas, bad habits, or ill-fitting environment you're in? I don't think so. All the while assuming that you are a truly 'well-functioning' drug user. There are many other factors that similarly prevent us from being full of ourselves, and the fact that heroin is a drug doesn't actually change anything. Our hormones, too, act on us like drugs, only they are in us naturally. They are secreted under the influence of the natural physiological economy, or under the influence of environmental stimuli. The fact that we perceive heroin in the way we do is also a product of the way society looks at it and all the prejudices, also how we ourselves look at it knowing how low we can fall. It is simply associated with sadness, emptiness, pathology, moral and mental decline, a very thin line that is easily crossed. Heroin has very few positive implications, actually one, which is the moment when you are having fun and focusing only on the now. But people are different. Some perhaps would be worse people with a worse attitude to the world if they didn't use. And sure, there are many other theoretically better and healthier things/stimuli that could have a similar effect, but the effect is still the same. It's just that this addiction/habit has a bad connotation. And with all due respect to your familiarity with the world and knowledge, you also don't know everything and every possible option whether someone is actually better or worse off with it - please dont treat it offensive or that i'm trying to insult you, cause i'm not. Of course, this kind of thinking is also playing with fire, because in 99% of cases dealing with heroin ends badly. Nevertheless, assuming that one is a functioning drug addict like this Greek woman and that it is indeed all like that, I don't think she is any less herself than people after various bad life 'natural' transitions rather than chemical ones. And these get to all of us, to varying degrees and with varying effects.
Some people will never have a happy sober life. They physically need some form of drug to achieve that. They will never be able to achieve any form of happiness with the mental health stigmas and drugs stigmas. Humans need acceptance and respect to figure it out. Although I very very strongly agree that it’s sad we considering functioning as going to work and paying bills. Life should be more than that. Unfortunately it’s not. That’s why so many people need drugs. Humans aren’t meant to work their life away. But that’s our society.
You are 100% correct I've been a heroin addict for almost 10 years, this is at best irresponsible journalism I've never met anyone who uses heroin recreationally they are all like me desperate to get sober but can't.
Its a strange thing, when you're on it, you can't picture how you lived your life before it, then when you're off it again, its hard to picture how you lived your life on it. Its like you've been two different people.
I remember trying it and immediately knowing I was going to do it every single day. There is nothing like opiates the way they take over your brain is crazy.
I am now 62 years old. At almost 16 years old, I was shooting up (1g/day). At 19, I went to the mountains and stayed there, I worked on the ski lifts, then I became a ski instructor, then a water ski instructor. Intense physical activity saved me: I was too tired to take drugs! And then there wasn't really an offer. I was lucky. Each case is different, but I would say: do a lot, really a lot, of physical activity to stop. Pierre from France.
PS: I did an OD one day in the instructors' room... Thanks to the two instructor leaders who didn't fire me like someone guilty, but who supported me like a person suffering from an illness. They can be proud of themselves (but that wasn't their style ;) Eternal respect.
@JaredHoneyman wow good for you!!!! Keep fighting!!!!take care of yourself physically. Work out, eat well.if u get the urge just put in some ear buds and run......run until exhausted if u have to.....❤❤
@@mimi2613That’s really helpful advice with the small exception of if you’re still dealing with physical symptoms or lingering health complications and you feel super weak and dizzy. Or really depressed
The answer is yes. I used for 7 years, and maintained a job the entire time. When I finally made the decision to get sober, I put in my two weeks notice and informed my boss that I was going to a 1 year inpatient treatment program. Her response was "You do drugs?" I had been getting it delivered and used on the job every single day, and my boss was totally unaware of it. After getting sober, I returned to that job. I will be five years sober in a couple of weeks, and I am still working there. Only a few people even knew I was using. It all depends on the individual.
You're lucky. Not a lot of employers would allow an employee to continue working knowing about their addiction, even though they also know that they are clean. Glad it worked out for you. She must be a very understanding boss.
I believe you. We believe you; this youtube video is still a GLORIFICATION of the lifestyle and choice and addiction. More are jumping on the train than jumping off. I reiterate; well done to you. Peace n love
@@andrewwalton5813 I think that you would be surprised at how many bosses would re-hire a quality worker who gave a 2-weeks notice, told the truth, went to rehab for a YEAR, then returned with a clean bill of health and references from their councillors...I own a business, and I hired a guy back after rehab (didn't work out, he relapsed, but I tried)...
I stopped taking opiates, I was happy to be sober but when ever my 5 year old would cry to me and get my hugs, I would cry with her wondering who did I cry to when I was her age because my mom ran off with her boyfriend. All those feelings did come like a rush of heart ❤️ ache 💔. Not my heart at 38 years of age but my heart of that 6 year old with no mom
I started doing drugs years ago as a teenage, got addicted to heroin. I suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Was also diagnosed with cptsd. Heroin addiction actually destroyed my life. Not until my wife recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 6 years totally clean. Much respect to mother nature the great magic shrooms.
Amen God bless people. Save your health save your mind. Life is better without heroin, cocaine, alcohol and cigarettes. And you have more money in your pocket. God bless everyone who has rejected the devils intentions to be addicted to alcohol and cigarettes etc which can cause so much damage to health.
Yes he's Dr.alishrooms.Shrooms to me is a natrual healer. I know a guy who has used mushrooms in the same way and they have really helped him. mah dudes have safe trips all.
From my experience it really works excellently! It doesnt even need to be a full hit. With potent shrooms 2-3 small ones will still make a clear difference. It will be a few hour cosy rumbling moment around rest time, but afterwards its just calm and you feel amazing and gain your freedom. Psilocybin is different dudes, its the only "treatment" I would recommend to someone who genuinely wants to get better. There is no addiction, withdrawal, or negative side effects. It's just pure healing., far more effective than any anti-depressant. You can thank me later,
Was an addict for 13 years and always worked. Actually kept a somewhat normal life for the most part. Looking back after 6 years of sobriety and you see that “functioning” is basically an illusion we use until we meet the inevitable.
Lost my Dad to an OD last year. He had been happily married for 14 years, had four kids, a successful business - and then by the time I was born, it caught up to him. He tried all the rehabs, and all of them made him feel like he was broken. The last 6 years of his life he was homeless, and we had such a hard time finding him, only able to get a phone call or FB message from him every few years. So after a total of at least 30 years of using, it kills me that such a brilliant, kind person had to go in the way that he did.
Let's be adults about this. These are no longer 'shrooms. These are no longer party drugs for young people," "Psilocybin mushrooms are nonaddictive, life-changing substance..
I worked with some people in the restaurant industry like this. I found it very mind boggling at the time , I was in my early 20s and some of the functioning addicts were in their 40s, looking 60. This was incredibly prevalent in fine dining , you walk with cash everyday .
we had it good. the world had it good. now they know. one day we will be able to get it from the doc. its the BEST opiate period. longest lasting. best euphoria. best for people. natural.
Makes me so sad. I lost my brother to a fentanyl overdose last year. He hated that he was a drug addict. He did crack because it was “better than going back to dope”’it was laced and it killed him. I miss him so much he was so misunderstood. He was clean for 6 years before relapsing. I love you Charlie ❤
Sorry dude I lost my brother to fentanyl in Aug 2022, and another brother to oxycontin in 2011 not to mention about a dozen friends to opiates since the 90s when heroin took off. You try to help but sadly it rarely works out.
Psychedelics are just an exceptional mental health breakthrough. It's quite fascinating how effective they are against depression and anxiety. Saved my life.
Can you help with the reliable source I would really appreciate it. Many people talk about mushrooms and psychedelics but nobody talks about where to get them. Very hard to get a reliable source here in Australia. Really need!
Yes, dr.sporessss I have the same experience with anxiety, depression, PTSD and addiction and Mushrooms definitely made a huge huge difference to why am clean today.
I wish they were readily available in my place. Microdosing was my next plan of care for my husband. He is 59 & has so many mental health issues plus probable CTE & a TBI that left him in a coma 8 days. It's too late now I had to get a TPO as he's 6'6 300+ pound homicidal maniac. He's constantly talking about killing someone. He's violent. Anyone reading this Familiar w/ BPD know if it is common for an obsession with violence.
Daphne's husband creeps out of the shadows, dopesick and looking like the Grinch who stole Christmas and is like... "how 'bout some lines for me? do you have some?" That entire thing is weirder than weird.
She claims they aren't addicted to the stuff and yet he can't bear to wait for his turn and has to prompt her for another line. Also look at the nick of him. Very telling.
@@user-fg9vr7mk5z For what I understood she does imply that herself and her husband have been addicts for over 30 years, the documentary is also about functioning addicts (I'm pretty sure they did know what the documentary was about).
I was a heroin addict for 15 years. A lot of that time, i was down and out, on and off homeless, countless rehab centers... y the end i finally became a "functioning" addict. I thought thats what i always wanted, to have a home, pay my bills, and still get high. It still affected my mental health and physical health and relationships, and i went to rehab yet again a year and a half ago. Ive been off it now since november 2022, and my life has drastically gotten better. Idk if ill ever go back or not, and i hope anyone still struggling finds a semblance of peace 🖤
You don’t ever simply become a working, paying bills, and be a “functioning heroin/opiate addict”. You will *ABSOLUTELY* lose in the end, *UNLESS* you get actual help by going to a rehab or methadone clinic *WHILE* you’re still working a full time job. I’m not a “fan” of call that a “functional heroin/opiate addict”, because that’s *not* what it is. 😅🫴 *(edited)* Congratulations on getting clean, and I truly hope and wish you nothing but the best in life! It’s hard but, you *CAN* do it! I was using from 2013-2018/2019 until I discovered a methadone clinic, and I’ve been doing that ever since 2020. Honestly, I cannot imagine where I would’ve been *IF* I never went to the clinic, so for that, I’m *EXTREMELY* grateful for it. I gotta put it out there. The *MAJORITY* of people are not fans of a clinic or don’t see it as being “clean”. But, I *DO* and if a clinic truly helps people live a better and “normal” life, then so be it and congratulations to them. Hating on something like that is not right, simple as that. 🫱🏼🫲🏻
I was a functioning Heroin addict for about 5 years. Held a job down, paid my bills, etc. Now I am sober, thank God, and I don't have to chase a drug to get my day started. Rather be sober lol good luck to everyone struggling. Remember that it is possible to get clean. I love you all very much.
Your awesome!! We do recover 🎉 I'm sober... but still struggling with survivors guilt.. I lost my best friend 2 years ago and many others who had a place in my heart Rip to all my hood angels😇
exactly. functional is a relative term and if you are physically dependent on opiates and will be dope sick without them you have still placed some significant limits on what you can do in life. especially if you want to travel outside the country. the only way to really claim to be completely functional would be to use so rarely that you never become physically dependent and experience withdrawal symptoms. so at the minimum only using once every like 4-5 days. I've never met anyone who used opiates who managed to maintain that kind of super conservative usage. not to mention the increased risk of OD that comes with keeping such a low tolerance.
@michellepeterson8813 I congratulate you on your recovery. I had to deal with survivors guilt as well. I lost my best friend 3 years ago. We decided to go to rehab together. He relapsed unfortunately after 1 month and the shot was too strong. His Mom found him dead in the bathroom. It's the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with. I am still not over it until this day and the pain is just as fresh. Thanks for the positivity.
I was a functioning drug user with cocaine, crack, and ecstasy for years in my 20’s. I worked one F/T job, and two P/T jobs. I owned my own home, car, etc. I used on the weekends, holidays, etc. However, it was opiates that did me in 😢 I lost everything to opiates but I’ve now been in recovery since 2010. Just fixed my credit, FINALLY, and I’ll never go down that road again. Ever.
@@rochelle-xz8gl She never said the opiates were prescribed or illegal from the street. How can you say that she ruined it for the people that actually needed the prescribed opiates that you mentioned. You never know if she probably was one of the people that did need it but it got out of hand. Pretty bold comment considering you don’t know this person or exactly what they went through that got them on opiates.
Being a high functioning opioid addict is very common and easy to do. I did it for years. Worked had a great social life. Held a job the entire time. The only issues I had was supply it became harder and harder to find things. Which led me to fentanyl.. I’m 4 years sober now an I see how I wasn’t functioning I was coping.
@@dieseldaveee3724 lmao you are right I guess I got away with it for so long I look back and think it was easy. But my perspective is bias some people knew many didn’t
@@dieseldaveee3724 If you have the money and connections to always have your fix, then it is rather easy...I did it for a few years (pills) never realizing that I was addicted. The day I tried not using and felt like hell, I stopped the pills and got on Suboxone. Still on Suboxone (I hate myself for it) but I haven't even thought about a little blue pill since my first sub strip. Wish I could quit the subs, but I own a business and would have to take a few months off, I fear, to properly be able to deal with it...
Opioids are great. Problem is that we judge all those drugs by people, who take them all the time. Taking opioids all the time probably isn't so great. But that doesn't mean that opioids are bad.
I was a highly functionning iv heroin addict for 20 years. When high i was better at my job, got promoted. Had meaningfull and long relationships. Had a prescription of methadone in case i woulndt be able to see the dealer when i can. But the deep deep sadness was always there. Living a double life and piling on debts for years was what broke me in the end. Lost my love, had to move back alone. Using more cause i only have to pretend at job and not at home anymore. After covid, theres not much heroin left, its all laced with fentanyl. And i had enough. Im one year sober. I miss it sometimes but it passes. Its good to be able to feel things again, even when its depressing. Hope all addicts can read this and see that its possible to be sober after 20+ years. Its hell, but our life as addicts was hell too! Just a different kind. If any of you need someone to talk too dont hesitate. ❤
As an addict the end bit from the woman really resonates with me. The issue is that all of the pain you've not dealt with suddenly comes back and having nothing big to motivate you in your life makes addiction much easier to occur and much harder to escape.
I was a functioning fentanyl addict for 18 months, worked in the parks and recreations department in my township... after a not so functional car ride that sent me to the hospital and my car to the wrecker I decided I have to get clean. im currently just under a year sober:)
I was a functioning opiate addict. I ran my own successful restaurant. However, it got to the point where I was so tolerant that was all about to come crashing down and I had to ray myself out to my wife and go on lockdown. It was a nightmare which, by the way, was NOT over in 3-4 weeks. I’ve been clean for five years and withdrawal is still present via depression and anxiety and fatigue. They don’t tell you that part. It takes years to get truly well after drug addiction. Also, they claim you don’t get addicted quickly. From a physical standpoint that is true. From mental prospective, to the right person, the first use is automatically addictive. Opiates are most addictive to people already prone to depression and anxiety. Experiencing something that takes all of that away and seemingly has no bad side effects is an irresistible urge that will inevitably lead to physical addiction.
Depression only exists if you allow it. Your in control of your own thoughts, remember that! Instead of focusing on the negative parts of your life or thinking about how awful it might be… Focus on creating a plan to make things better. Focus on finding something that you enjoy to do. Then, focus on finding a way to do that for a living or how to create yourself a life where you are able to do it as much as you like. Focus on a plan to become more successful in whichever field you’re in. A plan to achieve whatever your goals are. A plan to achieve your dream life. And then after you figure out your plan, study it! Study it over and over… Memorize it! Then find ways to make it even better. Constantly tweak the plan in your mind and continue finding more efficient ways to achieve it. Do this anytime you feel yourself starting to drift into a negative mindset or feel like you may be headed towards an episode.
@@apogeotropism1714 I know you are trying to be helpful but you are displaying a complete lack of understanding of depression. It is not just thinking bad thoughts or “feeling down”. It is a chemical imbalance that makes it physically impossible to feel joy. The severity can change but the effect is the same. The body isn’t making enough of the right hormones. Primarily serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. This is like telling a person with a broken leg “it’s only broken if you allow it to be” Yes, people use the word depressed when they are sad, but it is a misnomer. Clinical depression has nothing to do with sadness. Depression due to drug withdrawal is a physical problem that takes years to recover from.
"withdrawal is still presdent via depression and anxiety and fatigue" ah so instead of being a functioning opiate user ur now a nonfunctioning sober. brilliant trade off!
