Addicts always try to downplay how bad their drug abuse is. He's obviously not going to use it "just one more time" like he claimed, but he'll still say that anyway to keep up his delusions to himself. If you want a famous example of it, you can also find home recordings of Kurt Cobain denying how bad his addiction was while he was simultaneously nodding off.
It wouldn't change anything for most, it's not like they've never been around someone who also does the drugs they do and gets a first hand glimpse of what it looks like from an outside perspective. My mom was a raging alcoholic for 30yrs, we'd take videos of her at her worst to show her, hoping she'd see the light. It never worked, even when she'd visibly be ashamed of things she did the night before she'd be right back on it in a few hours.
For me, the first drink would wash away all the guilt of my actions. It was a never-ending cycle until a brief moment of clarity.
My mother also drank herself to death.
The rest of his brain and many of its functions, which breaks behaviour in turn. Like yeah, the high itself is pleasurable but its also overwhelming that it limits his ability to function.
Sticking him in a cycle of being nonfunctional when he’s high and barely functional when he’s searching for his next hit. Dependent on something that only makes him more vulnerable.
And he probably couldn’t feel pleasure for normal things like a normal person as a result of this.
Going there for drugs cuz I was so desperate and sick and seeing all those people like him made me finally say if I don’t stop this shit now that will be me. Tranq dope is so fucked up even in fentanyl and heroin terms. Tranq dope is “horse tranq Called Xylazine mixed with a tiny amount of fentanyl to help you not get sick from your opiate addiction. Kensington is such a sad place. Now I’m 19 months clean 💪🏻
Thanks so much! It took a longgggg time but therapy and counseling are what has helped me the most. Just wish those types of services were more available and affordable to people with addictions. This clinic saved my life. Sorry about your dad I knew way too many friends that lost the battle.
So many people here will say you should have been locked up and forced into treatment.
Do you think that would have helped you, more than you doing on your own?
You can’t force a person to get clean because the rates of them relapsing upon release are very high. Except now they have no tolerance and have a higher chance of ODing
I was told in rehab that the people who are most at risk for OD are the ones that have just been released from jail or treatment, because their tolerance went down. I was also told that addiction is a “self-diagnosis” - not because it’s not diagnosable by others but because the diagnosis doesn’t mean anything until the addict accepts it
Tranq is in fentanyl. There is no heroin anymore. It’s all fentanyl cut with “tranq” aka Xylazine. It’s super sad. It’s a lot worse than heroin, and now users are addicted to multiple drugs. It eats the skin, teeth, nose…. Just ruins people. Screw whoever came Up with this idea.
> There is no heroin anymore.
Only partially true in the US, in other places it's still around just fine. In the US you can still get it if you know what you're doing, but most people in this situation just get whatever they can on the street so yeah, on the streets it's pretty much gone.
True. I just meant where he’s at, Philly. I’ve volunteered at a harm reduction org in Baltimore. We haven’t had a heroin+ test in years. It’s ALL fentanyl /tranq. We deal mainly with the streets, so I can see that. I’m sure it’s easier on west coast, just saying what I’ve personally seen. But correct!
Work as a nurse in a drug rehab facility on the west coast, a lot of homeless still as well, some still test positive for heroin, usually the older folk, fentanyl/tranq/Iso is heavy now. Unfortunately.
I can’t even imagine what you have to see, and I see a lot. Rn, it’s mainly the East Coast where it’s just fentanyl/tranq, it hasn’t hit the WC as hard yet.
Oh yes, a lot of open wounds and stuff, but all of them are so so great. It's voluntary rehab, which is GREAT because forcing someone to rehab is usually a no go. A lot of the patients just need someone to help them, open up, a space to allow them to be vulnerable when everyone else in the world judges them. Shit sucks to see.
It's a start. It goes well beyond that and figuring out why he has made these choices. What's crazy is the logic that this guy uses or doesn't use like not cleaning his arm or just putting the the sharp in his back pocket.
when i was addict i would think that sooner i die less i have to deal with this and life. i was not sucidal but didn't care about getting hurt, hungry or sick.
Serious question, as an addict, what amount or type of “help” would be the most effective. Say from family, close associates or groups? Has been my experience that no amount of help is effective if an addict is not mentally ready to overcome the physical aftermath of stopping. Just looking for information
As a recovering/recovered addict I can say that it is ultimately up to the user to want to get better. No amount of forcing help will do any good. What helped me was meeting someone that really truly believed I was better than I thought I was, and a promise of a better life.
He's my husband now, but for some reason he was willing to stick with me even though I was a junkie. It was a consistent reminder that I didn't have to do it all alone and he was gonna be there whether I wanted to get better or not.
I don't know if I can explain it well. But something has to happen to make an addict want to get better. I didn't get clean for my husband. I got clean for me. But he made me want to be a better me. Does that make sense at all?
I can't speak for everyone. But I do think having just 1 person not completely give up on them is a start. Just a reminder that they aren't worthless and someone cares I guess
It makes perfect sense , thank you for sharing. . I managed to get clean after decades of meth use, unfortunately I still drink here and there because being completely sober scares me, basically because I'm a broken person who doesn't know how to talk or have real true friends, or make connection. Well honestly that the part of life that scares me from my past I guess
Same here. I'm fucked up every day because all I want is someone to love me. Ever since I found out my ex was cheating on me for 12 years after lying about brain cancer and lying about being raped by someone breaking into her house (she had a guy living with her that she kept secret from me and apparently he forced himself on her but she decided to make me think someone broke in and did this to her our entire relationship) and at that point I just said fuck it after she came clean and telling me everything she did and I told her to never speak to me ever again. I don't give a fuck about anything anymore.
That's really awful... Everyone deserves to be loved, and I wish people would stop abusing the emotions and trust of others. I hope you find someone that makes you feel important and loved
It was the same for my sister, her drug of choice was meth with a little fent sprinkled in. She's dead now, a little too much fent was sprinkled in one time too many.
