Oregon: drug legalization

[neurosis]

I'd love to hear that story. I hear a lot of fascinating, maybe even miraculous stories from some of the ministries I'm involved with.

When I was 17 year old I already lived on my own. I'd run away from home at 16. Mostly lived on friends couches or out of my car.

I was at a big outdoor party one night. There were probably 30 people there. Most of us were high on acid and meth. We all pitched in on a keg so we were drinking. We were so high that we couldn't really get drunk.

We decided to start a bon fire for light and to keep warm. We were going to be there all night. We were having a hard time getting the fire started so some genius had the bright idea to use gasoline to help get it started.

He went to splash some gas on the fire and the fire followed the stream straight to the gas can and caught the gas can on fire. The tried to throw the can to get rid of it and threw it right over the top of my head.

I felt gas splash me in the chest and chin and then watched the stream of fired through the air follow the splash that hit me right to my chest.

We were about 20ft from the Green River so my first thought was to jump in the river. Luckily the guy standing next to me thought fast enough to stop me before I made a break for it.  He threw his coat on me and put me out before I got burned too bad.

I had to spend 8 days in the Harborview burn ward in Seattle. I had third-degree burns under one arm and second-degree burns under the other arm, on my chest, and on my chin.  I had some lighter burns on my face. My t-shirt had melted in to my chest and arms. There was almost nothing left of the front of the shirt.

When I woke up a couple of days later in Harborview I decided that I needed to find a different group of friends to hang out with and re-think some of my life choices before I ended up killing myself. That was the last time I did any of those types of drugs. 

I say "those types" because I still drink on weekends. I've smoked pot about 5 times in the last 34 years and that was when I had surgery on my eye (cancer). Marijuana just isn't my thing.   

[beej]

When I was 17 year old I already lived on my own. I'd run away from home at 16. Mostly lived on friends couches or out of my car.

I was at a big outdoor party one night. There were probably 30 people there. Most of us were high on acid and meth. We all pitched in on a keg so we were drinking. We were so high that we couldn't really get drunk.

We decided to start a bon fire for light and to keep warm. We were going to be there all night. We were having a hard time getting the fire started so some genius had the bright idea to use gasoline to help get it started.

He went to splash some gas on the fire and the fire followed the stream straight to the gas can and caught the gas can on fire. The tried to throw the can to get rid of it and threw it right over the top of my head.

I felt gas splash me in the chest and chin and then watched the stream of fired through the air follow the splash that hit me right to my chest.

We were about 20ft from the Green River so my first thought was to jump in the river. Luckily the guy standing next to me thought fast enough to stop me before I made a break for it.  He threw his coat on me and put me out before I got burned too bad.

I had to spend 8 days in the Harborview burn ward in Seattle. I had third-degree burns under one arm and second-degree burns under the other arm, on my chest, and on my chin.  I had some lighter burns on my face. My t-shirt had melted in to my chest and arms. There was almost nothing left of the front of the shirt.

When I woke up a couple of days later in Harborview I decided that I needed to find a different group of friends to hang out with and re-think some of my life choices before I ended up killing myself. That was the last time I did any of those types of drugs. 

I say "those types" because I still drink on weekends. I've smoked pot about 5 times in the last 34 years and that was when I had surgery on my eye (cancer). Marijuana just isn't my thing.   

That is quite a testimony. I'm glad you made it.

[Incogneeto]

When I was 17 year old I already lived on my own. I'd run away from home at 16. Mostly lived on friends couches or out of my car.

I was at a big outdoor party one night. There were probably 30 people there. Most of us were high on acid and meth. We all pitched in on a keg so we were drinking. We were so high that we couldn't really get drunk.

We decided to start a bon fire for light and to keep warm. We were going to be there all night. We were having a hard time getting the fire started so some genius had the bright idea to use gasoline to help get it started.