Holy crap, what that woman said at the end was spot on from what I’ve seen. Very true. You must always be more interested in life, growing, cultivating your talents hobbies and interests. Heroin, or any opioid, will certainly take that from you if you are not careful. You always think you’re in control until abruptly you realize you’re not. The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are easiest person to fool.
Bullshit. People, who use opioids daily, are people who are really into opioids. They're great drugs and there's nothing to fear. Daily or regular use is stupid imo, but plenty of people use coffein daily, which is suboptimal as well.
For the first time in 20 years I am feeling like using again. Nothing to do with this program but I am at a point now in life where nothing I do or take is soothing me and I remember how it used to be.
Don't do it. It'll sooth your pains but coming down is really awful. And will worsen your current situation. I did it after 10 - 20 years clean 😢 because of physical and mental pain At first I appreciated being initially relieved of pain but when finished it really got much worse (depression, grief, PTSD, anxiety). Courage 🙏🏽
Have you tried dabbling in psychedelics? It sounds like life isn't doing you well, so some new perspective may be the solution rather than reverting back to old ways.
I might be too late, but I truly hope you didn’t relapse. It’s truly not worth it. Yes, it’ll soothe you, but afterwards you’ll only feel worse. You may only remember the feeling of using, but you’re forgetting the misery that came with it.
@@alexk7937Thank you alex (and everyone who commented ). No I didn't relapse although I came close. Unfortunately I am now drinking very heavily which brings it's own issues. I appreciate the replies. thank you x
I was a functioning addict for about a decade. I worked, studied, had girlfriends, sober friends and did normal things. When I was alone I was using. I used to put a lot of energy into hiding my addiction and living a double life. It was extremely exhausting and it still affects me in someways. I still have the mentality when it comes to what I tell people. It could be a simple thing as what I did this weekend if someone asks me. I only tell minimal with as few details as possible. Not because I have to but because I did it for a decade. In some ways I wish I wasn’t so good at hiding it. I think it wouldn’t have lasted as long as it did if I looked like an addict or became a victim to the consequences that many addicts fall victims to. If you’re an addict, functioning or not, I recommend you to seek help as soon as possible. A life without addiction is always better than a life with addiction. Try to fill that void with something productive and/or healthy instead.
@@JohnSmith-yt8di The short answer: It's the lifestyle that destroys you, not the drug. The long answer: Your brain stop producing endorphins since you get enough of it through the drug. When you stop using your brain notice this and starts producing hormones again. It also affects your testosterone levels. Maybe more hormones but I'm not sure. If you have money so you don't have to go through withdrawal regularly, have food in your fridge, take care of your hygiene, don't have to spend hours on doing crimes and chasing drugs so you don't sleep as you should it's not really that bad for you compared to the other heavy drugs and alcohol. But most heroin addicts prioritize drugs over food and sleep, don't take care of their hygiene and health etc. Those things destroys you body and gives you infections. If you saw me you could never guess I've been a hardcore addict for a decade. I think you can google my name and find me on Linkedin and/or social media if you're curious. Crack, meth, spice and similar are far worse..especially alcohol. I hope that answered your question. Feel free to ask if there's anything else you want to know.
I am a functional heroin user. I hold down a career in IT, but I cannot say other aspects of my life hasn’t suffered greatly from my addiction… it’s no way to live. Don’t do drugs kids!
I stop and start whenever I want. It was developing actual dependency and combining it with crack when the serious problems started and true dependency takes around 6 weeks of daily heavy smoking of Heroin. It takes some serious ignorance to just jump into Heroin use at an addicts level and purposely make yourself actually physically dependent on it. I mean you wouldn’t down a full bottle of vodka every day would you? I am guilty of purposely making myself dependent on it because I have an extremely addictive personality disorder. Most normal people wouldn’t do what I did. Heroin is not bad on its own and smoked I would never ever lie to anyone and tell them it is because it’s simply not true.
@@stackoverflow1985 it’s probably around less than 1% of users get addicted. Exactly the same as alcoholics or probably much lower as it’s not social acceptable despite being much less harmful or dangerous.
In my experience there's a lot of ppl that try it and never continue to try so they don't become regular users and there's a smaller percentage of ppl that try first time and become addicted like I did.
Jay was the most realistic, truthful, and relatable. Withdrawing does render you useless to do anything, even getting up. The part about praying to die is also very true. Anything to get out of the world you’re in at that moment. I also agree when you’re just using drugs, you’re not hurting anyone else. Arresting addicts doesn’t help. It just puts them at more of a disadvantage when they’re already probably at rock bottom, making it almost impossible to get out of it.
i would disagree, just using drugs doesn't not hurt anyone else. my abuse of drugs hurt myself and everyone around me. when you're an addict, you're selfish. and that is what hurts everyone around you. my addiction made me selfish, disrespectful, unpredictable, unprofessional, untrustworthy, and completely unreliable.
@@hobbitta yup. it's chemical. any drug. when you start to come down you get this gnawing feeling where you want to do more because you physically feel the drop. drugs alter the brain chemically, gives you false feeling because it changes the dopamine and serotonin in your brain. when the drug wears off, you fall further.
People haven't died from it though, it's not like the way benzos and alcohol are dangerous to WD from. Yes it's awful (I have personal experience with it) but it's not dangerous.
No it's not felt first time, you have to use regularly for a while before you get physically dependant, for me it was idk about 4-5 weeks of daily use before dependence set in but once it does, you're fucked@@hobbitta
I was one of these functional heroin addicts for 7 years straight. Living a middle class life making between 45 and 50 grand a year. It all catches up to everyone eventually. Some sooner than others. 7 years in, and I knew it was time, to choose life or heroin/death. After a few slip ups I’ve been heroin free for over a decade. Married, with 2 children and earning more than I did in addicted days. But it took a lot of trial and tribulation, that only the stigma brings with getting help.
Well done mate, done better than me. Im forever methadone pretty it seems, but I ran a taxi business, got married had a daughter etc and functioned fine - only earning half your amount. Many thanks for sharing.
@@ZephyrDaze Yep, sure is. No degree, no rich family member, %100 self made, plus beating a heroin addiction to boot. Hard work, determination, and a bounce back attitude really do pay off.
This was me for majority of my adult life and I’m 34 now, I started using opiates at 19. I graduated college in 2012 being a full blown opiate addict and then switched to fentanyl when it flooded my area only ever sniffing like the woman in the first scene. Until I finally got clean November of 2023 and have been clean since on suboxone. I was always very functioning until I knew I couldn’t do it anymore. Props to anyone battling this addiction and anyone who’s clean. 🙏🏼💜💜
4:34 For some people the choice feels like it is less between drugs and sobriety, and more between drugs and suicide. Thus for certain people that fall into the latter, it feels less like a choice at all and more like sacrificing the quality of their life in order to simply tolerate living enough. That may sound pointless and even contradictory, but if you've been there or seen people close to you there, you know. It's all a self fulfilling prophecy :(
I agree with this. A lot of addicts agree with me, if it wasn't for the drugs, I would be dead, plain and simple. It gave me a option to continue to push forward and not just give up but if I would've not had that option, I would've pulled the trigger. I have been off using pills/dope for almost 6 years and not a day goes by that I don't wish I could still use. After all these years it still feels like the only thing I ever truly loved and felt apart of. They were my identity. I have to constantly remind myself of how sick I was all the time and how miserable it was to run out and not be able to score, just waiting and counting each second passing until someone might answer me. I don't ever want to have to live my life like that again, but having the option to escape and feel complete euphoria that nothing in my life has ever been able to replicate, I absolutely miss that.
My ex bf OD’d years ago. He’d been clean & relapsed, but his tolerance wasn’t what it had been. He was such a gifted musician & artist. His addiction was too much for me - I couldn’t be his gf anymore, but we were always close friends. He called me a couple days before he passed but he was so jacked up I couldn’t understand a word he said. I miss him.
Im so sorry💔💔. I lost my Sis·in·law (who i loved like an actual sister) a few years ago. She'd started using to try to overcome pain from serious childhood trauma, & then spent her life trying to stop. We also spoke a few days before she passed · shed been clean for 2 wks. I begged her that IF she relapsed, to just use a small dose to prevent o/d'ing. She said she wouldn't relapse, but promised me anyhow. And she initially tried to (she relapsed 2d later), but her trash spouse coaxed her to use more when she was already pretty hi, & then he wouldnt call an ambulance for her when she seemed to not be able to breathe properly (cos he was afraid hed go to jail). I miss her every single day. Im just soooo sorry you know this pain too.
My mum was a functioning opiate drug user. She died a few years ago (unrelated to drug use) and her funeral was very well attended by people of ALL walks of life. Literally, there was a former prime minister there alongside her work colleagues and a whole host of long term opiate users all paying their respects. She worked, she loved her family, she dealt with the terrible trauma she experienced in a way that allowed her to live a fulfilling life. The only time it was a problem was when she came up against stigma and discrimination from the medical community who really should have known better
I was hooked on oxy 80s for years, and i was the most productive ive ever been at work. I got promoted to manager of the dealership and a bunch of other stuff i never thought id do. It is definitely possible to be a functioning addict, what made me quit was being tired of having to do a pill every few hours just to feel good and have energy. Its fun for a while but then ur just doing it to feel normal/to get you out of bed. Never quit trying to quit ppl methadone and suboxone are what helped me quit. The "addiction is a full time job" is the most relatable thing in this video to me. U always gotta make sure u have some, gotta plan when ur gonna get it and how many and then planning out how many to do each day so u dont run short and get sick. . god i do not miss that.
The problem with this is the legality of the drugs that. If we didn’t have illegal drugs then it would be far more realistic to be a functioning user without turning addict.
Ok, let me ask you this? What do you suggest to someone who wants to quit, but gets so much a month, 50-100 grams, uses a quarter or 30 percent of it, and doubles there money on top of it, what’s the incentive for them to quit? Has a relationship, and also has a normal job. It almost seems impossible, because there is no “having to go find it” it’s always there.
@justins794 the incentive to quit will come one day when ur just tired of having to do them as soon as u wake up. Thats what did it for me. But i mean if u enjoy it, it doesnt impact any aspect of ur life negatively who am i to tell u to stop? Thats just my personal experience with them
I’m a recovering addict with 44 years of sobriety. 1980 was my sober year when I overdosed on methadone. I couldn’t find any Heroin. It can be done. Stay safe everyone.
I was so foolish that I didn’t measure the dose. Incredible that I’m still alive. I remember I couldn’t breath and my heart stopped while I was awake. Never again. Blessings to all.
I was a "functioning" heroin from 16 to 22 after being thrown out of my childhood home I smoked it never took the deep dive onto a needle but came very close after watching all my friends and family take that path then one day I was shocked to find out I was going to be a father I told myself I could never care for a family and have this addiction I forced myself to purge all of that life spent many days sick and many more yrs fighting the need to use now at 37 I still have days the thought creep up but then I look at my family and the feeling takes a back seat it's there but not in control I thank them everyday for the life that they have given me and the way of life they saved me from I still see friends and family that weren't so luck to find a reason to get out it's sad and hurts me more so knowing that some of the ppl I know wouldn't have found that path in life if I hadn't brought that darkness into there lives and will forever hang over my heart and to those I hurt in my time of darkness I will forever be sorry
This makes me very sad for those people. My stepdad was on black tar, and i literally watched him go from a normal looking person to a walking skeleton. I hope all these people are living the lives they deserve
@@a-love510 I think people in this situation deserve to live a normal and healthy life without the dependency on dangerous and illegal drugs that will kill them. Everyone is worthy of recovery and stability
IV wouldn’t be any different it’s the same concept just a stronger more immediate rush, but the effects on your life is the same. I was a semi functional user for 4 years and when I started IVing it it didn’t change much in terms of my life and the consequences
@@sumo-ninja Eh, IV use really is stigmatized but there are concrete difference between ROA's. Like how smoking and snorting is less likely to cause an overdose and it's much more difficult to get an infectious disease from those 2 compared to IV
thriving ? I never did hard drungs in my life, never thrived in anything so i dont think there is a connection there lol, if youre functioning, youre still better than 70% of the world population.
I was a functioning fentanyl addict..until I wasn't.. lost everything including my kids. I'm not 17 months clean with my own place full time job and full custody of my children back..recovery is possible..you have to WANT IT along with a good support system. I'm now taking course to work as addiction/community support worker 😊
I bought two grams of opium in college. First time I smoked it (tiny pellet on weed) i felt so amazing, safe warm happy. Before i knew it i was laying on the ground against the wall. I could have been naked laying on broken glass and wouldn't have cared.The next day, i resolved only to use it for special occasions and bc I was afraid of how good it was. That two grams lasted me almost a full eight months. Once it was gone i never bought any opiates again. I was able to resist the temptation but many others can't. I consider myself extremely lucky, even moreso when i found out a few years later my cousin was an addict. He's relapsed 8 times in the years since, but is almost 8 years clean at this point. Harm reduction is key; however unless the person wants to stop and has a support system detox is simply a revolving door.
One of my friends in high school was a functioning heroin user. He was the valedictorian of our class. He finally went to rehab and got clean. He overdosed many times.
I was a heroin user, on a regular, but I cannot say I was chemically addicted yet, only dependent. I'm very lucky to have lived through circumstances that got me out of the environment of having access to it. But what I've found out after being clean for many years, is that I completely understand why it feels better. Heroin for me was like an anti-anxiety and depression medication. There was no huge side affects for me other than smoking too much made me throw up. Many people who suffer from cptsd, anxiety, depression, and neurodivergent people tend to be drug users because they are, maybe unawaringly, self medicating. I remember the feeling, and it just made me feel like I could breathe for once in my life. I'm obviously not condoning drug use, but I do think there's a very important connection to be made about drug users and self medicating. Often I think to myself that they're medicating themselves to deal with society, because in this terrible world its incredibly hard to not feel the weight of everything around you. Having a crutch isn't just helpful, it's crucial at times. I think we've failed because we demonize users, and completely ignore the root cause of why they're using.
It gives me immense hope to see so many others say they are recovering as well! I've been clean for over 2 years now and I pray others get their sobriety back. God bless each and every one of you!
I was a functioning cocaine user/addict for years. It all catches up in the end. Had a heart attack at 42. Followed by blood cancer. Turns out an eighth a day and weekend binges seriously fucks us up.
i know nothing about taking drugs. i am not claiming expertise. Can you describe a typical eating pattern before your heart attack? so many questions such as did you snack a lot? did you eat more carbohydrates more than clean protein/clean fat? did you drink a lot of soda or alcohol? did you have a lot of sauces and condiments with your meals? of course there is no way to know for sure it was more drugs or foods . i wonder if it was more the food, than the drugs.
The other side of this is that if you are a heroin user who is undercover and largely functional and it gets out it can absolutely destroy your life. Getting found out often pushes people out of work and onto the streets I've seen it happen a bunch of times and it can be a single screw up that in no way impacts anyone, just the hate associated with being a heroin addict, people won't really see anything else.
Yep. I would 1,000,000% NEVER tell an employer I WAS an addict. I've been clean 5+ years but the stigma that comes with them realizing you were an addict destroys your future with them. They no longer trust you.
The fact that even an employer knowing you’re in recovery can cost you your job. I can’t see how that’s not discrimination but it just shows how acceptable a hostile attitude is
I was a functioning meth and opioid user at a high level for 4 years. I was the most productive and competent and dependable person st the company. One day a random drug test had my name on it and it was over. I was glad. I could have went to rehab but that isn't my style. There was no way for me to stop my drug use and keep up my level of work. I'm currently sober now 8 months and looking for a job. First time sober in 25 years.
I was working full time during the beginning of Covid when I started using. I only snorted it. I was an alcoholic before I started using. Besides the weight loss, no one suspected anything. I just told them I stopped drinking, that's how I lost weight. I was 27 when I first started. I never got in trouble, never had any overdoses or had anyone overdose around me, though I have lost two friends to addiction, but I was definitely losing interest in things that gave me joy, I lost confidence, not to mention the thousands of dollars I spent on it. Thank god i quickly realized that this wasn't the life I wanted to live. I had to quit my job that I loved so much and put myself in rehab. It took three tries, but I'm 30 now and over a year sober. Im slowly building myself back up and I'm pretty proud of myself. To anyone struggling, you're not alone, and there's help available as soon as you're ready to ask for it. ❤
Proud of you 👏🏼 ❤️ stay clean.. Lost so many friends 💔 just takes that one time...one friend was found in a praying position on her knees by her bed..her daughter found her......her father n husband traumatized. Just not worth it..never!! But YOUR LIFE IS WAY MORE VALUABLE & PRECIOUS please stay clean.