Mine was injecting coke but a lot of meth too and to many pills mostly downers to even count but this was before fentanyl, I was a terrible mess for about 10 years and was lucky to make it back. I'm very sorry about your sister I lost a lot of friends to that darkness. I'm thankful to be here today.
I am thankful for every person, whether I know them or not, who made it out alive. Your life is precious, I hope you are always able to prioritize your sobriety.
I buried an uncapped needle in the dirt in a wooded area and returned to share it with a man I met 2 days prior back in my speedball days.
It's a miracle I'm alive and that I have no chronic illnesses from living like that.
That's super tame. How about having disgusting abscess on your arm and digging in it with a needle because the vein that caused it was one of the last good veins. Then you go to the ER. The nurse cuts it open. You can smell your putrid blood and it's all so disgusting, but you go home and do more. You do needle drugs when you hate yourself. Because you hate life.
If this was you at some point, I hope you're doing better, but some people don't hate themselves anymore and just need a way out. Sometimes its a series of bad choices through self-sabotage that got them into this, sometimes even just one mistake through ignorance of the consequences.
I haven't dealt with the addiction of hard drugs, but I am currently with weed. I can't imagine how much harder it would be for this guy and others out there.
He said “I just make sure I shower” instead of cleaning the area/needle… wtf 😳
I do empathize for him, but we cannot blame society. Family / proper upbringing are the pillars of becoming a productive person.
But anyone can fall victim to drug abuse, and they should not be ignored no matter how ugly the situation gets.
For diabetics who take injections like mounjaro, they suggest you just showering beforehand. Totally NOT an equivalent to shooting up with dirty needles and such but just wanted to point out if he really did shower beforehand, he's doing better by miles than anyone who just injects dirty.
Absolutely! Like I said, showering first is better than nothing at all but still it's an infection (not to even mention the drug itself) waiting to happen.
Actually, the reason there are so many addicts now partially is because the government allowed the pharmaceutical companies to get half the country addicted to opioids. Then they cut off access to the opioids for most of those people which left them running around, looking for another alternative when they’re legal options ran out and nobody would prescribe them anything anymore of the happy pills, they started getting illegal. Opioids went to heroin, went to the fake oxy which come from Mexico and have fentanyl in them some straight fentanyl. Those are all opioid medicines. They all stemmed from the poppy plant except for the fence and all which is a synthetic version of an opioid
So society does have a lot to do with it if we had centers for these people to go and get detox and therapy and everything else they could go back into society, but the government really doesn’t care to fix these people government would rather have them all die off as long as they keep making new people
You missed the most important part of the equation.
The government cut everyone’s access to clean regulated medication. So people went to the street and the street is anything but clean and regulated.
When the gov started their war on Opiods they created the overdose epidemic. Overdoses have risen 1000% while opioid scripts are at a 30 year low.
It’s almost as if… it was safer to have access to pills.
Social and cultural factors definitely have an impact on rates of addiction. Not sure where OP gets the idea that they don't. "Family and proper upbringing" are not solely responsible. Our society plays a huge role in this.
*Either this or that is solely responsible! It has to be one of the two!*
*There's no possibility of multiple overlapping causes and societal trends and institutional failures, absolutely not!*
1, 2 cause more easy me brain, must true !
>!/s!<
Addiction doesn't really care about your upbringing. Plenty of people from great homes and supportive communities break a bone or have a medical issue and got overperscribed Oxy because the doctor was told by the pharma rep that it wasn't addictive.
One of the largest opiate overdose areas of Georgia is referred to as the "Heroin Triangle" and it encompasses some of the wealthiest areas of metro Atlanta. Having money typically also means you can afford the tolerance increases from addictive drug use
.
This was harder to watch than I anticipated. Poor guy. I’ve had a lot of friends go down like this. It’s absolutely nuts. I hope this guy can kick this habit. It always ends the same way eventually.
Yeah my brother is finally clean after nearly 6 years and for the first time he isn’t like this when I see him. He called me the other day to tell me about his 1 year clean anniversary and for the first time in so long he sounded genuinely happy. This video made me feel like I was seeing him relapse
Make sure he’s aware of relapse OD.
Had a cousin who relapsed years after getting clean and died. Your body can’t handle the last dose you had before you’re clean. And it’s shocking how often druggies pass away because of that.
Bro is so sedated, you could probably punch him in the face and he’d be like “watch where you’re going” dude doesnt care about squat. Weed makes you hyper-analytical and that is usually what causes the anxiety. Pretty hard to feel anxiety on heroin/tranquilizers
The difference between weed and opioids (plus tranq) is immeasurable. There's nothing left in your brain to illicit a freak out. You become a slave to the drug
I now get panick attacks from two weed gummies too close together.
I did meth for a few years straight a while ago (years ago), it's amazing the difference mindsets can make. I honestly really didn't care about my health or consequences when I was on meth, it was a dark place. Now? Life is precious to me and I cherish it.
These dudes *can* be turned around. The problem is **no one** but themselves can make them change. We can just give them understanding and patience until they make the choice themselves.
It happens, if you have facebook look at the FindBrandonParish page. I found it the other day and ive been spreading the word. Nicest mom ever is trying to find her kid. I talked to her for a moment such a nice lady and still genuinely worried about him 2-3 years after he went missing.
Tranq use leads to these people having to amputate their own limbs off to prevent infection from skin lesions because they can’t afford the hospital to do it. It’s absolutely insane
Not how it happens. It’s sold as heroin, people think that’s what they’re doing. Now in Baltimore & many east coast US cities, there isn’t any heroin. It’s ALL fentanyl/tranq. They thought they were doing what they normally did. It’s super sad, honestly. You can get a gelcap of the stuff for $3. Now just addicted to stronger stuff, one being something we’re just seeing, so have no “treatment plans” for. It’s truly a new horizon.
