An unsettling evening walk...

[GravitySucks]

...and then there's Keith Richards.

William Burroughs...

 

[jimandthom]

Funny thing we live in a premier neighborhood. Great school district, houses on 1 acre lots, mature landscapes and hills.
I think some might even say affluent. Ive learned Drug addiction happens everywhere.. it cost a good friend his marriage of 20 years, for her it was prescriptions pills and one crash too many.
If i put my hose up tomorrow for $500k their would be 30-50 people at the open house and a bidding war.

Goes to show that the issue is not in "those" sections of towns. It wasn't until the deaths from opiods and the other fallout hit the middle class did it become an issue.

I can assure you that even in the late 60s early it didn't take much effort to find any drug and -----shhhhh----- we didn't have to go to the areas where "those" people lived. We lived in typical suburbia, house upon house etc.

And more than likely, if you/we were to read stories of prohibition all we would have to do is change the product and date and the stories would read the same.

 

[pacergal]

Sadly, Addiction hits all ages and incomes, no distinction.
I have lived in areas where it was out there and very visible, and where it is more hidden.
Currently in a very quiet, safe neighborhood, but still don't go out walking around by myself after dark.

 

[marko]

I can assure you that even in the late 60s early it didn't take much effort to find any drug and -----shhhhh----- we didn't have to go to the areas where "those" people lived. We lived in typical suburbia, house upon house etc.

I remember in the early 60's where a very upscale town near us had a big drug problem eventually leading to a big state police raid right on the streets downtown.

Here's the thing: at least around here, it wasn't a poor kid problem back then; it was mostly bored rich kids who had nothing to do all summer but party and get spaced out.

Mild, perhaps by today's standards but we did have two kids drown after falling off of daddy's big boat while whacked on LSD.

 

[GravitySucks]

Why the rush to conclusion that he's an opioid addict? OP says the gentleman is beefier than before, most opiate addicts I've met get thin and weak.

 

[Mdlerth]

Safest place to be after dark is in bed... your OWN bed, that is

Currently in a very quiet, safe neighborhood, but still don't go out walking around by myself after dark.

This is a good safety practice even if you don't live among junkies.

We walk our dogs late at night and before sunrise to avoid paw burns from the hot pavement, but our crumbling, uneven asphalt presents a tripping hazard. I am at far higher risk of injury from falling in the darkness than from crackheads, muggers, rapists, coyotes, bears, skunks, etc.

 

[target2019]

First article came out today.
https://www.inquirer.com/news/opioid-painkiller-pill-sales-dea-data-philadelphia-20190731.html

Second one covers the long view of drugs.
https://www.inquirer.com/philly/news/kensington-opioid-crisis-history-philly-heroin-20180123.html

Every city has a similar area. But only one city can claim Rocky lived there.

 

[robnplunder]

What was the sentence when he was caught?

I didn't hear any follow up story post the arrest.

 

[Choices]

I know two families whose athlete sons moved to heroin use after really bad sports injuries. Both became dependent on pain pills and when those supplies ended, heroin was there. In Boulder, one could buy heroin for $5 a hit...much cheaper than a six of Bud.
Last I knew one was a returnee to a halfway house and the other was “ working” in the family business. I hope they can maintain their sobriety.

 

[jimandthom]

I remember in the early 60's where a very upscale town near us had a big drug problem eventually leading to a big state police raid right on the streets downtown.

Here's the thing: at least around here, it wasn't a poor kid problem back then; it was mostly bored rich kids who had nothing to do all summer but party and get spaced out.

Mild, perhaps by today's standards but we did have two kids drown after falling off of daddy's big boat while whacked on LSD.

Absolutely the case. Just to add though that it wasn't just the summer. It was all year, easy to find and cheap. I don't really recall the $$ to much anymore but black beauties were maybe .50 ea an oz was like $10-15

But just like now, it wasn't until OMG, the white teenagers are druggies now that the issues came to forefront.

 

[John Galt III]

What I don't get is why they start drugging in the first place? Suicidal? Stupid? Peer pressure? Socially acceptable to be a drug addict now? Cool? Got hooked on prescription pills for injury pain? I remember the big ad campaign against drugs in the 60's and 70's. "Here's your brain on drugs". Don't see any anti-drug TV ads today. Just ads for "if you are already hooked, call this number for taxpayer-funded help".

 

[MRG]

Drugs are everywhere, especially in well-to-do neighborhoods now that Oxy is so hard to get. The replacement is heroin, which can be delivered in 20 minutes if you know who to call.

Sadly very true.

I have cspine issues that can cause horrific pain. I just had one and my then PCP told me "people like you fell through the cracks" when I explained the pain I had. I asked what she expected me to do, buy heroin? She walked out the door!

I would use a bullet first; however kratom is legal here and does help.

 

[kgtest]

What I don't get is why they start drugging in the first place? Suicidal? Stupid? Peer pressure? Socially acceptable to be a drug addict now? Cool? Got hooked on prescription pills for injury pain? I remember the big ad campaign against drugs in the 60's and 70's. "Here's your brain on drugs". Don't see any anti-drug TV ads today. Just ads for "if you are already hooked, call this number for taxpayer-funded help".

All of the above? Sounds like you understand it completely.

 

[jimandthom]

What I don't get is why they start drugging in the first place? Suicidal? Stupid? Peer pressure? Socially acceptable to be a drug addict now? Cool? Got hooked on prescription pills for injury pain? I remember the big ad campaign against drugs in the 60's and 70's. "Here's your brain on drugs". Don't see any anti-drug TV ads today. Just ads for "if you are already hooked, call this number for taxpayer-funded help".

For the very same reason to grab a couple of the ol mans cigarettes, grab a beer or two from the fridge.

No different now.

 

[MRG]

+100

Some folks drink a couple beers and enjoy the feeling; for others it can be the start an adventure. Somewhere there's a saying about one beer is too many and a thousand isn't enough.......

Addiction takes many forms, substances change over time and availability. Humans have been addicted to them since the dawn of our existence yet we still fail to understand the disease.

It's odd to me that animals do not naturally become addicted to substances. Sure occasionally there's drunken bears from fermenting apples but there's no alcoholic bears. Humans use animals to test addictive substances but it has to be artificially induced. Ever wonder why?

For the very same reason to grab a couple of the ol mans cigarettes, grab a beer or two from the fridge.

No different now.

 

[Kroeran]

Maybe I did not track the above story precisely, but as a generic comment, I think it’s never a safe thing to confront or engage a sociopathic person in the vicinity of your home.

If anything, register zero interest, so that if they are followed up by law or condo management, you do not jump to mind.

Take appropriate actions anonymously.

A crazy sadist can make your life a misery. A rational sociopath can leverage the law against you.

Beyond this, anywhere, do not engage buttholes with nothing to lose when you have much to lose.

 

[zippy2020]

Where ? Take a close look at just about any city, even rural areas, you will find the same Gated communities or uber wealthy areas excepted.

Ummm....I don't think so. Having $$$$ just means the dealer delivers so you don't have to stand around on street corners. The list of celebrities, movie stars, and third-generation wealthy who have died from ODs is very, very, very long.

 

[rayinpenn]

What a difference a few days can make.. The angry fellow just stopped as I was having my evening walk. We had a nice chat. I noticed today he was talking clearly and completely lucid. He drifted a bit last time. No I dont think it was drugs just after effect of having a huge tumor removed and some kind of new “Knife” technology. He said it was benign... I sincerly hope so.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Probably cyber knife technology. My DIL had a baseball size brain tumor removed on her brain stem. It was also benign which is rare.