Damn, this hits home hard. Having lost my dad to herion when i wasn't even 2 years old and having a mom who was addicted as well.. Hearing people talk about how its perfectly possible to lead a normal life makes my skin crawl up. That is not the usual story . I've seen many addicts and few were actually functioning. Most of them were just surviving. I understand that we need change and therefore we need to talk about it. Don't know if segments like this do much good though. Maybe its just me, and i shouldn't be watching things like this...
It's not the norm for most people, but understand this is a different perspective, and it is the norm for some. I found this interesting, although i knew it went on. i have never seen it documented
@@leannewilliams9400 Oh i know its a different perspective. And i'm sure there are people to who it is the norm. There are also people who won the big lottery. But they are few. I just think that something like this might enforce a thought in some peoples mind. I guess it illicits a strong emotional feeling in me which honestly isn't really surprising considering circumstances. To anyone thinking they can make it a norm, please don't try. Don't become a statistic. I'm not saying you can't have a day of fun but don't cross the line into a lifetime of misery.
My older brother has the exact same story about his father. My brother ended up destroying his family to alcohol and cheating on his wife. There is no such thing as a functioning drug addict or alcoholic. It is noted by everyone in this documentary. Plus how many innocent lives have been taken by DUI's or DWI's.
Maybe it’s their perception that they are “functioning,” while in reality it’s not exactly that way. Alcoholics do the same and they don’t realize how other people notice that they are under influence. It’s just that people whisper rather than speak directly. If one is well off, has bank account set up to pay bills and nannies to take care of kids, the “light” addiction won’t be a huge impediment to living. That said, I just cannot understand that anyone wants a drug to control his or her life. It also gives me shivers to have my brain fuzzy. I like to be clear minded with several glasses of good wine taking the edge off. But, I am afraid that we will see more and more addictions as machines are replacing people at work and as people socialize less, especially in the US where social life is built around having some kind of success to brag about. When people are not successful they alienate themselves from other people. And then shrinks and rehabs replace friends and family. I am sorry for your personal experience with that devastating drug and I wish you have created your own safer environment.
I'm a teacher and one of my colleagues was a high functioning user. Every so often he would come in with creased clothes and look a bit drained but apart from that, he was fine. I'd say the amount of boozers/heavy drinkers is a big problem. I don't know if they are alcohol dependent but a lot of teachers are drinking most nights to dull down the stress.
Well well done. I met a guy in jail who'd been doing heroin for decades. He told me he was a functioning heroin addict and I'd never heard of such a thing, but I'd really never been around heroin users either. It did blow my preconceptions though. All in all, we tend or want to glamorize drug use, being heroin, alcohol, but the reality is they are all detrimental to health.
I was a functioning heroin addict and lost everything after 5-6 years... I'm clean now and have a different life. If you're watching this and struggling with addiction, please know you're not alone and getting clean is possible.
Near the end, when she asked “how does the detox feel” and jay answered “you feel useless to the world” - yea. Very much so. But I wish there were words to describe how horrific it actually is. I hate when doctors say “it’s similar to the flu.” Absoulty tf not, if that were the case I could have easily detoxed myself without much fear so many times before. For people who don’t know the feeling- the best way I could ever explain it is: you’re freezing, no matter what everything is ice cold but at the same time you are constantly pouring sweat. Your entire body hurts, you are so tired but your brain/body is completely restless. There is zero comfort physically and mentally, you can’t sit still, there’s a never ending feeling of expending doom. You’re nauseous and puking non stop, but also so dehydrated. Food has no appeal, nothing taste ok. You can smell everything intensely, like a super power for smells but everything smells disgusting. But the mental… nothing compares to the mental. Your home doesn’t look or feel like home, your friends and family feel like strangers, you’re terrified that you will be stuck in this state forever. You feel like there is a dark presence with you at all times. It could be the most beautiful day but it feels dark, gray, depressing. Zero dopamine. Not a single ounce of happiness. And my words barely scratch the surface. I’m grateful to be almost two years off opiates, I’m not religious but I do feel H has a connection to hell if there is a hell. If you think about the fact so many people want to quit and just have to go through five days of torture. It seems like such a short period of time. But the fact it keeps us out, for years and years. Some of us our whole life. Because we’re are terrified to feel what we feel in those five days. That’s the best way to put into perspective how terrible the detox is.
@@stpdncr me too! The PTSD. I always tell my partner how I have vivid nightmares every single night where I’m in full blown WD, I feel all of it. As I am searching for my drug to relieve me but every-time I find the drug, before I could use it.. I wake up
@@J_Rain3 oh damn yah I’m like a fiend in those dreams too!! Crazy how our mind works. Oooof a constant reminder it’s not worth it at the end of the day…we’ll be much better off at the end.
I used IV heroin for 15 years. Got onto Suboxone and have been off the needle since. Probably going on 5 years now. Currently, I work as a peer counselor helping others that are struggling learn harm reduction skills, because frankly that is what saved my life. From my experience I've seen that strict sobriety is too steep an ask for most people in the beginning. Total sobriety doesn't even have to be your goal and that's okay. I changed my relationship with drugs and alcohol and have made recovery my own. At last, I don't feel guilty about being me anymore. I have a long way to go, but it's all about the journey anyway. The stigma against addiction is destructive. I thought the video did a great job at encapsulating the many faces of heroin addiction. Love to everyone :)
Exactly the same. The only difference for me would be the amount of time, but everything else is exactly the same. Heroin addict for way too long, moved to Suboxone, and have been majority clean ever since. Minus one or two hiccups, for over 5 years. And now work at a rehab facility trying to help others. Everyone is different, some can stop all at once, but for most that's too much..
looking back on my 18yr opiate use and abuse, i can honestly say that it wasn't until they started taking my prescriptions away, and messing around with what opiates i was being given, that i actually started to show signs of "addiction", i had never even used heroin until they cut back on my oxy script, and i had never engaged in drug dealer behaviour up until that point either. *these doctors made me an addict than cut off my supply when public sentiment turned against them* i'm not trying to say my life was better while i was using as i'm just under 8 years clean and sober and i wouldn't trade it for anything, what i am saying though is that the criminalization of opiate use _directly_ led me into criminality. crimes that i would have _never_ partook in.
Do u sometimes wonder if this was intentional? What authority should law enforcement have over a medical professional and their patient? The pill mills I understand. But a lot of people are in serious pain.
This happened to me too. 3.5yrs clean and sober now. But the years after they ripped me off pain meds and I found heroin were rough. I’ll await enforcement should stay out of the doctor patient relationship. Glad to hear someone who went though a similar situation found their way to sobriety as well! If anyone out there needs to read this today, there is hope. I’ve been to the valley of the shadow and back again, so I know what it’s like to climb back into life. There’s always hope.
There’s actually a fascinating study in the UK where they believe it’s the supply issues and not the person that’s the problem. So they give out govt manufactured heroin to a couple thousand people and their lives have VASTLY improved
At the very end when she says 'you have to have something to do' is such good advice. Having a passion that you can think about and explore from another perspective when you are high and then look forward to doing when sober is a savior.
I´m a bit disappointed that you didn't interview people that are part of the very successful Heroin Addiction Treatment programs they started offering addicts in Switzerland, and in several other European countries. There's a lot of successful stories to follow up there!
I was addicted to strong painkillers for 4 years and never missed a days work i can remember having to go to work whilst withdrawing when i couldnt get hold of any painkillers im so glad im free from the chains of addiction i would never take one ever again
In Richmond VA, there was a city councilman, who was a functioning heroin addict for 20+ years. No one outside his family knew, until he was caught purchasing it. He supposedly started during his service in Vietnam or afterwards.
Heroin addiction was really huge problem in Vietnam back in early 2000s. Its understandable why the guy u guys mentioned above started functioning heroin. golden triangle nearby, tons of heroin moved into Vietnam and got exported around the world. Fortunately, things has got much better
I always thought I'm a functioning Heroin Userfor 5 years. Till I realized I wasn't. I often called in sick at work, I lived near the Dutch border and got caught with 15g of heroin. They arrested me for 3 days in the Netherlands and I left with heavy withdrawal and totally destroyed. When I arrived at home I saw a letter in the mailbox from my work, they fired me. That was the point I got into substitution and from there my life was getting better. That was 1 year and 2 weeks ago.
As a recovering addict, the only reason why they are “functioning” addicts is because they haven’t had to go without…any of them that can’t score for a period of time and go through withdrawals would discover that they are just lying to themselves
Depends on the drug….i would use coke, crack, ecstasy on weekends, holidays but then work a F/T job and 2 P/T jobs throughout the week. I didn’t use unless I didn’t have work the next day. Did that all throughout my 20’s and early 30’s. I’m in my 40’s now and have a teen son so I don’t use at all. Haven’t since 2010.
I guess it all depends on your definition of functioning. Yes you can take it and go about your daily tasks, but you better always have the money and ability to find it whenever you need it. The minute you can't, forget it. Can't be dope sick and work, so here comes the call-ins, or the I'm running lates until your able to get right again. And obviously, a job isnt going to put up with that for long. So it's a very slippery slope and absolutely not worth it!!
never shot heroin only sniffed it for nearly 10 years and held a job as an executive chef. never missed a day of work. methadone is part of the reason why i was able to hold my job because on a day where i couldnt get dope i would have my methadone to get me through. i am now off heroin and methadone going on one year
Good for you!! I haven't used heroin in years but I am on methadone. It's been a number of years. I only go to clinic once a month and they give me pills to take home but that was after having clean drug screens for 2 years straight. I have physical issues tho. I need 2 knee replacement and a hip replacement. Maybe there is some future of needing no pills after those surgeries. That's the hope anyway.
@@ladyhotep5189good on you too! I have to ask, which country are you in ? Because I have years of clean samples, but I still am going every damn week and it’s kind of a hassle. I have even lowered my dose down considerably. Almost half. But still every week. I have been at the same clinic but multiple doctors come and go. It’s like a factory line sometimes .
I was on heroin for two years then fentanyl for two years. I got into the methadone treatment in 2021, and I have been doing amazing in my recovery treatment. I started at 95 mg and I'm down to 20 mg. I never used methadone as a substitute. I quit heroin completely once starting methadone. That's the whole point of the clinic, lol. Anyways I plan to quit methadone soon as well, how bad are the withdrawals and what can I use to help me? How long will it last? I'm a 23 yr old healthy female. I'm just curious. I heard the withdrawals were worse off methadone bc it's longer.v
As someone who is also in recovery, this was interesting to watch. I found the poet's comments to be a bit off base. I survived after twenty years of heroin addiction. I have seen folks from all walks become full-on junkies and lose everything. Sure you can function and go to work every day. However, the pain of living as a so-called functioning addict is unbearable. Today I know I wasn’t living at all. I see beauty today, I have real healthy relationships and travel frequently . My heroin use was not without consequences as my drug use had serious impacts on my health and resulted in kidney issues which are under control today. Long story short there is no such thing as a functioning addict. Heroin is a road filled with suffering and loss, that's only if you survive. I'm forty-three and the majority if not all I started with are gone. Recovery is possible and if you are reading this and are struggling you too can recover. ❤
Yup the ppl that are "functioning" is total b.s imo, I don't think it's possible to do heroin everyday and be "functioning" you'll quickly see if you get sober how unfcuntional it was
Im so proud of you! And yes, you can say you enjoy life but truly thats the chemicals making you feel happy. I hope I will see the beauty in life again and feel like it will be worth it to be sober!
My girl was a very successful paralegal at a law firm and shot heroin and CHUGGED vodka for 20 years. As soon as it turned to fentenyl everything fell apart for her. We both have been clean for several years. I quit 7 years ago....I was far from functioning!
¿Quieres ver el video en español? Haz clic en el botón de configuración para cambiar la pista de audio.
Want to watch this in Spanish? Head over to the settings button to change the audio track.
Full playlist/playlist completo. -ua-cam.com/video/_kqiGAswtKE/v-deo.htmlsi=MYZbcB5ZINSCZ262
(I posted this elsewhere earlier before I noticed your pinned comment)
4:20! Omg, I've said this very thing sooo many times throughout the 3 decades (wow!) of my active journey! I just can't picture what I'd do with myself and feel like life as a "square " would be so boring!
It's all in what one becomes accustomed to and sees as normal for themselves, I suppose, yeah???
Best wishes and ❤ to all
That dub is SO Discovery H&H.
How is providing clean needles gonna get them to stop 😂
niiice idk if you're doing that spanish audio option on each video but is niice, thanks!!!
Heroine isn’t good 4 u at all it’s terrible and bad your just going to spend all your mula on it that’s how bad it is fyi 😵💫😵💫
I think they should've also interviewed the friends and family of the users about how well they're functioning. Heroin users aren't always the most reliable narrators so it would've given a more balanced view.
They did. The friends at my table do not ever use.
This
I mean.. Everyone’s going to have their own opinions? People who don’t use will say nasty things about someone who does use even if they’re just like you and me but use. I make 150k+ a year and I’m a user with a 2k a day habit (none of that 150k goes to my habit, it’s all profit) I make more money than mostly everyone in my family and they have no idea I use.. It’s a sad life but there’s not much I can do in my position. I’m going to try and ween myself off slowly but surely when I’m really ready. My main fear is relapsing and ODing.. It’s not so much the using that kills you instantly, it’s quite safe when you have a tolerance - it’s when people quit and they don’t understand this stuff exits your body QUICK! They’ll use a dose they just used a couple days ago and BAM.. Most people die from choking not being poisoned by the opiates
@@daphne.chronopoulou Good for you Daphne that you're able to "function" with the addiction. I think the problem with drugs is that most people abuse them and ruin so many life(s) in the process. It's rare (as you've said) to be a functioning heroin user and for sure it's rare to be a productive member of society.
Vice should go to Afghanistan and interview the people there, this drug ruin societies. Yes, some people can function while being an addict but most people abuse it!
It's hard for me to comprehend the motives of the people who wants to decriminalize these kind of drugs, do they really think that helping the few who are "functioning" will makes the problem disappear?
True
I was a “functioning” addict for years, until I wasn’t. I eventually lost everything and my life continued to spiral out of control. I have 9 1/2yrs clean now! I never thought I could make it. I am living proof everyone deserves a 2nd chance!
Great man!❤ Congrats!
Thank you Jesus! So proud of you!
Well done and enjoy every single day
Congrats, mate!
why lie to strangers on the internet? is it an attention thing?
Here's what I can tell you guys:
I worked a full time job, 10 hour days, $18 an hour. I lived at a homeless shelter and was on parole. I snorted heroin everyday all day. If I didn't have the shelter, I would have been on the street, because every two weeks when I got that $1,000 - guess how much went to my habit? All of it. If you're a doctor, sure, you can be a functional dope fiend because you make enough money to support your habit and everything else that is necessary to survival in modern times (rent, food, phone etc). When you're working class, it isn't so possible.
I will say that I knew people who were tow truck drivers and delivery men working for Amazon that were IV users and still maintained their lifestyle while also being somewhat responsible, but they were literally a missed rent payment away from being homeless.
It isn't a safe bet to be a "functional" user.
I mean… in this day and age a lot of people are one missed rent payment from being homeless. Addict or not.
Literally all of us who aren't millionaires are one missed rent payment away from homelessness. Drug use is not even considered one of the major indicators of homelessness. Increased prescribing of opioids is actually associated with a reduction in homelessness. Generally only 1/4 of heroin users move on to long term use and an even smaller percentage move on to destructive patterns of use
if you use it every day you aren’t recreational. I used to use it basically everyday but never withdrew. now its like less than a gram a year lol
I hate needles!
@@jordanpearson894not true. my parents house is paid off and guess who inherits it after tragedy occurs? me.