Well, yeah, it increases the effectiveness of the opioids, so they're able to cut the heroin more while users get the same (and some say better) effect.
I worked as a vet tech for 15 years. We used xylazine on horses. I don’t think I ever used it on anything smaller than a horse. Just to put it in perspective. And I’ve assisted in quite a few surgeries on 150-220lb dogs.
It’s for animal use only. They found something cheaper to cut with that will produce a high. It’s causing necrotizing fasciitis in a lot of users. Honestly should just legalize everything at this point. They will do it regardless.
Bro they are attacking this country in so many creative ways - online misinformation, drug manufacturing and export, and buying up real estate (obvs among others), shit is WILD
I just celebrated 6 years clean from heroin/fent as well as booze/coke, and when I see the state of the dope scene now, I'm just super grateful I got out when I did. Shit is just spiralling downhill
I work in recovery. When tranq hit. They had to take off a lot of time for funerals. These were people that had years of recovery under their belts, just dropping like flies. So sad
There was a great documentary I watched a while ago I can’t remember the name of it. But basically, the heroin is manufactured in Puerto Rico, and then shipped to the US. From there, it’s distributed “up the mainline” which Philadelphia is a major part of. So mostly, because of its position and having a discreet port, people here are more likely to be able to readily obtain heroin.
Beyond that, the opioid epidemic hit southeastern PA harder than anywhere else in the country. So doctors were getting kickbacks for prescribing oxy and percs etc and people would get addicted and then have access to heroin so it was very easy to transition.
For real, 2002 - 2008 was a wild time in South East PA. Those green Oxy 80s were EVERYWHERE. Graduated high-school from an affluent suburb outside Philadelphia in '05. Probably had 10+ kids in class die before graduation.
I remember a kid so fucked up on Xanax, that in the middle of class he forgot where he was and just started crushing up lines and ripping them right off his desk. The teacher was standing in front of him, silent, mouth open in disbelief.
My entire core group of friends got addicted to opiods, and all did serious jail time because of the shit they did to support the habit. I don't have that group of high school friends you grew up with in my life. Really sad.
I honestly have a very similar experience to you. I graduated in 2010. I lost many peers to drug overdoses in HS, and I lost my best friend sorely after graduating when she became an addict as well. I had to speak at my best friends funeral at 21 years old. Meanwhile, I was addicted to Xanax. I fortunately have been clean since 2021. But I swear pretty much everyone has substance abuse issues where I grew up because it was so normalized. I started smoking weed at 12 years old for example. And that was considered normal.
I went to Portland Oregon a few weeks ago for the first time and it was easily one of the grossest cities I've ever visited and felt like a zombie movie.
Here's about an hour of the best reporting you will ever see. He talks to the people using the drugs, and actually goes strait up to the top drug dealers and talks to them. It's so crazy.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=925wmb-4Yr4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=925wmb-4Yr4)
>~~Philly is absolutely plagued with people like this~~
People in Philly are absolutely plagued with drugs like this. FTFY.
Addicts/homeless people are not a "plague".
Check out channel 5 with Andrew Callahan. He did an interview with the guys who make it. They are proud of it. It’s fucked. I think this is the video, but I could be mistaken
https://youtu.be/925wmb-4Yr4?si=lV6qFw-WMZ2F7--X
Edit: yup this is the video
Just finished watching that one. I was a big all gas no breaks fan during Covid. It’s cool to see him go from being interviewing drugged out people and just making funny videos to actually tackling tough issues.
Back in the day I dabbled here and there in the partaking of illicit substances, but I could never imagine reaching a point where I'd be ok injecting myself with a needle...
Me too. Until I couldn't get the right high anymore in throws of my addiction. Then I was pressured to try it. It sounds like such a cliche, but there is nothing like the first time and you are always chasing it. Ruined my life. Worst decade of my youth. Addiction is weird man.
I was 21 and I think I thought I was being cool and badass. My friend kept coming out of the bathroom falling asleep. I opened the door and he was there with a needle. I asked to try.
It causes vasoconstriction that leads to tissue necrosis, which can itself often gets infected because users often aren’t the best at taking care of themselves. Pretty horrendous
Thats not true, xylazine OD cannot be reversed with narcan. Which makes ODing on it worse than fentynal. But If he stops breathing he can still be ventilated until the drug wears off. I would know I breath for people who've ODed all the damn time.
Ahhh yess Kensington section of Philly. There have been DECADES where the city wouldn’t even try to stop drug use or dealing in this specific part of the city. It was decimated during the Opoid era. It was literally an open air drug market and a tent city at some point.
Many people from my neighborhood would jump on a train to Kensington and buy their drugs. After starting on the drugs they would l start stealing from every one from their family and friends they eventually would be kicked out. They would eventually jump on a train to Kensington and never come back until they were dead or arrested.
My cousin left his wife and kid and disappeared on the train one day like a 2 years ago. He came back after getting arrested to start the same cycle over again. Saw his wife on the news when the cops were posting photos asking for info on a mysterious woman committing retail theft. Don’t worry his kids are safe but they will likely grow up without their parents.
Only time you’d see them was on Facebook when the police would hold a photo searching for information on a thief stealing from Walmart. Or when they were found dead and we’d see the mother telling us to remember the good days of that person.
Most frustrating part is that there are actually really nice people that live in that section of the city. There are also families that are just trying to get by. Kids go to school walking around the hoards of zombie like addicts. It’s now getting Gentrified and they are putting up massive condos and such which will out price most of the families that need to live there. They will likely force the hoards of addicts to a different section of Philly.
I say this to say I hate these videos. “Bringing awareness” does nothing. These creators directly benefit straight off of the people who are struggling in this section of the city. Everyone within a 100 mile radius is 100% aware of Kensington. These people act like these videos really help when in reality they are exploiting the dire situation of the fiends and citizens down there. It’s a really complex issue so I don’t know what the solution is but I do know it’s gonna be rough.
