Five Moms in The Hill!

great info..didn't know this was such a big problem

Hello, I am a Psychiatrist and run The Detox Clinic of Hattiesburg. I have a patient, a nurse I am currently treating for DXM Dependence. I am using a technique called opioid replacement therapy with the medication buprenorphine (Suboxone) with good results so far. She feels much better and has no cravings for DXM. See my website for further info:www.drpasser.com

There will always be a certain percentage of the general population (children included) that chooses to use drugs. No amount of legislation, monitoring, or restrictions will "curb this trend." Think about the pattern of drug (ab)use in America over the last 100 years. During the first part of the 20th century, cocaine and opium were popular. After they were made illegal, use declined but did not disappear. In their place, other drugs took hold such as morphine. During the alcohol prohibition, marijuana became more widely used as a substitute. It seems (some of) us humans are always trying to augment our consciousness in some way or another. And if one method of doing so is blocked, we simply find another, and another, ad nauseam.

My point here is this: The war on drugs has not, and will not, succeed. The current mentality of most anti-drug groups is adversarial in nature and serves only to alienate and hurt the very people it claims to aim to protect. What can be done, however, is to educate people. To end the war on drugs is to stop skewing the facts and spreading fear-mongering propaganda. Instead, focus on teaching people how to use drugs responsibly, and promote harm reduction rather than abstinence. Leave the choice, and the ultimate responsibility, up to the individual.

Good luck with your newspaper and campaign :)

dear dex head420,

How many drugs have you been on? Is there a way to use harmful drugs responsibly outside of medical care? How can anyone assume someone will be responsible given that state of drunk driving in our country as it is? Flash backs, bad trips, and just plain withdrawl are problems that are bad enough with legislation preventing the LEGAL use of these harmful substances. Haven't we learned anything from that yet? I am all for individual rights, as long as your individual rights aren't trampling all over me and my family. My right to freedom of my belief, to freedom of a life without somebody on a drug putting a knife towards me or my children, without having to stay in my apartment so the local group of druggies can have there local weekly party on the front porch of our apartment house because I don't have a phone, and everyone else is too scared to call. IF it was legal, they would have killed us all with the stuff they did, because they thought that NOTHING COULD HURT THEM ANYWAY. They were better then everyone else. They were cool, and in control. How does your theory help people like that?

D-Rag: Inflammatory, abusive posts containing such rampant spelling and grammar errors are not helping the discussion. You make a few valid points, but your childish insults and character assassination effectively destroy any credibility you might have had. Just because there are more harmful/different drugs out there does not rationalize the use of DXM.

Lisa F: How many drugs have I been on? I'm not sure what you mean; I've tried my fair share, but I'm more or less sober these days.

There is most certainly a way to use "harmful drugs" responsibly outside of medical care. It isn't easy, but as long as the user knows what they are doing and understands psychopharmacology, all it takes is common sense and self control to be responsible. Assuming that others will be responsible is foolish.

As you mentioned, drunk driving is a prime example of blatant reckless behavior with a mind-altering substance. However, while it is legal to drink, it is not legal to operate a vehicle while under the influence. Drunk drivers, like drugged drivers, are irresponsible criminals who are referred to treatment/rehabilitation when caught. But the behavior of those who choose to endanger everyone on the road by driving drunk does not represent the majority of drinkers, just as the behavior of a few moronic teens does not represent the majority of drug users. Should alcohol be made illegal to reduce drunk driving? If I remember correctly, we tried that once, and the prohibition resulted in disaster.

Flash backs, bad trips, and withdrawals are risks that every responsible drug user is well aware of. These negative symptoms can be mostly avoided with careful use though.

You claim to advocate individual rights, but allude that my drug use is "trampling all over you and your family." I am truly sorry that you live in an area where drug users behave
in such an awful way. Their actions are an example of extremely reckless and irresponsible use. I do not condone such behavior. But remember that these idiots are a minority of users and probably would act rude and abrasive whether or not they were high. I fail to see how my decision to chug a few bottles of cough medicine in the privacy of my own home interferes with the activities of you and your family.

If people make the decision to behave irresponsibly with alcohol or other drugs, it's a personal issue. Like I've said before: it's not the drugs that cause problems, it's the people taking them. The actions of addicts and criminals shouldn't ruin the fun for those of us considerate, responsible users.