When I was in active addiction, my dealer "opened up shop" on the corner at 6:00am sharp every day. The dope boys were out from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm every day no matter what. And because I was strung out, my happy ass was parked on the corner at 5:50 every morning. While I was waiting for the boys to come out, I'd look around at the other people sitting in their cars doing the exact same thing I was doing. I'd see emaciated homeless people, I'd see cars with college bumper stickers, I'd see construction workers in their trucks, I'd see men in suits in their BMWs, I'd see girls with their sorority letters on their back windshield, I'd see mini vans with empty car seats in the back. I always wondered which ones were absolutely spiraling like me and which ones were still functioning (for now)
Thank you for sharing this. this was really interesting to think about- I hope you are doing better now. it takes a lot of bravery to look an addiction in the eye and get out
If I had to guess, everybody parked up and waiting at 5:50 was probably spiraling and everybody that came at 6:05 was still functioning.
so eye opening. people who don’t use really think they know but they just don’t. people should be more empathetic if we're going to even understand what addiction and drug use is in order to handle the drug crisis.
Where are you from Baltimore Maryland bc that’s how they work out here but now the fentanyl they run 24/7
@@petersobik2162 yup you're absolutely right. West side
I was a functioning heroin user for years…with wife and kids and half million dollar house. I can’t nail down the day it happened but my life was suddenly no longer manageable and there was no turning back. Even with absolute discipline…it always catches up with you.
what happened -- and how's it going now
Exactly. I became addicted to morphine and then heroin around 15 years old and did it for almost 15 years, most of it highly functional. But it eventually will catch up with you.
@@jbmp1390 I cant relate to heroin but you really do believe youre in control and then when you realise youre fucked you just dont even care anymore! Very proud of you for being clean
One day you realize you are a total slave to it and functioning in service of the addiction. Then hopefully you eventually want that to change, and hopefully that works. Gotta have hope because addiction is a crafty, slick-talking Salesman who's trying to convince you that you don't have the problem in the first place. It's a mind/body/soul change you have to make. Just gotta work at it (and keep working, forever)
As with all long term use of drugs...see how you feel when your 40yrs+. That goes for oh so healthy skunk etc. Greetings from someone who works in healthcare.
I was never functioning as an addict. I was a homeless junkie for MANY years. My family and friends disowned me. Not to mention I was also smoking crack. I am proud to say I've been sober for 4 years in February. My life is completely different and I'm so thankful everyday I wake up and no longer have to live this lifestyle.
That's like climbing Mount Everest of the mind. Incredible to have overcome it! Gratitude helps so much to stay focused.
If drugs were clean and legally sold at fair market value you never would've had to be homeless.
But do you smoke weed or dab?? If not then you sleeping. Believe or not they're are drug users that are NOT addicts. Its rare but it happens
Fvkk yeah! That's what's up
Congratulations
According to society’s view of “functioning” I was a functioning opiate addict for 5 years, finished engineering school and had a really good engineering job, no one at my job knew I was using, I could pay all my bills and take care of my dog and my girlfriend from a material standpoint. But I was MISERABLE the whole time and wanted to quit but could not. I also emotionally deprived my loved ones. There really isn’t such thing as a functioning heroin user, no matter how much you lie to yourself
I totally agree, I made it into a defense department job as an addict. After a couple of years it all caught up with me and came crashing down.
It really depends on the interpretation of the word "functioning." Also, some people have underlying mental and physical health conditions that could be worsened by drug use, which would alter each individual person's physiology and mental health along the journey of addiction. The lady from Greece for example. She looks quite healthy (I was actually shocked), is an accomplished poet and actress, has a husband and a house, and she seems quite content with her habit and seems able to control it. Take my words with a grain of salt though. I've never tried heroin but I've been an opiate user for years and have been on Suboxone for 7 years (I know- I'm a unique case. You don't see many people like me who take Suboxone but never have taken H). This is an interesting, nuanced, COMPLICATED issue. I'm fascinated by everyone's input on this. This video kind of blew my mind though. The picture in my mind I have of heroin is people nodding off and talking in a raspy voice.
Ye people only consider you an addict when you can’t pay bills and what not even tho there isn’t anyone doing heroin cuz thier mentally stable and happy there’s always somthing wrong even if you have the money to pay for it and your family
@@stephenbailey6878 the lady from greece is more the exception than the norm - and really it is her interpretation and self-report that purports her to be a 'functional' user. which opiate did you use? theyre all six of one and half a dozen of the other really
I don't understand wanting to quit but not being able to. never calling myself an opiate or meth addict again
Respect to the woman doing the second interview when she was sober and able to give the other perspective. She didn't want to give the world the wrong impression about her drug use.
Thank you, I am that woman. I realized that I had to clear it up.
@daphnechronopoulou7288 OMG! I’m watching that right now ! Well done for the sober interview !
@@daphne.chronopoulou Really appreciated your story, Daphne. As someone who indulged in every drug available at one stage in my life, the irony is that it was alcohol that destroyed me. I'm long-time dry now and the thought of alcohol disgusts me, if I were to have something recreationally on special occasions I would choose to smoke opium but it's impossible to obtain. It was really valuable to hear the second part of your interview because I didn't know about the brutal comedown. Thank you for sharing your story.
@@daphne.chronopoulouWELL DONE 👊💚🫵
@@daphne.chronopoulouWhere can we read your poetry?
My old friend considered himself a functional addict. He followed 3 rules: never spend money you need for other things, never use needles, and never go to work high. He broke his own rules, eventually. He still maintained a job working in schools with kids for years. He had friends, a band (he was a very talented guitar player) and even girlfriends, but none of it ever seemed real to him. He was really bright and one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. His father died and left him some money, and his mom kept control of it so he could not spend it on dope. But he got a job and used his paycheck for drugs. Eventually he killed himself, so sad.
What was his method of committing suicide?
@@ameyashinde100 Why do you care? that's a very insensitive thing to ask.
@@Fiorellandia he's probably just wondering if it was an accidental overdose which his friend wrote off as "killed himself" or if it was an actual intentional suicide
@@ameyashinde100he over dosed
Damn.
I was a “functioning” IV heroin addict for 5 years. I’m now 3 years sober. Recovery IS possible. No high is worth losing your life. My heart is with everyone who’s still struggling with this addiction. It’s a nasty, very intense and brutal drug.
Well done keep it up
Congrats on letting go keep it up 😊
Congratulations 🎉
I’m 36 years sober as well. It’s great!
Congrats on staying sober! I have been sober myself for just over 2 years and I will never go back.
@kelison8507 First off Congratulations beautiful We Do Recover❤ I myself was a functioning user kept a job for almost 2 of the 4 years, I lost everything I worked so hard for in a matter of maybe a year if that. I’m blessed to be alive today and today I am Sober the date of last time I used anything was August 20th 2019. If I knew half of what I know now back then absolutely No way would’ve ever signed up to become an addict. One of the most inspiring things I’ve heard is “ when you’re using you give up everything for that thing but when you’re sober you give up one thing for everything” that’s so true and I wish someone would’ve said that to me when I was using. What keeps me from relapse & using is remembering how terrible it was coming down and waking up everyday thinking what lie or sin will I commit today in order to not be “sick”. I thank God daily for the chat at starting over and living a beautiful drug free life. If I can anyone can it takes a lot of patience courage hope and an abundance of effort. ❤ Peace Love and Blessings too all those struggling, those fighting the battle and those that are on the path to recovery ❤️🩹 Drugs Do Not Discriminate no one is above addiction it can happen to ANYONE remember that those who judge & stereotype!
Fun fact: fentanyl isn’t nearly as common in the UK as it is in the US. It’s near impossible for US citizens to get heroin anymore. It’s nearly fully replaced with fent. Which is likely a part of the reason this documentary was filmed in the UK.
Yup, heroin disappeared in early 2020, at least in so cal, H users were forced to M30 pills and fentanyl powder in every color.
Fentanyl took over basically in the blink of an eye. When I first started doing heroin, I was pretty damn sure it was heroin. One day (maybe a few months to a year), it was a white powder, much less and much stronger. Started to get cheaper too, as the cut mixture of heroin and fent was entirely replaced by fent powder with various inert cuts. I consider myself lucky I stopped before tranq dope became a thing here (I’m on the east coast that has had a supply for reasonably pure H for years)
This has to do with geography. Afghanistan distributes huge amounts of heroin throughout Europe. I've read Afghanistan supplies about 80% of the worlds heroin. Mexico has problems growing enough poppy plants , it takes long to grow and whole crops can be destroyed by government. They simply can't fulfill the huge demand so they turned to synthetic
Not that fun hey
@@thatmobstathe fent comes from china through Mexico.
As someone who's done it twice, i can honestly say it was one of the best highs, and that's when i knew there shouldn't be a third time
does it cure depression temporarily
@@bluntvillez temporary and cure are oxymoronic. It dumps a bunch of happy chemicals on your brain that seem like they’re alleviating depression, but your body builds a tolerance to this, and it can ruin your brain’s capacity to feel happy or recover from depression naturally. Do NOT use opioids to address your depression, there are so many better ways. Other medications that can help too.
Smart
@@bluntvillezno
that's why I stood the f away from it, even when I was at my lowest, homeless etc. I knew that I would feel so good, I wouldn't be able to stop. I tried one oxy years ago and that was strong enough...
I am really in full respect of that man that didn’t bring a woman or child into the equation. Kudos to him for knowing what he wants and not letting it affect someone else. This perspective in other areas would save a lot of pain and suffering.
im the same tho. no need to have a partner or child into this.
“It feels like warm blanket safe and secure” I’m going to make sure my daughter feels like that so she never turns to drugs to get that feeling 😢
You're definitely on to something here
Beautiful comment. 😍
😂😂😂 your kid will still ⚰️ if you really loved her you wouldn't have brought her on this planet
❤❤❤❤
Be right to your kids, for sure, that's #1 to preventing this, but have a real talk with them, because once addiction starts, and anyone can get hooked, it's a life long problem, even when you're sober for a long time. Believe me, those people who say they don't even think about drugs anymore and such are full of crap. Being sober for a day is a battle you have to keep fighting until the day you die.
On another note, this is what heroin felt like to me, and I had the most loving mother. Sometimes, you can do everything right and it still happens.
As someone who is now 8 years 12 days clean, I can say without a doubt that no one should try heroin for any reason. There's no reason to. They talk it down here, but for there to be a 30% chance that you become addicted and go through what I went through for a 3rd of my life, or worse, end up like the many, many friends who I lost along the way to that insidious drug, it's not worth it. Not even close.
If Bro is counting the days, you better believe it
Calm down. It's literally just another morphine analog. The addictive potential of opioids is completely overstated and exaggerated. The addiction rate is virtually still the same as with alcohol but still significantly less than that of nicotine. There's at least several decent reasons to try it if you are responsible enough and are pharmacologically literate enough to understand what's happening and how it works. Whether just for experimentation, or treating pain, or slowing down heart rate or palliating a harsh stimulant crash, etc. there are still genuine reasons for using it. It's not like crack or meth; two drugs which essentially have no real reason for even trying unless normal amphetamine doesn't last long enough for you. Just the thing about pain relief alone is enough for me to actually feel extremely nervous when I don't have opioids in the house. Morphine derivatives should be standard medicine cabinet drugs.
Edit: Go ahead, keep crying. Opioids are easy af to utilize without abusing them and there's nothing you can do about it lol. And like I said, I get nervous not having opioids in the house for the same reasons I get nervous not having other medicines like aspirin or ibuprofen in the house. Keep coming with the strawman arguments though.
@@Ryan88881 listen to you. heroin chic, huh? no person in their right mind would say heroin or morphine should be in a standard medicine cabinet. right next to the revolver with one bullet in it for dealing with anxiety.... you'll feel so alive after winning a round of russian roulette, whatever you were feeling anxious about will automatically be washed away
@@eugenegreen2285 That makes no sense... Anyone with a halfway functioning brain and even a relative degree of education on the matter would concede that morphinan pain killers absolutely should be standard medicine cabinet drugs. What's wrong you? We already have much worse, less efficacious drugs in our medicine cabinets genius. To suggest it shouldn't be a standard household palliative medicine or medical tool is psychotic and divorced from reality. Inform yourself. Tylenol is much more toxic, Benadryl is fantastically unhealthy and dementing, alcohol has the same degree of addiction potential... I could go on. The fact of the matter is that the morphine derivatives (along with morphine itself) are actually effective and viable, not only in terms of pain and sleep, but ventricular tachycardia as well. There's a million over-the-counter drugs that cause tachycardia and yet, a shocking poverty (essentially a total absence) of over the counters which can effectively reverse or counter it.
Your analogy is even more incoherent in its rationale than your initial posits. Russian roulette is a nothing burger or an almost invariably fatal shot to the head.. What about it? Because it still can't be safely done. Morphine-related opioids can EASILY be safely done. In fact so easy, that comparing it to Russian roulette is impossible. Driving even just 15 minutes on the freeway will always be exponentially more risky and dangerous than taking a quality controlled measured dosage of 15mg of morphine. There is no Russian Roulette-like factor to even speculatively entertain here. It's just glorified codeine.. Grow up. I knew you would be dead wrong in whatever it is you were going to spew here, but given your opening statement I was actually expecting a far more weighted counter. This is such weak sauce even for your crowd. You wanna try again?
@@eugenegreen2285 Come on, is that really all you got? That can't seriously be your actual counter attempt here
After experiencing a "functional" heroin user up close, I think the biggest problem with Heroin is the optimism it gives people about being able to solve their problems, while at the same time decimating their ability to do so. Especially with anxious people this will play very very badly - as in, the drug initially lets them feel like everything is possible and probably even give them good results in terms of functionality (if they were standing in their own way, social situations etc.), so their anxiety may be lifted, giving them a good result even when sober. If they keep using after that good result, soon the problems get increased by sideeffects of the drug, and physical addiction - having overslept and missed something important, having money or health problems and not being able to talk about the real cause, in general hiding aspects of their habit/addiction from someone and becoming less reliable and less able to communicate - and step by step, the anxiety about their life when sober increases, requiring to take the "medicine" even more frequently. And step by step, that chemical optimism becomes the only thing that's reliable about their life.
Great insight
Very close to how I felt when I was addicted to Xanax. I was a functioning addict until I wasn't anymore. What the woman in the video who is a recreational user said is very true -- all the pain comes rushing back once you're sober again. So the longer you're self-medicating, the pain has built up and it becomes absolutely unbearable to be sober -- xanax gave me a euphoric feeling. It's the same with anxiety though, in that it all rushes in. It took years and years for my nervous system to sort itself out, and a lot of self work too, with a few years of non-narcotic medications.
@@brittanyw.9351 Great you're out of it... my flatmate who experienced this "functional" Heroine addiction was a PhD student, really bright and friendly guy from a rather successful family, and until the end (when he finally decided he needed a break and moved back to his family) it's as if he couldn't let reality sink in, there was always the big break and opportunity just around the corner, something he'd do that would undo all the problems with his job and people, and he was being "95% as good as clean" anyway, while he was literally falling into the life of a homeless, alienating all friends, and attracting *very* dubious new ones...
I hope you've overcome this terrible cycle for good. I'd guess those few moments when you're actually sobering up and you start to realize what is going, all the built-up anxiety returning at once, that must be an utter nightmare.
Wow this was perfectly explained
Perfectly stated. Can confirm all of the above is true. Going on 2 years.
My mother was a "functioning" alcoholic and pill user for more than a decade. Held down a job and every thing. But our home life was in shambles. After she recovered her brain was like scrambled eggs. We all suffered because she insisted, that she "didn't have a problem". I hated living at home.
shame she wasn't high functioning enough, it's a spectrum really. There's no need to be a TERF when viewing things like this
Yep. I moved out at 18.
My parents did drugs when I was younger and they were able to function for a few years without my siblings and I knowing. They started spiraling out of control when I was in middle school when they would smoke up all the money, which resulting in us getting evicted and my siblings and I had to live with our grandparents.
I'm recovered from meth over three years now, and it still feels like being normal is an eternity away. Always remind her of how proud you are that she made the effort. It is so much easier to end it all, than hold on for an undear life. I hope she's doing better.