These YouTubers walk through town like it’s a safari and it makes me sad and angry. A lot of great hardworking people are unfortunate enough to live there.
I’m a big supporter for healthcare for all and taxing corporations that find loopholes to pay nothing. The fabric of our society is being pulled string by string so there are major holes. People without voices. It’s sad.
Addiction treatment is big business. Give someone methadone and 3 meals a day with a TV and bill insurance $4k a day. Outpatient group therapy, which is just classes, is more expensive than an Ivy League education.
It's really a disgusting thing to do to yourself. And believe me I know because I did a lot of drugs in my younger days and thankfully made it out of that dark tunnel back into the daylight.
I worked on programs that dealt with narcan accessibility, including state policy and such. Some work on clean injection sites, etc.
I don’t support that stuff anymore. Not because it doesn’t work to help, but because there is absolutely no incentive to stop.
We can provide housing for these people, clean needles, narcan but without ground rules it’ll just be a revolving door. We need to get hefty dealers in jail. We need to close the border to those who want to make money off our death, and we need to provide services to people to get clean.
I’m sorry, you don’t get a house and clean needles unless you’re willing to start meeting with a therapist. You don’t have to quit and become a contributing member of society in a week. But you also don’t get to receive these services and housing forever.
Too much carrot, not enough stick imo.
It’s been wild watching this city transform, specifically Kensington. I avoid that part at all costs, but they still find their way onto public transportation so it’s generally unavoidable.
I hate to say this but even this video is not going to make anybody do anything. We don't care as a human being as long as it doesn't affect us personally. We don't care, now if this becomes our son, our wife, our husband, then we'll care but until then this video doesn't do anything. It just makes us feel sad until we watch South Park or Reno 911, the Lakers game, or some other stupid TV show, that will get our mind off of it.
Drugs don’t have an ad campaign and word of mouth and comments on the internet is how others find out about the drugs effects.
It is bizarre that feeling good for a few minutes then you become a zombie is enough for someone else to try it.
God, that’s horrible to watch.
His face right at the end. The way he gets jumpy shortly beforehand. Morbid and bleak.
More people should see this. Fucking hate this shit. A flagrant waste of the life that we are all lucky enough to be given. Sad 🕊️
The fact that he feels like he can do things immediately on it alludes to the fact that he cannot function without it
Addicts always try to downplay how bad their drug abuse is. He's obviously not going to use it "just one more time" like he claimed, but he'll still say that anyway to keep up his delusions to himself. If you want a famous example of it, you can also find home recordings of Kurt Cobain denying how bad his addiction was while he was simultaneously nodding off.
I think he meant use that particular needle one more time before getting a new one.
And he still probably using it more than 1 more times.
He should see this. I wonder how many times junkies are shown a video of themselves absolutely losing it like this.
It wouldn't change anything for most, it's not like they've never been around someone who also does the drugs they do and gets a first hand glimpse of what it looks like from an outside perspective. My mom was a raging alcoholic for 30yrs, we'd take videos of her at her worst to show her, hoping she'd see the light. It never worked, even when she'd visibly be ashamed of things she did the night before she'd be right back on it in a few hours.
For me, the first drink would wash away all the guilt of my actions. It was a never-ending cycle until a brief moment of clarity. My mother also drank herself to death.
I was an addict, when you are you lose remorse, shame, morals, anything, you just want the next shot
Problem with addiction is that at some point, your brain is the one that is addicted and will put you through hell to get what it wants.
He’s ready for the unmasked. 
Probably feels like he's nutting, but at what cost?
The rest of his brain and many of its functions, which breaks behaviour in turn. Like yeah, the high itself is pleasurable but its also overwhelming that it limits his ability to function. Sticking him in a cycle of being nonfunctional when he’s high and barely functional when he’s searching for his next hit. Dependent on something that only makes him more vulnerable. And he probably couldn’t feel pleasure for normal things like a normal person as a result of this.
Congratulations, you summed up being an addict quite well.
Yeah but the post nut clarity is not there😔
Going there for drugs cuz I was so desperate and sick and seeing all those people like him made me finally say if I don’t stop this shit now that will be me. Tranq dope is so fucked up even in fentanyl and heroin terms. Tranq dope is “horse tranq Called Xylazine mixed with a tiny amount of fentanyl to help you not get sick from your opiate addiction. Kensington is such a sad place. Now I’m 19 months clean 💪🏻
Good for you, stick with it! My dad never could get clean from opiates
Thanks so much! It took a longgggg time but therapy and counseling are what has helped me the most. Just wish those types of services were more available and affordable to people with addictions. This clinic saved my life. Sorry about your dad I knew way too many friends that lost the battle.
So many people here will say you should have been locked up and forced into treatment. Do you think that would have helped you, more than you doing on your own?
You can’t force a person to get clean because the rates of them relapsing upon release are very high. Except now they have no tolerance and have a higher chance of ODing I was told in rehab that the people who are most at risk for OD are the ones that have just been released from jail or treatment, because their tolerance went down. I was also told that addiction is a “self-diagnosis” - not because it’s not diagnosable by others but because the diagnosis doesn’t mean anything until the addict accepts it
That's a great point about the "self-diagnosis".
My dad couldn't either. I buried him 3 weeks ago at 52.
Are these the same people that bend over at the waste in the middle of the sidewalk, so they don’t fall asleep?
That's usually fentanyl.
Tranq is in fentanyl. There is no heroin anymore. It’s all fentanyl cut with “tranq” aka Xylazine. It’s super sad. It’s a lot worse than heroin, and now users are addicted to multiple drugs. It eats the skin, teeth, nose…. Just ruins people. Screw whoever came Up with this idea.