He went to splash some gas on the fire and the fire followed the stream straight to the gas can and caught the gas can on fire. The tried to throw the can to get rid of it and threw it right over the top of my head.

I felt gas splash me in the chest and chin and then watched the stream of fired through the air follow the splash that hit me right to my chest.

We were about 20ft from the Green River so my first thought was to jump in the river. Luckily the guy standing next to me thought fast enough to stop me before I made a break for it.  He threw his coat on me and put me out before I got burned too bad.

I had to spend 8 days in the Harborview burn ward in Seattle. I had third-degree burns under one arm and second-degree burns under the other arm, on my chest, and on my chin.  I had some lighter burns on my face. My t-shirt had melted in to my chest and arms. There was almost nothing left of the front of the shirt.

When I woke up a couple of days later in Harborview I decided that I needed to find a different group of friends to hang out with and re-think some of my life choices before I ended up killing myself. That was the last time I did any of those types of drugs. 

I say "those types" because I still drink on weekends. I've smoked pot about 5 times in the last 34 years and that was when I had surgery on my eye (cancer). Marijuana just isn't my thing.   

Meh..

Been there done that.

I really have...But not as bad as yours...JK N.

[DUM1]

shameful situation the .guv has become .
find it difficult to say the least to keep paying taxes to the crooks running the show.
seems futile to be the normal everyday citizen picking up the tab for these abuses.
fanning the fire is all they seem to do now days.
seeing the messes first hand is heart breaking.
its all around where I work because there's a shelter and a food bank 2 blocks away that I drive by twice a day.
I see people smoking crack and shooting up right in front of the county jail which is right across the street .
the city police motor pool is right there too , they just drive by people wacked out smoking crack all the time.
sad thing is I'm afraid to jay walk because I know I'll get a ticket. or worse maybe shot by a wacked out cop .

cant wait to move to another rural state thats still red , soon I hope

[Incogneeto]

shameful situation the .guv has become .
find it difficult to say the least to keep paying taxes to the crooks running the show.
seems futile to be the normal everyday citizen picking up the tab for these abuses.
fanning the fire is all they seem to do now days.
seeing the messes first hand is heart breaking.
its all around where I work because there's a shelter and a food bank 2 blocks away that I drive by twice a day.
I see people smoking crack and shooting up right in front of the county jail which is right across the street .
the city police motor pool is right there too , they just drive by people wacked out smoking crack all the time.
sad thing is I'm afraid to jay walk because I know I'll get a ticket. or worse maybe shot by a wacked out cop .

cant wait to move to another rural state thats still red , soon I hope

E'ville is officially a Cracktown. Meth has overrun it.

[Brian]

When I woke up a couple of days later in Harborview I decided that I needed to find a different group of friends to hang out with and re-think some of my life choices before I ended up killing myself. That was the last time I did any of those types of drugs. 

Man, that's quite a story! I'm glad you're still with us!

It's always been fascinating to me to think about all of the forces in the world that are greater than ourselves, and how we can (or sometimes) can't get our heads around this. How fragile, and yet resilient, we are.

I feel fortunate that I've never really had anything get ahold of me!

Cheers, Brian

[Matthew Hajicek]

As I understand it, the price of drugs is high, and the quality low (you never know how much fentanyl it's cut with, or what process chemicals are left in it) because the manufacturing and distribution is illegal.  Legalize manufacturing and distribution, make it subject to FDA quality standards, price comes down, and it gets much safer.  Then it can be treated like the health problem it is, without all the organized crime and violence.

[CNCAppsJames]

As a recovering drug addict myself, I really don't have much sympathy for the addicts themselves. They choose/chose that life/lifestyle. Their loved ones however... more often than not they bear the true burden of that addiction and they don't get a vote in that ordeal.

[Jim at Gentex]

My wife was given fentanyl for kidney stones a few months ago. they had tried other drugs first but nothing was alleviating the pain. I'm not sure what the dosage was, though.