Check out for the truth that they don't want you to see 👉 The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖
I was semi ”functioning” opiate addict for 7 years, using Subtex, doing university, and acting. I was using because of trauma from sexual abuse. Using opiates made me able to stay alive and seek therapy. After two years of therapy and finding dancing again I was able to stop. I quit opiates because I wanted to be a better dancer. Soon I have been 3 years sober, doing trauma therapy, dancing. I wish I can soon work with sexual abuse victims and help other people 🙏🏻 Best wishes for everyone who is struggling with trauma and addiction, it is possible to recover ❤️
I have been through a lot of trauma and abuse as well. I made one attempt at my life 3 years ago.
But I’ve never grown the balls to try her0in. Should I try Subtex? This documentary makes me feel like I should try opiates.
@@lesliecano4963no. Subutex is an opiod technically, but it will not induce the same euphoria/“high” that traditional ones like oxy or opiates like heroin. It is possible to get a high from it without ANY tolerance, but IME it isn’t recreational or fun whatsoever. You’re more likely to get way too high and be puking for HOURS on end, hot and itchy for about 12-24 hours. Subutex is a brand of bupenorphine (the primary active ingredient in suboxone , an opiod blocker), which is meant to BLOCK opiods. It is unique in that it is an opiod that prevents other opiods from working, while having a much lower potential for death and abuse on its own.
I’m not recommending you start opiods or opiates, but it doesn’t even make sense to use bupenorphine to do so. You will build a tolerance VERY quickly, as it is more potent than oxycodone, and is only a few times less potent than fentanyl (just without the same risk of OD). take it from someone who was a heroin /fent/opiod addict and was on suboxone, it is not something you use for fun. It’s to hold opiod withdrawal at bay, while you recover from using “actual” opiods. Anyone Wil tell you that getting to a point where you NEED suboxone (which suboxone in its self will eventually cause), you will regret it for every day for the rest of your life.
You should definitely help others with the knowledge that you gained from your life experiences.
@@lesliecano4963I would not recommend, highly NOT recommend that you try any form of opioid for recreational purposes. I literally changed the receptors in your brain. If you want to experiment with a substance look into psychedelic therapy with a psychiatrist.
@@lesliecano4963you should talk to some1. You don’t want to get hooked on no H especially since the streets is flooded with fentanyl. Smoke some weed and realize we all go thru things in life. Going to Opiates will only make your life worse.
watching this makes me miss my father. a non functioning user for many years and then a functioning user finally transitioning to clean and helping others. he would have fit nicely in this piece. sadly he passed away about 4 years ago from unrelated health issues. but he spent his last 8 years clean and happy. to those that can function on it. well done. to those that can't. please find help. for those who have never done it. please never do.
As soon as youve taken h your not functioning
@LarryDavid.blochain I'd argue you're wrong but there would be little point in doing so. I know what I saw, learnt and came to understand. Your opinion matters very little
Glad you got some clean years with your dad and got to see him be clean, very well said on everything else truly.
@bradpnw1897 thankyou. It really was amazing to see him turn his life around.
@@LarryDavid.blochainIf they have a job, a healthy relationship with their family, and a stable income, I don't see how you could say they aren't functioning.
I was a functioning heroin user for years. I worked at a bank as a financial advisor. I was a top ranking employee, at one point being in the running for top banking sales in Canada. I owned my home in Vancouver BC (one of the most expensive housing markets in Canada), which I bought while I was in active, functioning heroin addiction at age 23. I was engaged, went to the gym daily, and ate healthy. This went on for years. It worked until it didn’t. My work sent me to treatment and I’ve been sober since April 26/16. You truly don’t understand how beautiful life could be until you’re free from the chains of substance use. For those saying functioning heroin use isn’t a thing, you’re unfortunately wrong. But I don’t recommend trying it. Regardless of how long you maintain functionality, it eventually falls apart. Especially with the toxic drug supply. People are dying every second of everyday.
Not everyone eventually falls apart. I am a better functioning human being because I use low doses of opiates. I can say with 100% certainty that there are plenty of people like me who function better with certain substances and it is absolutely no one's right to tell them they can't use those drugs
@@jordanpearson894you use low doses of heroin daily? I’m speaking of heroin use specifically.
@@jordanpearson894 but I do agree, everyone should have autonomy and self-determination… and the right to choose what works for you!
You're the best person. You're the most formidable human ever. So if anything bad happens to you, it MUST be universal. Bcs you're the best.
@@jordanpearson894This has been my experience and the experience of those around me. However I’m happy it’s working for you, and I mean that genuinely! Best wishes and I hope it continues this way.
"when you stop it. all these pain you didn't deal with, comes rushing down"
thats some true damn words right there!
Crying this i think why my ex wont get sober
It doesn't only come rushing back, it comes rushing back 10 times worse.
@@Em-im1yzsame smh
It doesn't.
Daphne, taking it recreationally seems to be a big lie, especially in her age and number of times she snorted it during the interview. she is a full time user, just trying to sugar coat it.
I got the same wibe, and I also feel that its a little bit immorral and unethical to be a drug activist whilst still being addicted yourself, like she clearly was. Interesting piece non the less, and opened my eyes to the stigma that heroin has, which is sad beacause it makes seeking help even harder. But I still wouldn't say that you can still be fully functioning whilst being addicted, without any issues. It makes the drug in it self seem less harmfull and downplays all the bad it brings to the sociaty and individual lives. But we should also improve our handling and understanding of addictions, but a just feel that we should listen people that want to end the addiction they have or had.
@@leevilaasonen8495 well why do you think they are more popular among those in need? they come from the same background/they're doing it as well. It's not surface-level assistance where you're seen as a zombie in need and the only thing you're told is "Don't do it, you're better than that!", you're talking to someone who can help you and you know they're not flat ignorant about all what you're going through. It's a level of understanding that is important in rehabilitating those who have dug themselves way deep.
and I ask this not in hostility (have to emphasize this because it's youtube lol), but could your first statement be a reflection of the stigma described in the video? there are many cases where recovering alcoholics help those in need as well. they are successful because they understand the background of being an alcoholic better (in a more grounded way, rather than being out of pure scientific/social help background). it may seem immoral/unethical, but they're very important for those trying to recover.
Also, speaking in a language that is not her native language (not judging, her English is great), I think makes it more difficult for someone who doesn't know her what she would be like sober.
Exactly. Using once a month or on weekends in moderation for fun is recreational. Needing something to get through a particular situation or daily life, let alone multiple times daily is at the very least a habit and most likely dependence and/or addiction.
Any user can be functional if they have a steady supply.
I was a functioning Oxy user, then Heroin, then Fentanyl user. Recovery is absolutely possible. As I was explained, if you're an addict and you put 10% of the effort you put into your addiction into your sobriety, you will make it. Anyone reading this who's struggling, please dont give up. You CAN make it, you WILL make it. Determination and support will get you through. Family will get you through. The 12 steps will get you through. Please dont give up.
Thank you 🙏
How did You stop?
Please share with everyone how you were able to quit.
How you stop ? Which 12 steps ?
can i ask why u switched to fentanyl from heroin ? also i thought people dont "use" fentanyl since its so strong they die from it. can u share.
I was like this first guy, functioning with a job , apartment and heroin addiction but no life outside of that and it was a full time job keeping it all together. Literally worked just to support my habit, definitely a sad existence. Luckily I was able to get clean.
I'm so sorry to hear that
the problem is that it's expensive and ppl end up working just to support the habit. luckily there's cheaper alternatives if you know what i mean
To all of the former addicts and those still battling addictions, in this comment section I wish you peace, the love you deserve, and healing. Happy holidays
❤ and light to you as well
Thank you, I needed to hear this
"The Living Dead don't take a holiday", but thanks.
Thanks, sometimes you just need to hear a kind word. ❤
I was a functioning heroin/opioid user for years. I held down a steady job and none of my coworkers, and most people who met me, had a clue. It was fucking miserable though bc there's NEVER enough. A constant worry of withdrawal and how to avoid it by any means necessary. Happy to say I've been sober since September 1st, 2018.
So happy for you! Keep going and God bless you!
You are well off it
Same exact for me. It’s such a miserable existence. I’ve been clean since 10/29/2019.
The problem is not heroin or any other drugs, the problem is prohibition! As adults, we should be able to live our lives whichever way we prefer. Anything you abuse, be it a drug, food, sport...becomes a problem. I have used opiates for ages, obviously i do not do it every single day,i do it quite often,though, three or four times a week. It goes without saying that my body has built some tolerance to it (this is inevitable) but Im not an addict. I do opiates because I love them, they are pleasurable and make feel happy and relaxed. It is my guilty pleasure, I always do it at night, after a hard day´s work and my daily gym workout. Im never gonna stop. Ive never felt it as a problem. Some people enjoy a glass of wine or some other alcoholic drink, in my case I prefer a couple lines of diacetylmorphine while watching my favourite tv show. There is an incredible amount of misinformation as regards drugs in our society, there is too much scaremongering, alarmism, which make people have the wrong approach towards drugs. Also, too much money is wasted on a fruitless drug; the war on drugs! If anything has been proven after all these years of prohibition and war on drugs is that it is absolutely useless to try to prevent people from taking drugs.
Good work. Keep it up ! Also missed the fentynol epidemic by a hair. Stay safe
it’s truly sad that we consider “functioning” as “going to work and paying bills”. that’s what we’re reduced to here. you can’t be functioning on heroin. you can’t be your best self, you can’t be present. and if you have kids, even worse. you may think you’re a good enough parent just literally providing for your child, but emotionally you’re not. and that’s what really does silent damage in the long run in children of addicts. i’m glad these people aren’t at rock bottom, i’m glad they aren’t homeless. but they are cheating themselves out of a life sober. full of love and life. they are just pacifying themselves day by day and i really hope one day they can wake up and get sober.
these people are one in a million cases and should be the exception not the rule.
addiction always catches up. if you think you’re getting off scott free, you’re sadly mistaken . love seeing all these comments of sober individuals!! recovery IS worth it
You are absolutely right
Hmmm, I don't know if I can fully agree with you.
I mean, just to be clear. I don't think heroin is worth it to not give it up when you have kids and you actually care about them. But mainly because of how everything can change 180 degrees in an instant and you'll suddenly start being an obnoxious junkie instead of a 'functioning drug addict'. Or you just overdose by accident and you're gone.
But on the other hand, does it indeed strip you of part of your personality more than the traumas, bad habits, or ill-fitting environment you're in? I don't think so. All the while assuming that you are a truly 'well-functioning' drug user. There are many other factors that similarly prevent us from being full of ourselves, and the fact that heroin is a drug doesn't actually change anything. Our hormones, too, act on us like drugs, only they are in us naturally.
They are secreted under the influence of the natural physiological economy, or under the influence of environmental stimuli. The fact that we perceive heroin in the way we do is also a product of the way society looks at it and all the prejudices, also how we ourselves look at it knowing how low we can fall.
It is simply associated with sadness, emptiness, pathology, moral and mental decline, a very thin line that is easily crossed. Heroin has very few positive implications, actually one, which is the moment when you are having fun and focusing only on the now. But people are different. Some perhaps would be worse people with a worse attitude to the world if they didn't use. And sure, there are many other theoretically better and healthier things/stimuli that could have a similar effect, but the effect is still the same. It's just that this addiction/habit has a bad connotation. And with all due respect to your familiarity with the world and knowledge, you also don't know everything and every possible option whether someone is actually better or worse off with it - please dont treat it offensive or that i'm trying to insult you, cause i'm not. Of course, this kind of thinking is also playing with fire, because in 99% of cases dealing with heroin ends badly.
Nevertheless, assuming that one is a functioning drug addict like this Greek woman and that it is indeed all like that, I don't think she is any less herself than people after various bad life 'natural' transitions rather than chemical ones.
And these get to all of us, to varying degrees and with varying effects.
Some people will never have a happy sober life. They physically need some form of drug to achieve that. They will never be able to achieve any form of happiness with the mental health stigmas and drugs stigmas. Humans need acceptance and respect to figure it out. Although I very very strongly agree that it’s sad we considering functioning as going to work and paying bills. Life should be more than that. Unfortunately it’s not. That’s why so many people need drugs. Humans aren’t meant to work their life away. But that’s our society.
These aren’t “one in a million” these are most heroin users, the majority of heroin users aren’t strung out they’re regular people
You are 100% correct I've been a heroin addict for almost 10 years, this is at best irresponsible journalism I've never met anyone who uses heroin recreationally they are all like me desperate to get sober but can't.
Its a strange thing, when you're on it, you can't picture how you lived your life before it, then when you're off it again, its hard to picture how you lived your life on it. Its like you've been two different people.
I remember trying it and immediately knowing I was going to do it every single day. There is nothing like opiates the way they take over your brain is crazy.
I am now 62 years old. At almost 16 years old, I was shooting up (1g/day).
At 19, I went to the mountains and stayed there, I worked on the ski lifts, then I became a ski instructor, then a water ski instructor.
Intense physical activity saved me: I was too tired to take drugs! And then there wasn't really an offer.
I was lucky. Each case is different, but I would say: do a lot, really a lot, of physical activity to stop.
Pierre from France.
PS: I did an OD one day in the instructors' room... Thanks to the two instructor leaders who didn't fire me like someone guilty, but who supported me like a person suffering from an illness. They can be proud of themselves (but that wasn't their style ;)
Eternal respect.
Thank you Pierre!! This is advice I will use moving forward. 5 days sober, day 5 first day of any sleep. Let's go!!!
@JaredHoneyman wow good for you!!!! Keep fighting!!!!take care of yourself physically. Work out, eat well.if u get the urge just put in some ear buds and run......run until exhausted if u have to.....❤❤
@@mimi2613That’s really helpful advice with the small exception of if you’re still dealing with physical symptoms or lingering health complications and you feel super weak and dizzy. Or really depressed
The answer is yes. I used for 7 years, and maintained a job the entire time. When I finally made the decision to get sober, I put in my two weeks notice and informed my boss that I was going to a 1 year inpatient treatment program. Her response was "You do drugs?" I had been getting it delivered and used on the job every single day, and my boss was totally unaware of it. After getting sober, I returned to that job. I will be five years sober in a couple of weeks, and I am still working there. Only a few people even knew I was using. It all depends on the individual.
You're lucky. Not a lot of employers would allow an employee to continue working knowing about their addiction, even though they also know that they are clean. Glad it worked out for you. She must be a very understanding boss.
I believe you. We believe you; this youtube video is still a GLORIFICATION of the lifestyle and choice and addiction. More are jumping on the train than jumping off. I reiterate; well done to you. Peace n love
@@andrewwalton5813 I think that you would be surprised at how many bosses would re-hire a quality worker who gave a 2-weeks notice, told the truth, went to rehab for a YEAR, then returned with a clean bill of health and references from their councillors...I own a business, and I hired a guy back after rehab (didn't work out, he relapsed, but I tried)...
why did you decide to get sober, sounds like this were panning out okay
Yeah that's one of the reasons I'm not super interested in opioids. Heavy users seem just like ordinary people - only a little bit calmer and kinder.
"All this pain you didn't deal with comes like a rush". Rather critical series of words to me.
I stopped taking opiates, I was happy to be sober but when ever my 5 year old would cry to me and get my hugs, I would cry with her wondering who did I cry to when I was her age because my mom ran off with her boyfriend. All those feelings did come like a rush of heart ❤️ ache 💔. Not my heart at 38 years of age but my heart of that 6 year old with no mom
Same here with Ketamine. I did two treatments. I was good for six weeks, then my pain returned with a vengeance.
I started doing drugs years ago as a teenage, got addicted to heroin. I suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Was also diagnosed with cptsd. Heroin addiction actually destroyed my life. Not until my wife recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 6 years totally clean. Much respect to mother nature the great magic shrooms.
Amen God bless people. Save your health save your mind. Life is better without heroin, cocaine, alcohol and cigarettes. And you have more money in your pocket. God bless everyone who has rejected the devils intentions to be addicted to alcohol and cigarettes etc which can cause so much damage to health.