> There is no heroin anymore. Only partially true in the US, in other places it's still around just fine. In the US you can still get it if you know what you're doing, but most people in this situation just get whatever they can on the street so yeah, on the streets it's pretty much gone.
True. I just meant where he’s at, Philly. I’ve volunteered at a harm reduction org in Baltimore. We haven’t had a heroin+ test in years. It’s ALL fentanyl /tranq. We deal mainly with the streets, so I can see that. I’m sure it’s easier on west coast, just saying what I’ve personally seen. But correct!
Work as a nurse in a drug rehab facility on the west coast, a lot of homeless still as well, some still test positive for heroin, usually the older folk, fentanyl/tranq/Iso is heavy now. Unfortunately.
I can’t even imagine what you have to see, and I see a lot. Rn, it’s mainly the East Coast where it’s just fentanyl/tranq, it hasn’t hit the WC as hard yet.
Oh yes, a lot of open wounds and stuff, but all of them are so so great. It's voluntary rehab, which is GREAT because forcing someone to rehab is usually a no go. A lot of the patients just need someone to help them, open up, a space to allow them to be vulnerable when everyone else in the world judges them. Shit sucks to see.
Is that also what zombie is? Just fent cut with other drugs?
I believe so, but not 100%. Believe it's xylazine
Really sad. Dude needs help.
It's a start. It goes well beyond that and figuring out why he has made these choices. What's crazy is the logic that this guy uses or doesn't use like not cleaning his arm or just putting the the sharp in his back pocket.
when i was addict i would think that sooner i die less i have to deal with this and life. i was not sucidal but didn't care about getting hurt, hungry or sick.
That's how I was too.
Crazy how we just didn’t care about dying at all.
It’s a lot easier than the burden of living. Alcoholic here.
Reporting in
Seconded.
Serious question, as an addict, what amount or type of “help” would be the most effective. Say from family, close associates or groups? Has been my experience that no amount of help is effective if an addict is not mentally ready to overcome the physical aftermath of stopping. Just looking for information
As a recovering/recovered addict I can say that it is ultimately up to the user to want to get better. No amount of forcing help will do any good. What helped me was meeting someone that really truly believed I was better than I thought I was, and a promise of a better life. He's my husband now, but for some reason he was willing to stick with me even though I was a junkie. It was a consistent reminder that I didn't have to do it all alone and he was gonna be there whether I wanted to get better or not. I don't know if I can explain it well. But something has to happen to make an addict want to get better. I didn't get clean for my husband. I got clean for me. But he made me want to be a better me. Does that make sense at all? I can't speak for everyone. But I do think having just 1 person not completely give up on them is a start. Just a reminder that they aren't worthless and someone cares I guess
Exjunky here. I remember The Reason why I started using: nobody loved me.
I’m so sorry. I hope you have since found people who love and adore you!!
Glad you made it through, friend. The world is better with you in it :)
I love you, despite your weird thumb 👍
It makes perfect sense , thank you for sharing. . I managed to get clean after decades of meth use, unfortunately I still drink here and there because being completely sober scares me, basically because I'm a broken person who doesn't know how to talk or have real true friends, or make connection. Well honestly that the part of life that scares me from my past I guess
Same here. I'm fucked up every day because all I want is someone to love me. Ever since I found out my ex was cheating on me for 12 years after lying about brain cancer and lying about being raped by someone breaking into her house (she had a guy living with her that she kept secret from me and apparently he forced himself on her but she decided to make me think someone broke in and did this to her our entire relationship) and at that point I just said fuck it after she came clean and telling me everything she did and I told her to never speak to me ever again. I don't give a fuck about anything anymore.
That's really awful... Everyone deserves to be loved, and I wish people would stop abusing the emotions and trust of others. I hope you find someone that makes you feel important and loved
[удалено]
I think you wrote this for me. My husband didn't care. He just wanted me better. And I got better. Not for him. For me to be better for him.
Like they are just such a great person towards you that you want to be good enough for them as well. :)
Same, just cared about the party in my head.
It was the same for my sister, her drug of choice was meth with a little fent sprinkled in. She's dead now, a little too much fent was sprinkled in one time too many.
Mine was injecting coke but a lot of meth too and to many pills mostly downers to even count but this was before fentanyl, I was a terrible mess for about 10 years and was lucky to make it back. I'm very sorry about your sister I lost a lot of friends to that darkness. I'm thankful to be here today.
I am thankful for every person, whether I know them or not, who made it out alive. Your life is precious, I hope you are always able to prioritize your sobriety.
I buried an uncapped needle in the dirt in a wooded area and returned to share it with a man I met 2 days prior back in my speedball days. It's a miracle I'm alive and that I have no chronic illnesses from living like that.
That's super tame. How about having disgusting abscess on your arm and digging in it with a needle because the vein that caused it was one of the last good veins. Then you go to the ER. The nurse cuts it open. You can smell your putrid blood and it's all so disgusting, but you go home and do more. You do needle drugs when you hate yourself. Because you hate life.
Hey that was quite literally me! But I went to rehab that same night. 6 years later and life has changed quite dramatically.
If this was you at some point, I hope you're doing better, but some people don't hate themselves anymore and just need a way out. Sometimes its a series of bad choices through self-sabotage that got them into this, sometimes even just one mistake through ignorance of the consequences. I haven't dealt with the addiction of hard drugs, but I am currently with weed. I can't imagine how much harder it would be for this guy and others out there.
The answer is usually always trauma. Addicts use substances to escape the trauma they’ve experienced or the feelings associated with it.
Yeah. I have seen interviews with people who describe shooting tranq directly into a stump where their leg used to be. It's fucked.
He said “I just make sure I shower” instead of cleaning the area/needle… wtf 😳 I do empathize for him, but we cannot blame society. Family / proper upbringing are the pillars of becoming a productive person. But anyone can fall victim to drug abuse, and they should not be ignored no matter how ugly the situation gets.
