I just meant stop perpetuating discussion of something that to me was meant to be insulting (given the post that he deleted), which I had moderated, and stop the hijack. If it was “WH” and everyone was like, “what’s that?” and we were like “Woo Hoo” … then fine.
I’m just trying to get us back to the absorbing topic of crackheads.
Feed The Birds Whoo Hooo!
(I’m going to go outside and dance in circles and sing this and see what happens).
Did it ever occur to some of these posters who sound like they’re on a very special episode of a sitcom in 1991 that some people are just selfish, rotten, incompetent people with no dignity, and that these people often use “I was drunk,” or “I’m addicted to crack,” as an excuse when someone inquires as to why they’re such such a useless piece of shit? Of course, to decide you want to be a crack head is kind of a selfish dick decision anyway.
Seriously people, did someone just steal your TVs or something? These posts are a little off the deep end. We all know that as far as bad habits go, crack is about as bad as they come. It’s right up there with cheerleading, riding a motorcycle and alcohol. I agree that habitual crack users are a serious pain in society’s ass. But do you really need to go on about the difference between a crack whore and a regular prostitute, or claim that crackheads aren’t human?
I agree completely. I’ve been shocked at some of the replies to this thread.
Fine. My last post on this this on this side topic. I just thought it was weird that he would have edited something insulting to leave something even more insulting in its place, which is why I was curious about the meaning of “FTB,” because the vulgar interpretations didn’t seem to make sense to me, and we’re also not in the Pit. Anyhow, back to our study of crackheads.
You’ve said it much better than I could.
I’ll repeat myself: You simply were unaware of this man’s life as a crackhead. They are extremely adept at hiding things and deceiving. And, he might have been high-functioning at the outset of his crack addiction but I guarantee you that will/did not last.
Well you’d be much more shocked to discover the realities behind crack addiction then. It is not just “another addiction”; despite what others here may say.
My dad decided he was going to gamble away all his savings and retirement and then commit suicide, he had a date in mind and everything. When asked what he expected his eight year old son to live on he said “who cares I will be dead”.
Back in college, I worked as a mover and one of the guys I worked with had no problem admitting he was one. He was in his early to mid 40s but looked considerably older. He had inherited his mom’s condo and had some inheritance money from her as well, so his overall cost of living was pretty low, yet he still had to have a room mate who basically just had to pay the bills and buy food as his rent since he spent every penny he had on crack and prostitutes. We would get paid once a week, he would also go to the corner store, cash the check for like $600-800, depending on how much work there was, and by the next morning, if he actually managed to make it in, he’d be begging to borrow money for lunch because he’d just blown all of it on crack the previous night.
Really, pretty despressing when I think about it. He had a couple grown kids but they didn’t talk to him. He was in pretty horrible shape, even for doing manual labor. And I swear I thought he was in his mid-60s until someone told me he was in his early 40s. Honestly, I’d be surprised if he was still alive now.
I think you are just in shock that you found out someone close to you is a drug addict and did horrible stuff. I am quite sure a case could be made that meth addiction, for example, is just as bad.
Um, not every addict is the same as your friend. Many addicts are quite functional, even those on crack. The difference is probably the severity of the addiction as well as the financial means a person has to buy drugs.
Now that you mention it, I have seen similar if not more severe reactions from people who learned that someone close to them was a gambling addict or sex addict.
A waitress at one of my favorite pizza places died one weekend from an overdose. I’d seen her pretty often because she worked the section of tables I usually sit in. She’d been battling crack for years and was pretty open about her attempts at recovery.
Her death was the sad, but typical story. She got paid and cashed her check the day before. The other waitresses told me they thought she went on a binge that weekend.
She was well liked at the pizza place and its a shame that she just couldn’t beat the addiction.
That is such a stupid and annoying way of looking at things that I’m pitting you for it.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=15022521#post15022521
Seriously, not everyone who abuses crack cocaine acts exactly the same. Grow up and get a clue.
CRACK IS WHACK!
(95 posts and I’m the first to say this?)
Use, for sure. Abuse…I’m never sure what that means (I am not an addictions specialist, so I don’t know these clearly differentiating diagnoses of which you speak. I’d like to see a list of them, though, if you happen to have it handy.) Dependence/addiction I don’t know how to identify unless he were to go without and we see if he develops symptoms of withdrawal and/or turns into such a raging ass that he destroys relationships/jobs/self over it.
And I think maybe that’s what this boils down to. He has money. He has enough money to support his habit without stealing, sucking cock or doing other illegal or unsavory things to get more money. Apparently he likes crack rather than cocaine because it gives him a pick me up at work, enabling him to make more money, without lasting so long that he can’t function at work making more money. He uses crack like I use coffee.
If he lost his job would he start stealing to support his habit? Maybe. There are certainly some members here who think so. Or if he lost his job, would he stop using crack because he wouldn’t lose money getting tired at 1 in the afternoon when all the other Brokers were still going strong (many of them, to hear him talk, using crack or cocaine as well)? I don’t have any idea, really. I’m sure if you asked him today, he’d say that’s what he’d do, but would he really? No clue.
He’s been doing it for the 10 years I’ve known him, and I don’t think he was all that new at it when we met. My point in posting this anecdote was that despite the claims of many people, there ARE functional “crackheads” out there. I don’t know if there are many, and I don’t know if they’re outnumbered by the dysfunctional ones, but there are some. Or at least one.
Or, if you want to look at it another way, don’t trust that rich guys who wear suits to work are all sober and clean. Some of them are crackheads, too.
I’ve been in N. A. for 24 years.
So I have known about 10 billion crackheads.
Now I want to sing Bryan Adams so all is well again in my 80’s world.
Apples and oranges. Some addictions interfere way more than others with day-to-day functioning. Heroin happens to be one that can be more easily “managed” than crack, but that doesn’t make it any less devastating to the addict or any easier to beat.
There is drug addiction and then there is meth addiction.
There is drug addiction and then there is inhalant addiction.
etc. etc.
Each drug carries its own set of baggage. As does each addict.
This is nonsensical. “More pure” than what? As you said, it’s made from cocaine. Product made from stomped-on powder will not magically turn primo just because you’ve added a bit of baking powder.
This is simply untrue. A lot of people use the word “orgasmic” because the high makes you tingle some, it rings your skull. It’s not all that though, and whoever told you so is either pulling your leg or fishing for sympathy for what they’ve so nobly given up. And that rush lasts maybe 30 seconds; the next 4 or 5 minutes you’re still high, but not ringing.
You’re funny. Really, I’m dying here imagining you imagining the vast horde of crackheads hitting their pipes and immediately dropping trous and mounting each other. Yes, crackheads have sex. Shockingly, some even have standards, as low as they may seem from an outside perspective. IME, however, when in groups smokers are more often playing cards, dice, dominoes or video games. Granted, there’s usually a porno playing in the background, but group sex is a relative rarity.
So, you’re saying every addict is different? This much, at least, is true. So why did you spend so many words above insisting the exact opposite?