YES Dr.alishrooms
How do I reach out to him? Is he on insta
Yes he's Dr.alishrooms.Shrooms to me is a natrual healer. I know a guy who has used mushrooms in the same way and they have really helped him. mah dudes have safe trips all.
From my experience it really works excellently! It doesnt even need to be a full hit. With potent shrooms 2-3 small ones will still make a clear difference. It will be a few hour cosy rumbling moment around rest time, but afterwards its just calm and you feel amazing and gain your freedom. Psilocybin is different dudes, its the only "treatment" I would recommend to someone who genuinely wants to get better. There is no addiction, withdrawal, or negative side effects. It's just pure healing., far more effective than any anti-depressant. You can thank me later,
Was an addict for 13 years and always worked. Actually kept a somewhat normal life for the most part. Looking back after 6 years of sobriety and you see that “functioning” is basically an illusion we use until we meet the inevitable.
so true !
I can only imagine. Sure, you can hold a job and not be on the streets, but every other minute you're just planning your next hit.
Lost my Dad to an OD last year. He had been happily married for 14 years, had four kids, a successful business - and then by the time I was born, it caught up to him. He tried all the rehabs, and all of them made him feel like he was broken. The last 6 years of his life he was homeless, and we had such a hard time finding him, only able to get a phone call or FB message from him every few years. So after a total of at least 30 years of using, it kills me that such a brilliant, kind person had to go in the way that he did.
I am very sorry for your loss 💔
Omg Im so sorry for your loss, that is so sad.. sending my condolences 💐 stay strong and keep your head up. My prayers to you and your family 🙏🏼
My condolences and prayers to you and your family.
Im sorry, my condolences to you and your family
Very sorry for your loss
"theres no choice. but that's the sacrifice" has me in tears
😢
Ya broken world
when a user is using thats better than sex or any relationship to them
@@snowjammma me when i do not understand addiction
The sacrifice IS the choice... duh.
To hold a fresh psilocybin mushroom in one's hand is to possess the very nature of oneself. Their beauty meets their potency.
Let's be adults about this. These are no longer 'shrooms. These are no longer party drugs for young people," "Psilocybin mushrooms are nonaddictive, life-changing substance..
I have been treating using EMDR, but have never heard of this.
Y'all all talk about the benefits but you don't say where one can grab from...
doc_hayles
𝖙𝖊𝖑𝖊𝖌𝖗𝖆𝖒
I worked with some people in the restaurant industry like this. I found it very mind boggling at the time , I was in my early 20s and some of the functioning addicts were in their 40s, looking 60. This was incredibly prevalent in fine dining , you walk with cash everyday .
The restaurant industry is rife with addiction and drug use of all kinds…
when u work in restaurants industry, actually every second person on 40s looks like 60s, so
@@kossmoss6853 not if you don’t drink alcohol and wear sunscreen.
eh theres also a genetic component to it. genetics is a huge factor in how you age.@@baby.nay.
Yes, hospitality is some of the worst industry for heavy drug use due to the hours, the need to be 'up' and disposable non declarable cash
Dear Heroin,
Rest in Peace.
Yours truly,
Fentynal.
Now that's some major truth!
we had it good. the world had it good. now they know. one day we will be able to get it from the doc. its the BEST opiate period. longest lasting. best euphoria. best for people. natural.
Preach!😂
Fentanyl cleanin house smh
It's fucking bullshit, heroin is a million times better
Makes me so sad. I lost my brother to a fentanyl overdose last year. He hated that he was a drug addict. He did crack because it was “better than going back to dope”’it was laced and it killed him. I miss him so much he was so misunderstood. He was clean for 6 years before relapsing. I love you Charlie ❤
Sry my boy.
Can u explain "laced crack"?
Sorry dude I lost my brother to fentanyl in Aug 2022, and another brother to oxycontin in 2011 not to mention about a dozen friends to opiates since the 90s when heroin took off. You try to help but sadly it rarely works out.
My best friend died of a fentanyl overdose last year. Her name was Charlie too.
I’m sorry for your loss best wishes from Ireland 🇮🇪.
I'm so sorry....prayers to you and your family😢
Psychedelics are just an exceptional mental health breakthrough. It's quite fascinating how effective they are against depression and anxiety. Saved my life.
Can you help with the reliable source I would really appreciate it. Many people talk about mushrooms and psychedelics but nobody talks about where to get them. Very hard to get a reliable source here in Australia. Really need!
Yes, dr.sporessss I have the same experience with anxiety, depression, PTSD and addiction and Mushrooms definitely made a huge huge difference to why am clean today.
I wish they were readily available in my place.
Microdosing was my next plan of care for my husband. He is 59 & has so many mental health issues plus probable CTE & a TBI that left him in a coma 8 days. It's too late now I had to get a TPO as he's 6'6 300+ pound homicidal maniac.
He's constantly talking about killing someone.
He's violent. Anyone reading this Familiar w/ BPD know if it is common for an obsession with violence.
Is he on instagram?
Yes he is. dr.sporessss
Daphne's husband creeps out of the shadows, dopesick and looking like the Grinch who stole Christmas and is like... "how 'bout some lines for me? do you have some?" That entire thing is weirder than weird.
the shot of him noticing the camera and scampering off
She claims they aren't addicted to the stuff and yet he can't bear to wait for his turn and has to prompt her for another line. Also look at the nick of him. Very telling.
@@user-fg9vr7mk5z For what I understood she does imply that herself and her husband have been addicts for over 30 years, the documentary is also about functioning addicts (I'm pretty sure they did know what the documentary was about).
yeah he is a weird old man for sure.
bruh yall reaching@@toshiamiyumi2604
I was a heroin addict for 15 years. A lot of that time, i was down and out, on and off homeless, countless rehab centers... y the end i finally became a "functioning" addict. I thought thats what i always wanted, to have a home, pay my bills, and still get high. It still affected my mental health and physical health and relationships, and i went to rehab yet again a year and a half ago. Ive been off it now since november 2022, and my life has drastically gotten better. Idk if ill ever go back or not, and i hope anyone still struggling finds a semblance of peace 🖤
You don’t ever simply become a working, paying bills, and be a “functioning heroin/opiate addict”. You will *ABSOLUTELY* lose in the end, *UNLESS* you get actual help by going to a rehab or methadone clinic *WHILE* you’re still working a full time job. I’m not a “fan” of call that a “functional heroin/opiate addict”, because that’s *not* what it is. 😅🫴
*(edited)*
Congratulations on getting clean, and I truly hope and wish you nothing but the best in life! It’s hard but, you *CAN* do it!
I was using from 2013-2018/2019 until I discovered a methadone clinic, and I’ve been doing that ever since 2020. Honestly, I cannot imagine where I would’ve been *IF* I never went to the clinic, so for that, I’m *EXTREMELY* grateful for it. I gotta put it out there. The *MAJORITY* of people are not fans of a clinic or don’t see it as being “clean”. But, I *DO* and if a clinic truly helps people live a better and “normal” life, then so be it and congratulations to them. Hating on something like that is not right, simple as that. 🫱🏼🫲🏻
God loves you
I hope you succeed. Keep getting and investigating every support out there. Theres more than NA
@@GodIsLove447 thank you, God also loves you 🙏
@@Jgp4xzdmqnmil thank you, I appreciate that full heartedly 🖤 and also hope best for you
I was a functioning Heroin addict for about 5 years. Held a job down, paid my bills, etc. Now I am sober, thank God, and I don't have to chase a drug to get my day started. Rather be sober lol good luck to everyone struggling. Remember that it is possible to get clean. I love you all very much.
Your awesome!!
We do recover 🎉 I'm sober... but still struggling with survivors guilt.. I lost my best friend 2 years ago and many others who had a place in my heart
Rip to all my hood angels😇
I’ll drink to that 🍻
exactly. functional is a relative term and if you are physically dependent on opiates and will be dope sick without them you have still placed some significant limits on what you can do in life. especially if you want to travel outside the country.
the only way to really claim to be completely functional would be to use so rarely that you never become physically dependent and experience withdrawal symptoms. so at the minimum only using once every like 4-5 days. I've never met anyone who used opiates who managed to maintain that kind of super conservative usage. not to mention the increased risk of OD that comes with keeping such a low tolerance.
@michellepeterson8813 I congratulate you on your recovery. I had to deal with survivors guilt as well. I lost my best friend 3 years ago. We decided to go to rehab together. He relapsed unfortunately after 1 month and the shot was too strong. His Mom found him dead in the bathroom. It's the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with. I am still not over it until this day and the pain is just as fresh. Thanks for the positivity.
@watchmanadam726 if I did it anyone can do it. Trust me I was bad. Thanks for the positive vibes.
Being in the room inhaling that drug smoke is crazy! 😳🙏🏽
She was more relaxed & chatty after her passive toke.. 💁🏻♂️😆😆😆
I was a functioning drug user with cocaine, crack, and ecstasy for years in my 20’s. I worked one F/T job, and two P/T jobs. I owned my own home, car, etc. I used on the weekends, holidays, etc. However, it was opiates that did me in 😢 I lost everything to opiates but I’ve now been in recovery since 2010. Just fixed my credit, FINALLY, and I’ll never go down that road again. Ever.
you ruined them for everybody that legitimately needs access to fentanyl or morphine.
What did you work as ?
@@rochelle-xz8gl She never said the opiates were prescribed or illegal from the street. How can you say that she ruined it for the people that actually needed the prescribed opiates that you mentioned. You never know if she probably was one of the people that did need it but it got out of hand. Pretty bold comment considering you don’t know this person or exactly what they went through that got them on opiates.
@@rochelle-xz8gllike whom?
That's just party drugs no different then someone going out pub at weekend
Being a high functioning opioid addict is very common and easy to do. I did it for years. Worked had a great social life. Held a job the entire time. The only issues I had was supply it became harder and harder to find things. Which led me to fentanyl.. I’m 4 years sober now an I see how I wasn’t functioning I was coping.
Lmao alright bud let’s not get carried away you’re reachin calling it “easy to do”
@@dieseldaveee3724 lmao you are right I guess I got away with it for so long I look back and think it was easy. But my perspective is bias some people knew many didn’t
@@dieseldaveee3724 If you have the money and connections to always have your fix, then it is rather easy...I did it for a few years (pills) never realizing that I was addicted. The day I tried not using and felt like hell, I stopped the pills and got on Suboxone. Still on Suboxone (I hate myself for it) but I haven't even thought about a little blue pill since my first sub strip. Wish I could quit the subs, but I own a business and would have to take a few months off, I fear, to properly be able to deal with it...
What were you coping with if you don’t mind me asking? We’re you using the drugs to self medicate yourself from something?
Opioids are great. Problem is that we judge all those drugs by people, who take them all the time. Taking opioids all the time probably isn't so great. But that doesn't mean that opioids are bad.
I was a highly functionning iv heroin addict for 20 years. When high i was better at my job, got promoted. Had meaningfull and long relationships. Had a prescription of methadone in case i woulndt be able to see the dealer when i can. But the deep deep sadness was always there. Living a double life and piling on debts for years was what broke me in the end. Lost my love, had to move back alone. Using more cause i only have to pretend at job and not at home anymore. After covid, theres not much heroin left, its all laced with fentanyl. And i had enough. Im one year sober. I miss it sometimes but it passes. Its good to be able to feel things again, even when its depressing. Hope all addicts can read this and see that its possible to be sober after 20+ years. Its hell, but our life as addicts was hell too! Just a different kind. If any of you need someone to talk too dont hesitate. ❤
❤
Thank you for your perspective, it's important to hear stories like yours that are different from the stereotype. Congrats on your sobriety. ❤
@sydliily do you look older than your age? I'm curious if it caused you premature aging.
As an addict the end bit from the woman really resonates with me. The issue is that all of the pain you've not dealt with suddenly comes back and having nothing big to motivate you in your life makes addiction much easier to occur and much harder to escape.
I was a functioning fentanyl addict for 18 months, worked in the parks and recreations department in my township... after a not so functional car ride that sent me to the hospital and my car to the wrecker I decided I have to get clean. im currently just under a year sober:)
Congratulations brother. Keep grinding
The fact that you survived fentanyl is a miracle in itself.
dude you're a beast keep fighting
I was a functioning opiate addict. I ran my own successful restaurant.
However, it got to the point where I was so tolerant that was all about to come crashing down and I had to ray myself out to my wife and go on lockdown. It was a nightmare which, by the way, was NOT over in 3-4 weeks.
I’ve been clean for five years and withdrawal is still present via depression and anxiety and fatigue.
They don’t tell you that part. It takes years to get truly well after drug addiction.
Also, they claim you don’t get addicted quickly. From a physical standpoint that is true. From mental prospective, to the right person, the first use is automatically addictive.
Opiates are most addictive to people already prone to depression and anxiety. Experiencing something that takes all of that away and seemingly has no bad side effects is an irresistible urge that will inevitably lead to physical addiction.
very well stated and explained. thanks!
Depression only exists if you allow it.
Your in control of your own thoughts, remember that!
Instead of focusing on the negative parts of your life or thinking about how awful it might be… Focus on creating a plan to make things better.
Focus on finding something that you enjoy to do.
Then, focus on finding a way to do that for a living or how to create yourself a life where you are able to do it as much as you like.
Focus on a plan to become more successful in whichever field you’re in.
A plan to achieve whatever your goals are.
A plan to achieve your dream life.
And then after you figure out your plan, study it!
Study it over and over… Memorize it!
Then find ways to make it even better. Constantly tweak the plan in your mind and continue finding more efficient ways to achieve it.
Do this anytime you feel yourself starting to drift into a negative mindset or feel like you may be headed towards an episode.
@@apogeotropism1714 I know you are trying to be helpful but you are displaying a complete lack of understanding of depression.
It is not just thinking bad thoughts or “feeling down”. It is a chemical imbalance that makes it physically impossible to feel joy. The severity can change but the effect is the same. The body isn’t making enough of the right hormones. Primarily serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine.
This is like telling a person with a broken leg “it’s only broken if you allow it to be”
Yes, people use the word depressed when they are sad, but it is a misnomer. Clinical depression has nothing to do with sadness. Depression due to drug withdrawal is a physical problem that takes years to recover from.
Thank you for sharing, it was rather insightful! I hope you have brighter days ahead.
"withdrawal is still presdent via depression and anxiety and fatigue" ah so instead of being a functioning opiate user ur now a nonfunctioning sober. brilliant trade off!
Holy crap, what that woman said at the end was spot on from what I’ve seen. Very true. You must always be more interested in life, growing, cultivating your talents hobbies and interests. Heroin, or any opioid, will certainly take that from you if you are not careful. You always think you’re in control until abruptly you realize you’re not. The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are easiest person to fool.
Bullshit. People, who use opioids daily, are people who are really into opioids. They're great drugs and there's nothing to fear. Daily or regular use is stupid imo, but plenty of people use coffein daily, which is suboptimal as well.
thats what makes the difference between an addict and a normal person this video is so toxic
For the first time in 20 years I am feeling like using again. Nothing to do with this program but I am at a point now in life where nothing I do or take is soothing me and I remember how it used to be.
Don't do it. Just remember all the misery and pain the heroin comes with. I'm 17 years clean now.
Don't do it. It'll sooth your pains but coming down is really awful. And will worsen your current situation. I did it after 10 - 20 years clean 😢 because of physical and mental pain
At first I appreciated being initially relieved of pain but when finished it really got much worse (depression, grief, PTSD, anxiety). Courage 🙏🏽
Have you tried dabbling in psychedelics? It sounds like life isn't doing you well, so some new perspective may be the solution rather than reverting back to old ways.
I might be too late, but I truly hope you didn’t relapse. It’s truly not worth it. Yes, it’ll soothe you, but afterwards you’ll only feel worse. You may only remember the feeling of using, but you’re forgetting the misery that came with it.
@@alexk7937Thank you alex (and everyone who commented ). No I didn't relapse although I came close. Unfortunately I am now drinking very heavily which brings it's own issues. I appreciate the replies. thank you x
"If you dont have interests its very easy to be destroyed" The truest of statements from the poet.
I was a functioning addict for about a decade. I worked, studied, had girlfriends, sober friends and did normal things. When I was alone I was using.