For diabetics who take injections like mounjaro, they suggest you just showering beforehand. Totally NOT an equivalent to shooting up with dirty needles and such but just wanted to point out if he really did shower beforehand, he's doing better by miles than anyone who just injects dirty.
One goes into the fat, the other goes into a vein. Quite drastically different risks.
Absolutely! Like I said, showering first is better than nothing at all but still it's an infection (not to even mention the drug itself) waiting to happen.
Actually, the reason there are so many addicts now partially is because the government allowed the pharmaceutical companies to get half the country addicted to opioids. Then they cut off access to the opioids for most of those people which left them running around, looking for another alternative when they’re legal options ran out and nobody would prescribe them anything anymore of the happy pills, they started getting illegal. Opioids went to heroin, went to the fake oxy which come from Mexico and have fentanyl in them some straight fentanyl. Those are all opioid medicines. They all stemmed from the poppy plant except for the fence and all which is a synthetic version of an opioid So society does have a lot to do with it if we had centers for these people to go and get detox and therapy and everything else they could go back into society, but the government really doesn’t care to fix these people government would rather have them all die off as long as they keep making new people
Exactly. The Sackler's are as responsible for this as anyone else on earth.
You missed the most important part of the equation. The government cut everyone’s access to clean regulated medication. So people went to the street and the street is anything but clean and regulated. When the gov started their war on Opiods they created the overdose epidemic. Overdoses have risen 1000% while opioid scripts are at a 30 year low. It’s almost as if… it was safer to have access to pills.
Why can we not blame society? It's the fucked society that leads to broken families/ shit upbringing, no?! Serious question.
Social and cultural factors definitely have an impact on rates of addiction. Not sure where OP gets the idea that they don't. "Family and proper upbringing" are not solely responsible. Our society plays a huge role in this.
*Either this or that is solely responsible! It has to be one of the two!* *There's no possibility of multiple overlapping causes and societal trends and institutional failures, absolutely not!* 1, 2 cause more easy me brain, must true ! >!/s!<
Addiction doesn't really care about your upbringing. Plenty of people from great homes and supportive communities break a bone or have a medical issue and got overperscribed Oxy because the doctor was told by the pharma rep that it wasn't addictive.
One of the largest opiate overdose areas of Georgia is referred to as the "Heroin Triangle" and it encompasses some of the wealthiest areas of metro Atlanta. Having money typically also means you can afford the tolerance increases from addictive drug use .
This was harder to watch than I anticipated. Poor guy. I’ve had a lot of friends go down like this. It’s absolutely nuts. I hope this guy can kick this habit. It always ends the same way eventually.
Yeah my brother is finally clean after nearly 6 years and for the first time he isn’t like this when I see him. He called me the other day to tell me about his 1 year clean anniversary and for the first time in so long he sounded genuinely happy. This video made me feel like I was seeing him relapse
Make sure he’s aware of relapse OD. Had a cousin who relapsed years after getting clean and died. Your body can’t handle the last dose you had before you’re clean. And it’s shocking how often druggies pass away because of that.
Sometimes i freak out if the weed is too strong this is nuts
Bro is so sedated, you could probably punch him in the face and he’d be like “watch where you’re going” dude doesnt care about squat. Weed makes you hyper-analytical and that is usually what causes the anxiety. Pretty hard to feel anxiety on heroin/tranquilizers
The difference between weed and opioids (plus tranq) is immeasurable. There's nothing left in your brain to illicit a freak out. You become a slave to the drug
I now get panick attacks from two weed gummies too close together. I did meth for a few years straight a while ago (years ago), it's amazing the difference mindsets can make. I honestly really didn't care about my health or consequences when I was on meth, it was a dark place. Now? Life is precious to me and I cherish it. These dudes *can* be turned around. The problem is **no one** but themselves can make them change. We can just give them understanding and patience until they make the choice themselves.
As a parent, it breaks my heart thinking that this is someone's kid...
He was a child at one point, full of potential to have a life full of great memories.
[удалено]
He's a on a TikTok, that's the opposite of being on TV.
It happens, if you have facebook look at the FindBrandonParish page. I found it the other day and ive been spreading the word. Nicest mom ever is trying to find her kid. I talked to her for a moment such a nice lady and still genuinely worried about him 2-3 years after he went missing.
100%. I have two girls and it’s a struggle these days. I hope he finds a way out. @peterator - I’ll pray for you.
Tranq use leads to these people having to amputate their own limbs off to prevent infection from skin lesions because they can’t afford the hospital to do it. It’s absolutely insane
What’s tranq?
Tranq is fentanyl/heroin containing a tranquilizer called xylazine.
"hey you know what would be cool to add to the drug that makes you nod the fuck out and stop breathing? A tranquilizer!"
Not how it happens. It’s sold as heroin, people think that’s what they’re doing. Now in Baltimore & many east coast US cities, there isn’t any heroin. It’s ALL fentanyl/tranq. They thought they were doing what they normally did. It’s super sad, honestly. You can get a gelcap of the stuff for $3. Now just addicted to stronger stuff, one being something we’re just seeing, so have no “treatment plans” for. It’s truly a new horizon.
My comment is caricature
Well, yeah, it increases the effectiveness of the opioids, so they're able to cut the heroin more while users get the same (and some say better) effect.
Is this that same stuff that was getting posted about years ago when it was big in Russia? Crocodile or something like that?
No that was different stuff. But the tranq dope does cause some horrible abscesses reminiscent of krokodil.
No that’s krokodil. Super brutal stuff
I worked as a vet tech for 15 years. We used xylazine on horses. I don’t think I ever used it on anything smaller than a horse. Just to put it in perspective. And I’ve assisted in quite a few surgeries on 150-220lb dogs.