Fentanyl is also prescribed for long-term pain management in cancer patients.
One of the popular delivery methods is the transdermal patch that delivers a steady small dose over many hours.

The problem around here where I live is that those patches are often stolen and used by people to get high.
Kids basically cut them open and ingest the contents.

The problem is that some people don't realize how potent the drug is in that time-released form if taken all at once.

I lost two cousins that way.   

[thad]

I was told the the doctors give fentanyl to the patients when they're doing a colonoscopy. You would think they could find something else.

The EMTs who came in the ambulance gave my wife fentanyl when she slipped on the stairs and broke her back a year ago.

[BrianP.]

If you have made it out the other side good for you. For whatever reason no one knows why some people just can't break free. Whether it is genetic or psychological they really can't figure out. Just lost my brother May 21st. He used alcohol to self medicate. Just as much of a drug as anything else. This October will be 16 years that I have not drank. Kinda knew where I was heading and said fuck that. Why could I and not my brother put it down? We will never know. We miss him terribly and remember him as he was before the booze took over.

[neurosis]

This October will be 16 years that I have not drank. Kinda knew where I was heading and said fuck that. Why could I and not my brother put it down? We will never know. We miss him terribly and remember him as he was before the booze took over

I always take a couple of two to three month drinking hiatus every year. One after the holidays, and one after my birthday.  I never drink on days that I have to work the next day.

The deal with myself is, once I can't adhere to those rules, I'll stop for good. 

In my opinion, drinking is far worse than Marijuana. It destroys families and relationships. I've known several people over the years who have drank themselves to death.  It's sad to watch.  I worked with a guy that used to hide a 7up mixed with Canadian Mist in his desk at work. He couldn't function without a drink in him. 

Kudos on quitting. Sorry to hear about your brother.   

[Jim at Gentex]

Just lost my brother May 21st. He used alcohol to self medicate. Just as much of a drug as anything else.
 

Very sorry to hear about your brother.
Losing someone is always tough, and it seems even worse when it is self-inflicted.

I'm also glad you were able to recognize yourself falling into that same pattern, and you were able to take action before it was too late.

I never drink on days that I have to work the next day.

That's pretty much a life rule for me too.

I joke about drinking, but quite honestly I have a beer or two a couple nights a week at most.
If meh wifey and I are going to sit out by the fire pit for a few hours on a warm Friday night, I may indulge in a few more than usual.
If I have work or church the next day I just skip the beers, period.

I worked with a guy that used to hide a 7up mixed with Canadian Mist in his desk at work. He couldn't function without a drink in him. 

I'm sure we all have similar stories along those lines.
I had a co-worker, Joe, who I became good friends with, and our wives were also co-workers and friends, so we hung out together quite a bit when we were younger.  Our kids were the same age, so we mostly hung out at our house or theirs, playing cards or board games, and we drank a few beers together. But Joe also always had a bottle of whiskey on the side every time we were together. 

I watched him go from sipping a shot or two for the whole night to polishing off a whole fifth in just a few hours.  He started getting in trouble at work for making too many mistakes, and he eventually lost his job because he became enraged whenever his boss confronted him about his poor work, for which Joe ALWAYS blamed someone else.  He also became more verbally abusive to his wife when he was drinking, and it got to the point where my wife and I didn't even want to hang around with him anymore.  I tried talking to him many times, but he just blew me off too.
It was sad. 

Eventually his wife was ready to divorce him, and he came very close to dying from liver failure.  Thankfully his near-death experience helped him to get serious about his drinking, and he was able to quit.  We grew apart after that, and I haven't seen him in years, but I was glad he didn't actually kill himself with the booze.   

[Matthew Hajicek]

Covid decided for me.  Ever since I had it I can't have a drink without getting a splitting headache.  It knocked out my insulin cells too.

[mkd]

. Just lost my brother May 21st

Sorry for your loss but congrats on your continued sobriety.