I used to put a lot of energy into hiding my addiction and living a double life. It was extremely exhausting and it still affects me in someways. I still have the mentality when it comes to what I tell people. It could be a simple thing as what I did this weekend if someone asks me. I only tell minimal with as few details as possible. Not because I have to but because I did it for a decade.
In some ways I wish I wasn’t so good at hiding it. I think it wouldn’t have lasted as long as it did if I looked like an addict or became a victim to the consequences that many addicts fall victims to.
If you’re an addict, functioning or not, I recommend you to seek help as soon as possible. A life without addiction is always better than a life with addiction. Try to fill that void with something productive and/or healthy instead.
Well said, glad you're better.
we all knew you were stuffing dope down tha hatch
Specifically what is bad about using heroin?
Relatable af.
@@JohnSmith-yt8di The short answer: It's the lifestyle that destroys you, not the drug.
The long answer: Your brain stop producing endorphins since you get enough of it through the drug. When you stop using your brain notice this and starts producing hormones again. It also affects your testosterone levels. Maybe more hormones but I'm not sure.
If you have money so you don't have to go through withdrawal regularly, have food in your fridge, take care of your hygiene, don't have to spend hours on doing crimes and chasing drugs so you don't sleep as you should it's not really that bad for you compared to the other heavy drugs and alcohol.
But most heroin addicts prioritize drugs over food and sleep, don't take care of their hygiene and health etc. Those things destroys you body and gives you infections.
If you saw me you could never guess I've been a hardcore addict for a decade. I think you can google my name and find me on Linkedin and/or social media if you're curious.
Crack, meth, spice and similar are far worse..especially alcohol.
I hope that answered your question. Feel free to ask if there's anything else you want to know.
I am a functional heroin user. I hold down a career in IT, but I cannot say other aspects of my life hasn’t suffered greatly from my addiction… it’s no way to live. Don’t do drugs kids!
heroin user spotted
Not a user but I love Weed lot and happy with it 😅
Functional*.......so not really buddy.
You might think you are but you aren’t functional to the best of your ability
Don't listen to the negativity I'm happy for you and hope you get clean one day
I dont believe that only 30% of users get addicted, that seems incredibly low...
First hit and you are hooked. The second it enter your vein your are f..k
I stop and start whenever I want. It was developing actual dependency and combining it with crack when the serious problems started and true dependency takes around 6 weeks of daily heavy smoking of Heroin.
It takes some serious ignorance to just jump into Heroin use at an addicts level and purposely make yourself actually physically dependent on it. I mean you wouldn’t down a full bottle of vodka every day would you?
I am guilty of purposely making myself dependent on it because I have an extremely addictive personality disorder. Most normal people wouldn’t do what I did. Heroin is not bad on its own and smoked I would never ever lie to anyone and tell them it is because it’s simply not true.
In fact it's a total bullshit.
@@stackoverflow1985 it’s probably around less than 1% of users get addicted. Exactly the same as alcoholics or probably much lower as it’s not social acceptable despite being much less harmful or dangerous.
In my experience there's a lot of ppl that try it and never continue to try so they don't become regular users and there's a smaller percentage of ppl that try first time and become addicted like I did.
Jay was the most realistic, truthful, and relatable. Withdrawing does render you useless to do anything, even getting up. The part about praying to die is also very true. Anything to get out of the world you’re in at that moment.
I also agree when you’re just using drugs, you’re not hurting anyone else. Arresting addicts doesn’t help. It just puts them at more of a disadvantage when they’re already probably at rock bottom, making it almost impossible to get out of it.
i would disagree, just using drugs doesn't not hurt anyone else. my abuse of drugs hurt myself and everyone around me. when you're an addict, you're selfish. and that is what hurts everyone around you. my addiction made me selfish, disrespectful, unpredictable, unprofessional, untrustworthy, and completely unreliable.
That withdrawal is felt even the first time you use?
@@hobbitta yup. it's chemical. any drug. when you start to come down you get this gnawing feeling where you want to do more because you physically feel the drop. drugs alter the brain chemically, gives you false feeling because it changes the dopamine and serotonin in your brain. when the drug wears off, you fall further.
People haven't died from it though, it's not like the way benzos and alcohol are dangerous to WD from.
Yes it's awful (I have personal experience with it) but it's not dangerous.
No it's not felt first time, you have to use regularly for a while before you get physically dependant, for me it was idk about 4-5 weeks of daily use before dependence set in but once it does, you're fucked@@hobbitta
I was one of these functional heroin addicts for 7 years straight. Living a middle class life making between 45 and 50 grand a year. It all catches up to everyone eventually. Some sooner than others. 7 years in, and I knew it was time, to choose life or heroin/death. After a few slip ups I’ve been heroin free for over a decade. Married, with 2 children and earning more than I did in addicted days. But it took a lot of trial and tribulation, that only the stigma brings with getting help.
Well done mate, done better than me. Im forever methadone pretty it seems, but I ran a taxi business, got married had a daughter etc and functioned fine - only earning half your amount. Many thanks for sharing.
Why does the thumbnail portray "snorting"
Thats fckin lethal!!
Must be nice having money.
@@ZephyrDazeIt is nice. I calculated one year I spent almost 40k on heroin. now that I'm clean and work a different better job I make much more.
@@ZephyrDaze Yep, sure is. No degree, no rich family member, %100 self made, plus beating a heroin addiction to boot. Hard work, determination, and a bounce back attitude really do pay off.
This was me for majority of my adult life and I’m 34 now, I started using opiates at 19. I graduated college in 2012 being a full blown opiate addict and then switched to fentanyl when it flooded my area only ever sniffing like the woman in the first scene. Until I finally got clean November of 2023 and have been clean since on suboxone. I was always very functioning until I knew I couldn’t do it anymore. Props to anyone battling this addiction and anyone who’s clean. 🙏🏼💜💜
4:34 For some people the choice feels like it is less between drugs and sobriety, and more between drugs and suicide. Thus for certain people that fall into the latter, it feels less like a choice at all and more like sacrificing the quality of their life in order to simply tolerate living enough. That may sound pointless and even contradictory, but if you've been there or seen people close to you there, you know. It's all a self fulfilling prophecy :(
Spot on
I agree with this. A lot of addicts agree with me, if it wasn't for the drugs, I would be dead, plain and simple. It gave me a option to continue to push forward and not just give up but if I would've not had that option, I would've pulled the trigger. I have been off using pills/dope for almost 6 years and not a day goes by that I don't wish I could still use. After all these years it still feels like the only thing I ever truly loved and felt apart of. They were my identity. I have to constantly remind myself of how sick I was all the time and how miserable it was to run out and not be able to score, just waiting and counting each second passing until someone might answer me. I don't ever want to have to live my life like that again, but having the option to escape and feel complete euphoria that nothing in my life has ever been able to replicate, I absolutely miss that.
exactly what it is for me man, life us such i guess, got played a bad hand
100%
very good post.
My ex bf OD’d years ago. He’d been clean & relapsed, but his tolerance wasn’t what it had been. He was such a gifted musician & artist. His addiction was too much for me - I couldn’t be his gf anymore, but we were always close friends. He called me a couple days before he passed but he was so jacked up I couldn’t understand a word he said.
I miss him.
Im so sorry💔💔. I lost my Sis·in·law (who i loved like an actual sister) a few years ago. She'd started using to try to overcome pain from serious childhood trauma, & then spent her life trying to stop. We also spoke a few days before she passed · shed been clean for 2 wks. I begged her that IF she relapsed, to just use a small dose to prevent o/d'ing. She said she wouldn't relapse, but promised me anyhow.
And she initially tried to (she relapsed 2d later), but her trash spouse coaxed her to use more when she was already pretty hi, & then he wouldnt call an ambulance for her when she seemed to not be able to breathe properly (cos he was afraid hed go to jail). I miss her every single day.
Im just soooo sorry you know this pain too.
I'm so sorry, that's heartbreaking. God bless you, may he rest in peace.
I'm sorry for your loss, that's a tough situation to be in. I'm praying for you, your family, and his family as well.
may he rest in peace.
I’ve worked with a heroine addict, absolute great worker when he was on it and very grumpy when he wasn’t on it.
He was a great bloke who had a habit.
That's so me😂
Lmao that's me 😂
The lady’s face in the thumbnail says it all lmao
My mum was a functioning opiate drug user. She died a few years ago (unrelated to drug use) and her funeral was very well attended by people of ALL walks of life. Literally, there was a former prime minister there alongside her work colleagues and a whole host of long term opiate users all paying their respects. She worked, she loved her family, she dealt with the terrible trauma she experienced in a way that allowed her to live a fulfilling life. The only time it was a problem was when she came up against stigma and discrimination from the medical community who really should have known better
Hell yeah. Cheers to your mum.
#EndTheStigma #LiftTheLabel
Kudos to your Mom-and to you for being a voice for people like your Mom.
wow she sounds like a wonderful person.....i hope she rests in peace now
I agree! Shout out to your mom! Rest easy
I was hooked on oxy 80s for years, and i was the most productive ive ever been at work. I got promoted to manager of the dealership and a bunch of other stuff i never thought id do. It is definitely possible to be a functioning addict, what made me quit was being tired of having to do a pill every few hours just to feel good and have energy. Its fun for a while but then ur just doing it to feel normal/to get you out of bed. Never quit trying to quit ppl methadone and suboxone are what helped me quit. The "addiction is a full time job" is the most relatable thing in this video to me. U always gotta make sure u have some, gotta plan when ur gonna get it and how many and then planning out how many to do each day so u dont run short and get sick. . god i do not miss that.
The problem with this is the legality of the drugs that. If we didn’t have illegal drugs then it would be far more realistic to be a functioning user without turning addict.
Ok, let me ask you this? What do you suggest to someone who wants to quit, but gets so much a month, 50-100 grams, uses a quarter or 30 percent of it, and doubles there money on top of it, what’s the incentive for them to quit? Has a relationship, and also has a normal job. It almost seems impossible, because there is no “having to go find it” it’s always there.
I used to hate going on trips bc of all the drug planning I have had to do
@justins794 the incentive to quit will come one day when ur just tired of having to do them as soon as u wake up. Thats what did it for me. But i mean if u enjoy it, it doesnt impact any aspect of ur life negatively who am i to tell u to stop? Thats just my personal experience with them
@justins794 u gotta think about why u want to quit and try and convince urself its just better that way
I’m a recovering addict with 44 years of sobriety. 1980 was my sober year when I overdosed on methadone. I couldn’t find any Heroin. It can be done. Stay safe everyone.
I'm 7, almost 8 months clean. I pray that I'll have 44 years one day. Thank you for sharing.
What does was the methadone?
Jesus dude I've shot 300mg of methadone and been just fine, what dose?
I was so foolish that I didn’t measure the dose. Incredible that I’m still alive. I remember I couldn’t breath and my heart stopped while I was awake. Never again. Blessings to all.
@Devink9820 I've drank a liter was fucked but still here
I was a functioning heroin addict when i had heroin. Without it, i couldnt function at all
I was a "functioning" heroin from 16 to 22 after being thrown out of my childhood home I smoked it never took the deep dive onto a needle but came very close after watching all my friends and family take that path then one day I was shocked to find out I was going to be a father I told myself I could never care for a family and have this addiction I forced myself to purge all of that life spent many days sick and many more yrs fighting the need to use now at 37 I still have days the thought creep up but then I look at my family and the feeling takes a back seat it's there but not in control I thank them everyday for the life that they have given me and the way of life they saved me from I still see friends and family that weren't so luck to find a reason to get out it's sad and hurts me more so knowing that some of the ppl I know wouldn't have found that path in life if I hadn't brought that darkness into there lives and will forever hang over my heart and to those I hurt in my time of darkness I will forever be sorry
Wow, beautifully said. You’ve got insight into life that takes some people lifetimes to achieve. I hope you are proud of all you’ve overcome ❤
You’re a good father
That's great. God bless you and your family.
That’s great, so many individuals end up choosing drugs over family. My dad did.
This makes me very sad for those people. My stepdad was on black tar, and i literally watched him go from a normal looking person to a walking skeleton. I hope all these people are living the lives they deserve
Doesn’t sound like he managed to figure out the “functioning” part in functioning addict.
@@alexanderchaves-th7pc “functioning addict” is just a cope for current addicts that haven’t reached the bottom yet.
It is very bad for a person to be overweight. Everything is a trade-off.
What’s the life they deserve? Do you have to be a certain person in the eyes of society to “deserve” a “good” life?
@@a-love510 I think people in this situation deserve to live a normal and healthy life without the dependency on dangerous and illegal drugs that will kill them. Everyone is worthy of recovery and stability
You can be a functional drug user if you know how to take moderate doses and dont IV it. But “functioning” and thriving are clearly different things
Doing it iv vs snorting or smoking is literally not different at all. I've done all three and it's all the same. IV use is stigmatized
IV wouldn’t be any different it’s the same concept just a stronger more immediate rush, but the effects on your life is the same. I was a semi functional user for 4 years and when I started IVing it it didn’t change much in terms of my life and the consequences
@@sumo-ninja Eh, IV use really is stigmatized but there are concrete difference between ROA's. Like how smoking and snorting is less likely to cause an overdose and it's much more difficult to get an infectious disease from those 2 compared to IV
IV use is visual. All three ingestion methods have physical implications, but long term lung/nose damage is way less obvious than track marks.
thriving ? I never did hard drungs in my life, never thrived in anything so i dont think there is a connection there lol, if youre functioning, youre still better than 70% of the world population.
I was a functioning fentanyl addict..until I wasn't.. lost everything including my kids. I'm not 17 months clean with my own place full time job and full custody of my children back..recovery is possible..you have to WANT IT along with a good support system. I'm now taking course to work as addiction/community support worker 😊
How'd you kick it? Cold turkey or use a medicine?
That’s awesome! You’re absolutely right, you have to want it. Congratulations ❤
Keep Up the good Work 👍🏻
@@CornPopWazABadDudeif you can kick cold Try it first. Everyone I know that’s gone to subs or methadone say the kick is so bad compared to real Oxy
Fentanyl is completely different you cannot keep functioning on that 💯
I bought two grams of opium in college. First time I smoked it (tiny pellet on weed) i felt so amazing, safe warm happy. Before i knew it i was laying on the ground against the wall. I could have been naked laying on broken glass and wouldn't have cared.The next day, i resolved only to use it for special occasions and bc I was afraid of how good it was. That two grams lasted me almost a full eight months. Once it was gone i never bought any opiates again. I was able to resist the temptation but many others can't. I consider myself extremely lucky, even moreso when i found out a few years later my cousin was an addict. He's relapsed 8 times in the years since, but is almost 8 years clean at this point. Harm reduction is key; however unless the person wants to stop and has a support system detox is simply a revolving door.
One of my friends in high school was a functioning heroin user. He was the valedictorian of our class. He finally went to rehab and got clean. He overdosed many times.
Same story but guy didn’t get sober he quit weed then relapsed and over dosed 3 days later
I was a heroin user, on a regular, but I cannot say I was chemically addicted yet, only dependent. I'm very lucky to have lived through circumstances that got me out of the environment of having access to it. But what I've found out after being clean for many years, is that I completely understand why it feels better. Heroin for me was like an anti-anxiety and depression medication. There was no huge side affects for me other than smoking too much made me throw up. Many people who suffer from cptsd, anxiety, depression, and neurodivergent people tend to be drug users because they are, maybe unawaringly, self medicating. I remember the feeling, and it just made me feel like I could breathe for once in my life. I'm obviously not condoning drug use, but I do think there's a very important connection to be made about drug users and self medicating. Often I think to myself that they're medicating themselves to deal with society, because in this terrible world its incredibly hard to not feel the weight of everything around you. Having a crutch isn't just helpful, it's crucial at times. I think we've failed because we demonize users, and completely ignore the root cause of why they're using.
It gives me immense hope to see so many others say they are recovering as well! I've been clean for over 2 years now and I pray others get their sobriety back. God bless each and every one of you!
I was a functioning cocaine user/addict for years. It all catches up in the end. Had a heart attack at 42. Followed by blood cancer. Turns out an eighth a day and weekend binges seriously fucks us up.
if ur binging you arent really functioning.