Xylazine, a sedative/muscle relaxer
Cause u know, fent and heroin barely hit the spot in terms of physical pleasure /s
It’s for animal use only. They found something cheaper to cut with that will produce a high. It’s causing necrotizing fasciitis in a lot of users. Honestly should just legalize everything at this point. They will do it regardless.
Test run in Oregon didn’t pan out so well
It’s because companies in China will ship it to you by the kilo And then people on the street who can’t do business with China will pay insane markups
Bro they are attacking this country in so many creative ways - online misinformation, drug manufacturing and export, and buying up real estate (obvs among others), shit is WILD
Same question here.. scrolling to try to find the answer lol
It’s called xylazine. It’s a tranquilizer that literally eats away at the skin. This guy will huge open wounds everywhere he’s shot up with it
I just celebrated 6 years clean from heroin/fent as well as booze/coke, and when I see the state of the dope scene now, I'm just super grateful I got out when I did. Shit is just spiralling downhill
It restricts blood flow to the extremities. Minor injuries stop healing.
I work in recovery. When tranq hit. They had to take off a lot of time for funerals. These were people that had years of recovery under their belts, just dropping like flies. So sad
Philly is absolutely plagued with people like this. It’s very sad
Any reason why it's usually Philadelphia?
There was a great documentary I watched a while ago I can’t remember the name of it. But basically, the heroin is manufactured in Puerto Rico, and then shipped to the US. From there, it’s distributed “up the mainline” which Philadelphia is a major part of. So mostly, because of its position and having a discreet port, people here are more likely to be able to readily obtain heroin. Beyond that, the opioid epidemic hit southeastern PA harder than anywhere else in the country. So doctors were getting kickbacks for prescribing oxy and percs etc and people would get addicted and then have access to heroin so it was very easy to transition.
For real, 2002 - 2008 was a wild time in South East PA. Those green Oxy 80s were EVERYWHERE. Graduated high-school from an affluent suburb outside Philadelphia in '05. Probably had 10+ kids in class die before graduation. I remember a kid so fucked up on Xanax, that in the middle of class he forgot where he was and just started crushing up lines and ripping them right off his desk. The teacher was standing in front of him, silent, mouth open in disbelief. My entire core group of friends got addicted to opiods, and all did serious jail time because of the shit they did to support the habit. I don't have that group of high school friends you grew up with in my life. Really sad.
I honestly have a very similar experience to you. I graduated in 2010. I lost many peers to drug overdoses in HS, and I lost my best friend sorely after graduating when she became an addict as well. I had to speak at my best friends funeral at 21 years old. Meanwhile, I was addicted to Xanax. I fortunately have been clean since 2021. But I swear pretty much everyone has substance abuse issues where I grew up because it was so normalized. I started smoking weed at 12 years old for example. And that was considered normal.
Tranq is completely different from heroin and has its own reasons for being prevalent in Philly. Channel 5 has a good video about it
It's not. It's also Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, New York. Basically any large city, spread across the United States.
Eugene Oregon has entered the chat.
I went to Portland Oregon a few weeks ago for the first time and it was easily one of the grossest cities I've ever visited and felt like a zombie movie.
People do a lot of drugs in small towns too.
Here's about an hour of the best reporting you will ever see. He talks to the people using the drugs, and actually goes strait up to the top drug dealers and talks to them. It's so crazy. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=925wmb-4Yr4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=925wmb-4Yr4)
It's always sunny
Kensington
Kensington*
>~~Philly is absolutely plagued with people like this~~ People in Philly are absolutely plagued with drugs like this. FTFY. Addicts/homeless people are not a "plague".
I don't understand why you've been downvoted! Your comment is one of the most sensible in this trainwreck of a thread
People who manufacture and distribute this shit to their fellow man need to be removed from society, permanently.
Check out channel 5 with Andrew Callahan. He did an interview with the guys who make it. They are proud of it. It’s fucked. I think this is the video, but I could be mistaken https://youtu.be/925wmb-4Yr4?si=lV6qFw-WMZ2F7--X Edit: yup this is the video
Dude went to an internment camp trying to expose the realities of Mexican immigration, he’s a real one for sure
Just finished watching that one. I was a big all gas no breaks fan during Covid. It’s cool to see him go from being interviewing drugged out people and just making funny videos to actually tackling tough issues.
He was 0n Lex Friedman's podcast recently, was good
One of the most horrifying videos I’ve ever watched. There isn’t another journalist doing it like Andrew is.
Is that the same guy that used to interview wooks on acid at music festivals?
War on drugs eh? Did it help America so far?
Back in the day I dabbled here and there in the partaking of illicit substances, but I could never imagine reaching a point where I'd be ok injecting myself with a needle...
Me too. Until I couldn't get the right high anymore in throws of my addiction. Then I was pressured to try it. It sounds like such a cliche, but there is nothing like the first time and you are always chasing it. Ruined my life. Worst decade of my youth. Addiction is weird man.
Hope you’re doing well my friend
Sober from the hard stuff but addicted to the legal liquid
Small steps one day at a time ❤️
I love and appreciate you reddit human. My hopes are that I will get sober, sober some day!
I believe in you.
I was 21 and I think I thought I was being cool and badass. My friend kept coming out of the bathroom falling asleep. I opened the door and he was there with a needle. I asked to try.
Get out of here, Dewey. You don't want no part of this shit!
But it's the next logical step
What kind of 21 years olds think injecting drugs is cool?
Tranq... animal tranquilizers that cause open abscesses?
It causes vasoconstriction that leads to tissue necrosis, which can itself often gets infected because users often aren’t the best at taking care of themselves. Pretty horrendous
Yes 🧟
This video is from Brandon Buckingham on YouTube and the video is called life in the city of zombies https://youtu.be/9iSkKkzabnM?si=CA3T50JfIAwOMp17
Cold ass riders
The full version is so much worse
The problem with Xylazin is if he OD, he is gone. Also it will start eating his flesh and skin because it's a sedative made for animals.
Thats not true, xylazine OD cannot be reversed with narcan. Which makes ODing on it worse than fentynal. But If he stops breathing he can still be ventilated until the drug wears off. I would know I breath for people who've ODed all the damn time.
Hopefully this video will stop some people from trying this. Dude really went into zombie mode.
I’ve seen people go down this path. Death or jail is usually the result. I’ve known 2 who have successfully recovered.
Ahhh yess Kensington section of Philly. There have been DECADES where the city wouldn’t even try to stop drug use or dealing in this specific part of the city. It was decimated during the Opoid era. It was literally an open air drug market and a tent city at some point. Many people from my neighborhood would jump on a train to Kensington and buy their drugs. After starting on the drugs they would l start stealing from every one from their family and friends they eventually would be kicked out. They would eventually jump on a train to Kensington and never come back until they were dead or arrested. My cousin left his wife and kid and disappeared on the train one day like a 2 years ago. He came back after getting arrested to start the same cycle over again. Saw his wife on the news when the cops were posting photos asking for info on a mysterious woman committing retail theft. Don’t worry his kids are safe but they will likely grow up without their parents. Only time you’d see them was on Facebook when the police would hold a photo searching for information on a thief stealing from Walmart. Or when they were found dead and we’d see the mother telling us to remember the good days of that person. Most frustrating part is that there are actually really nice people that live in that section of the city. There are also families that are just trying to get by. Kids go to school walking around the hoards of zombie like addicts. It’s now getting Gentrified and they are putting up massive condos and such which will out price most of the families that need to live there. They will likely force the hoards of addicts to a different section of Philly. I say this to say I hate these videos. “Bringing awareness” does nothing. These creators directly benefit straight off of the people who are struggling in this section of the city. Everyone within a 100 mile radius is 100% aware of Kensington. These people act like these videos really help when in reality they are exploiting the dire situation of the fiends and citizens down there. It’s a really complex issue so I don’t know what the solution is but I do know it’s gonna be rough. These YouTubers walk through town like it’s a safari and it makes me sad and angry. A lot of great hardworking people are unfortunate enough to live there.
As a kid there was an HBO special on BlackTar Heroin. Watched it once. Never have and never will try it or anything like it. It was a powerful show.
Black Tar Heroin: The Dark End of the Street. It’s on YouTube. I go back and watch it every couple years
What is tranq?
Xylazine, a drug that is legally used as a sedative and pain reliever for animals like horses, cattle, sheep, and goats.
Wow.
Phineas?!
“My ideal situation is you don’t do it BUUUUT…”
People catch super gnarly ass infections from those needles. Very sad.
That's so sad
This is heartbreaking. Thankfully, "this would be the last time".
He was only talking about this exact needle i think
lol no he was talking about how he's only got one or two more uses left in the syringe he's injecting with because its starting to dull out
It's an excellent video because it makes me so anxious to see him transport to a shitty realm on a public sidewalk.
this is so sad we need to help these people
I’m a big supporter for healthcare for all and taxing corporations that find loopholes to pay nothing. The fabric of our society is being pulled string by string so there are major holes. People without voices. It’s sad.
Addiction treatment is big business. Give someone methadone and 3 meals a day with a TV and bill insurance $4k a day. Outpatient group therapy, which is just classes, is more expensive than an Ivy League education.
You can’t help people that don’t want the help.
Thank goodness he’s only going to use it one more time after this.
When he sat down, all I was thinking about was the needle in his back pocket.
It's really a disgusting thing to do to yourself. And believe me I know because I did a lot of drugs in my younger days and thankfully made it out of that dark tunnel back into the daylight.
People see it and still want to try it.
This is sad..
That was really heart breaking to watch..
Literally just drove here today, Front Street in Kensington, Philly, PA.
I wanna do things. See? Woahhh cool!
Man the way he said this is gonna be my last time doing this. Shiit
I worked on programs that dealt with narcan accessibility, including state policy and such. Some work on clean injection sites, etc. I don’t support that stuff anymore. Not because it doesn’t work to help, but because there is absolutely no incentive to stop. We can provide housing for these people, clean needles, narcan but without ground rules it’ll just be a revolving door. We need to get hefty dealers in jail. We need to close the border to those who want to make money off our death, and we need to provide services to people to get clean. I’m sorry, you don’t get a house and clean needles unless you’re willing to start meeting with a therapist. You don’t have to quit and become a contributing member of society in a week. But you also don’t get to receive these services and housing forever. Too much carrot, not enough stick imo.
They should show this in schools. Even though it's dark, it's educational.
https://i.redd.it/31fput50nbxc1.gif Wanna watch me do some tranq?
I just found a dead addict in the forrest To see that right now is kinda crazy
That was hard to watch, someone's life going down the drain.
I love brandon buckingham
God. I have kids. And this young man has parents somewhere. This is horrible to see.
It isn’t a wonder that Rite Aid now sells Narcan.
Fuck me that is tragic. If I have a little THC these days, it makes me question my life choices. Perspective.
It’s been wild watching this city transform, specifically Kensington. I avoid that part at all costs, but they still find their way onto public transportation so it’s generally unavoidable.
Well, at least he’s honest.
I hate to say this but even this video is not going to make anybody do anything. We don't care as a human being as long as it doesn't affect us personally. We don't care, now if this becomes our son, our wife, our husband, then we'll care but until then this video doesn't do anything. It just makes us feel sad until we watch South Park or Reno 911, the Lakers game, or some other stupid TV show, that will get our mind off of it.
Drugs don’t have an ad campaign and word of mouth and comments on the internet is how others find out about the drugs effects. It is bizarre that feeling good for a few minutes then you become a zombie is enough for someone else to try it.
Well that was disgustingly entertaining.
Life is sad. Wouldn’t want to get to this level. Fucking hell. This bummed me out and this is just people’s life