Who would of thought it 😂😊
Glad 😊 you are doing better
Thanks for the kind words. I consider myself lucky. It could be a lot worse. Have a good Christmas.
i know nothing about taking drugs. i am not claiming expertise. Can you describe a typical eating pattern before your heart attack? so many questions such as did you snack a lot? did you eat more carbohydrates more than clean protein/clean fat? did you drink a lot of soda or alcohol? did you have a lot of sauces and condiments with your meals? of course there is no way to know for sure it was more drugs or foods . i wonder if it was more the food, than the drugs.
The other side of this is that if you are a heroin user who is undercover and largely functional and it gets out it can absolutely destroy your life. Getting found out often pushes people out of work and onto the streets I've seen it happen a bunch of times and it can be a single screw up that in no way impacts anyone, just the hate associated with being a heroin addict, people won't really see anything else.
Yep. I would 1,000,000% NEVER tell an employer I WAS an addict. I've been clean 5+ years but the stigma that comes with them realizing you were an addict destroys your future with them. They no longer trust you.
The fact that even an employer knowing you’re in recovery can cost you your job. I can’t see how that’s not discrimination but it just shows how acceptable a hostile attitude is
I was a functioning meth and opioid user at a high level for 4 years. I was the most productive and competent and dependable person st the company.
One day a random drug test had my name on it and it was over.
I was glad. I could have went to rehab but that isn't my style. There was no way for me to stop my drug use and keep up my level of work.
I'm currently sober now 8 months and looking for a job.
First time sober in 25 years.
I was working full time during the beginning of Covid when I started using. I only snorted it. I was an alcoholic before I started using. Besides the weight loss, no one suspected anything. I just told them I stopped drinking, that's how I lost weight. I was 27 when I first started. I never got in trouble, never had any overdoses or had anyone overdose around me, though I have lost two friends to addiction, but I was definitely losing interest in things that gave me joy, I lost confidence, not to mention the thousands of dollars I spent on it. Thank god i quickly realized that this wasn't the life I wanted to live. I had to quit my job that I loved so much and put myself in rehab. It took three tries, but I'm 30 now and over a year sober. Im slowly building myself back up and I'm pretty proud of myself. To anyone struggling, you're not alone, and there's help available as soon as you're ready to ask for it. ❤
Who do you ask when you feel no one's there?
I’m very proud of you. You’re an inspiration for many people!!
Proud of you 👏🏼 ❤️ stay clean..
Lost so many friends 💔 just takes that one time...one friend was found in a praying position on her knees by her bed..her daughter found her......her father n husband traumatized.
Just not worth it..never!! But YOUR LIFE IS WAY MORE VALUABLE & PRECIOUS please stay clean.
Thank God!
Damn, this hits home hard. Having lost my dad to herion when i wasn't even 2 years old and having a mom who was addicted as well.. Hearing people talk about how its perfectly possible to lead a normal life makes my skin crawl up. That is not the usual story . I've seen many addicts and few were actually functioning. Most of them were just surviving. I understand that we need change and therefore we need to talk about it. Don't know if segments like this do much good though. Maybe its just me, and i shouldn't be watching things like this...
It's not the norm for most people, but understand this is a different perspective, and it is the norm for some. I found this interesting, although i knew it went on. i have never seen it documented
@@leannewilliams9400 Oh i know its a different perspective. And i'm sure there are people to who it is the norm. There are also people who won the big lottery. But they are few. I just think that something like this might enforce a thought in some peoples mind. I guess it illicits a strong emotional feeling in me which honestly isn't really surprising considering circumstances. To anyone thinking they can make it a norm, please don't try. Don't become a statistic. I'm not saying you can't have a day of fun but don't cross the line into a lifetime of misery.
Yeah I do not know very many “functioning” heroin addicts. That drug completely takes control of your life, it has with mine that’s for sure.
My older brother has the exact same story about his father. My brother ended up destroying his family to alcohol and cheating on his wife. There is no such thing as a functioning drug addict or alcoholic. It is noted by everyone in this documentary. Plus how many innocent lives have been taken by DUI's or DWI's.
Maybe it’s their perception that they are “functioning,” while in reality it’s not exactly that way. Alcoholics do the same and they don’t realize how other people notice that they are under influence. It’s just that people whisper rather than speak directly. If one is well off, has bank account set up to pay bills and nannies to take care of kids, the “light” addiction won’t be a huge impediment to living. That said, I just cannot understand that anyone wants a drug to control his or her life. It also gives me shivers to have my brain fuzzy. I like to be clear minded with several glasses of good wine taking the edge off. But, I am afraid that we will see more and more addictions as machines are replacing people at work and as people socialize less, especially in the US where social life is built around having some kind of success to brag about. When people are not successful they alienate themselves from other people. And then shrinks and rehabs replace friends and family. I am sorry for your personal experience with that devastating drug and I wish you have created your own safer environment.
I'm a teacher and one of my colleagues was a high functioning user. Every so often he would come in with creased clothes and look a bit drained but apart from that, he was fine. I'd say the amount of boozers/heavy drinkers is a big problem. I don't know if they are alcohol dependent but a lot of teachers are drinking most nights to dull down the stress.
as a big problem it is
and dope users many a time drink too beside that not using is something different than be free
Well well done. I met a guy in jail who'd been doing heroin for decades. He told me he was a functioning heroin addict and I'd never heard of such a thing, but I'd really never been around heroin users either. It did blow my preconceptions though. All in all, we tend or want to glamorize drug use, being heroin, alcohol, but the reality is they are all detrimental to health.
I was a functioning heroin addict and lost everything after 5-6 years... I'm clean now and have a different life. If you're watching this and struggling with addiction, please know you're not alone and getting clean is possible.
Yeah, that's about how long it took for me too. Looking back, I don't even know how I kept it up that long.
Congrats on getting clean to you both 🎉
Respect for getting clean.
Near the end, when she asked “how does the detox feel” and jay answered “you feel useless to the world” - yea. Very much so. But I wish there were words to describe how horrific it actually is. I hate when doctors say “it’s similar to the flu.” Absoulty tf not, if that were the case I could have easily detoxed myself without much fear so many times before. For people who don’t know the feeling- the best way I could ever explain it is: you’re freezing, no matter what everything is ice cold but at the same time you are constantly pouring sweat. Your entire body hurts, you are so tired but your brain/body is completely restless. There is zero comfort physically and mentally, you can’t sit still, there’s a never ending feeling of expending doom. You’re nauseous and puking non stop, but also so dehydrated. Food has no appeal, nothing taste ok. You can smell everything intensely, like a super power for smells but everything smells disgusting. But the mental… nothing compares to the mental. Your home doesn’t look or feel like home, your friends and family feel like strangers, you’re terrified that you will be stuck in this state forever. You feel like there is a dark presence with you at all times. It could be the most beautiful day but it feels dark, gray, depressing. Zero dopamine. Not a single ounce of happiness.
And my words barely scratch the surface. I’m grateful to be almost two years off opiates, I’m not religious but I do feel H has a connection to hell if there is a hell.
If you think about the fact so many people want to quit and just have to go through five days of torture. It seems like such a short period of time. But the fact it keeps us out, for years and years. Some of us our whole life. Because we’re are terrified to feel what we feel in those five days. That’s the best way to put into perspective how terrible the detox is.
You got it. I remember every single WD I’ll ever had it’s insane, just throw me in hell instead. The smells?!!! I have ptsd from all my WD
@@stpdncr me too! The PTSD. I always tell my partner how I have vivid nightmares every single night where I’m in full blown WD, I feel all of it. As I am searching for my drug to relieve me but every-time I find the drug, before I could use it.. I wake up
Wow you described it as best as possible. Your rite though in everything you said
@@J_Rain3 oh damn yah I’m like a fiend in those dreams too!! Crazy how our mind works. Oooof a constant reminder it’s not worth it at the end of the day…we’ll be much better off at the end.
Just me sweating from doing work makes me think of the wd .
I used IV heroin for 15 years. Got onto Suboxone and have been off the needle since. Probably going on 5 years now. Currently, I work as a peer counselor helping others that are struggling learn harm reduction skills, because frankly that is what saved my life. From my experience I've seen that strict sobriety is too steep an ask for most people in the beginning. Total sobriety doesn't even have to be your goal and that's okay. I changed my relationship with drugs and alcohol and have made recovery my own. At last, I don't feel guilty about being me anymore. I have a long way to go, but it's all about the journey anyway. The stigma against addiction is destructive. I thought the video did a great job at encapsulating the many faces of heroin addiction. Love to everyone :)
Exactly the same. The only difference for me would be the amount of time, but everything else is exactly the same. Heroin addict for way too long, moved to Suboxone, and have been majority clean ever since. Minus one or two hiccups, for over 5 years. And now work at a rehab facility trying to help others. Everyone is different, some can stop all at once, but for most that's too much..
do you still take subs?
@@chronicillz1879 I do
"total sobriety doesn't have to be your goal and that's ok"
No it's not
@@topgeorge6908 You're not the arbiter of what's okay...
AMO ESTE TIPO DE INFORMACIÓN EXCELENTE ❤❤❤
looking back on my 18yr opiate use and abuse, i can honestly say that it wasn't until they started taking my prescriptions away, and messing around with what opiates i was being given, that i actually started to show signs of "addiction", i had never even used heroin until they cut back on my oxy script, and i had never engaged in drug dealer behaviour up until that point either.
*these doctors made me an addict than cut off my supply when public sentiment turned against them*
i'm not trying to say my life was better while i was using as i'm just under 8 years clean and sober and i wouldn't trade it for anything, what i am saying though is that the criminalization of opiate use _directly_ led me into criminality. crimes that i would have _never_ partook in.
Do u sometimes wonder if this was intentional?
What authority should law enforcement have over a medical professional and their patient?
The pill mills I understand. But a lot of people are in serious pain.
Glad you shared this as I've heard this case a million times over. The doctors need to take some accountability.
This happened to me too. 3.5yrs clean and sober now. But the years after they ripped me off pain meds and I found heroin were rough. I’ll await enforcement should stay out of the doctor patient relationship.
Glad to hear someone who went though a similar situation found their way to sobriety as well! If anyone out there needs to read this today, there is hope. I’ve been to the valley of the shadow and back again, so I know what it’s like to climb back into life. There’s always hope.
There’s actually a fascinating study in the UK where they believe it’s the supply issues and not the person that’s the problem. So they give out govt manufactured heroin to a couple thousand people and their lives have VASTLY improved
@@Dontbelieve9can you link it please
At the very end when she says 'you have to have something to do' is such good advice. Having a passion that you can think about and explore from another perspective when you are high and then look forward to doing when sober is a savior.
I´m a bit disappointed that you didn't interview people that are part of the very successful Heroin Addiction Treatment programs they started offering addicts in Switzerland, and in several other European countries. There's a lot of successful stories to follow up there!
so youre disappointed that they didnt randomly pick one program out of thousands? ok....?
I was addicted to strong painkillers for 4 years and never missed a days work i can remember having to go to work whilst withdrawing when i couldnt get hold of any painkillers im so glad im free from the chains of addiction i would never take one ever again
In Richmond VA, there was a city councilman, who was a functioning heroin addict for 20+ years. No one outside his family knew, until he was caught purchasing it. He supposedly started during his service in Vietnam or afterwards.
I lived in Richmond for about 16 years. I remember this! In the mid 2000's he got caught I believe.
He is not the only one I bet either
Typical government official
@@ladyhotep5189what happened to him? Did he lose his career?
Heroin addiction was really huge problem in Vietnam back in early 2000s. Its understandable why the guy u guys mentioned above started functioning heroin. golden triangle nearby, tons of heroin moved into Vietnam and got exported around the world. Fortunately, things has got much better
I always thought I'm a functioning Heroin Userfor 5 years. Till I realized I wasn't. I often called in sick at work, I lived near the Dutch border and got caught with 15g of heroin. They arrested me for 3 days in the Netherlands and I left with heavy withdrawal and totally destroyed. When I arrived at home I saw a letter in the mailbox from my work, they fired me. That was the point I got into substitution and from there my life was getting better. That was 1 year and 2 weeks ago.
As a recovering addict, the only reason why they are “functioning” addicts is because they haven’t had to go without…any of them that can’t score for a period of time and go through withdrawals would discover that they are just lying to themselves
They have the discipline not to use every second of their existence to get high n sell everything for the next one
That man said he takes it 3 times a day.
I’m sure they have. Basically all addicts are gonna have to deal with outages at some point.
Well if you’re a functioning addict you don’t have to worry about our going without.
Depends on the drug….i would use coke, crack, ecstasy on weekends, holidays but then work a F/T job and 2 P/T jobs throughout the week. I didn’t use unless I didn’t have work the next day. Did that all throughout my 20’s and early 30’s. I’m in my 40’s now and have a teen son so I don’t use at all. Haven’t since 2010.
I was functional in the first few years, but as time went by it got gradually worse. I’m so glad to be free from this drug for almost ten years now.
I guess it all depends on your definition of functioning. Yes you can take it and go about your daily tasks, but you better always have the money and ability to find it whenever you need it. The minute you can't, forget it. Can't be dope sick and work, so here comes the call-ins, or the I'm running lates until your able to get right again. And obviously, a job isnt going to put up with that for long. So it's a very slippery slope and absolutely not worth it!!
Well said.
Facts
never shot heroin only sniffed it for nearly 10 years and held a job as an executive chef. never missed a day of work. methadone is part of the reason why i was able to hold my job because on a day where i couldnt get dope i would have my methadone to get me through. i am now off heroin and methadone going on one year
💪🏽
@@DJSLANKMAN thanks my friend for the support
Good for you!! I haven't used heroin in years but I am on methadone. It's been a number of years. I only go to clinic once a month and they give me pills to take home but that was after having clean drug screens for 2 years straight. I have physical issues tho. I need 2 knee replacement and a hip replacement. Maybe there is some future of needing no pills after those surgeries. That's the hope anyway.
@@ladyhotep5189good on you too!
I have to ask, which country are you in ? Because I have years of clean samples, but I still am going every damn week and it’s kind of a hassle.
I have even lowered my dose down considerably. Almost half.
But still every week.
I have been at the same clinic but multiple doctors come and go. It’s like a factory line sometimes .
I was on heroin for two years then fentanyl for two years. I got into the methadone treatment in 2021, and I have been doing amazing in my recovery treatment. I started at 95 mg and I'm down to 20 mg. I never used methadone as a substitute. I quit heroin completely once starting methadone. That's the whole point of the clinic, lol. Anyways I plan to quit methadone soon as well, how bad are the withdrawals and what can I use to help me? How long will it last? I'm a 23 yr old healthy female. I'm just curious. I heard the withdrawals were worse off methadone bc it's longer.v
As someone who is also in recovery, this was interesting to watch. I found the poet's comments to be a bit off base. I survived after twenty years of heroin addiction. I have seen folks from all walks become full-on junkies and lose everything. Sure you can function and go to work every day. However, the pain of living as a so-called functioning addict is unbearable. Today I know I wasn’t living at all. I see beauty today, I have real healthy relationships and travel frequently . My heroin use was not without consequences as my drug use had serious impacts on my health and resulted in kidney issues which are under control today. Long story short there is no such thing as a functioning addict. Heroin is a road filled with suffering and loss, that's only if you survive. I'm forty-three and the majority if not all I started with are gone. Recovery is possible and if you are reading this and are struggling you too can recover. ❤
Yup the ppl that are "functioning" is total b.s imo, I don't think it's possible to do heroin everyday and be "functioning" you'll quickly see if you get sober how unfcuntional it was
Im so proud of you! And yes, you can say you enjoy life but truly thats the chemicals making you feel happy. I hope I will see the beauty in life again and feel like it will be worth it to be sober!
"my life would be dull"
Like it isn't already? Hope he learns to choose love ❤
My girl was a very successful paralegal at a law firm and shot heroin and CHUGGED vodka for 20 years. As soon as it turned to fentenyl everything fell apart for her. We both have been clean for several years. I quit 7 years ago....I was far from functioning!