Nachtwey, Opioids, Time Magazine

Powerful stuff. Definitely NOT fake news.

I hope someone can get the drug companies to pay for what they have done. Promising non addictive opioids.... They knew what they were doing. Made billions doing it too.

I've had at least three doctors try to prescribe me various forms of opiates. My answer every time is, NO THANKS!! I'll live with the pain.

Great photographs.
They are especially dramatic in b&w, a lot of photojournalism is in colour now days and I dont think its effective.
Think alcohol is a way worse a problem and obesity makes all of them pale in insignificance as a health concern........first world problems.

As far doctors prescribing drug, I agree doctors do have a tendency to over prescribe and not go through the side effects adequately. I always take it upon myself to read up and decide for myself whether I want to take any or do something else. Im recovering from some abdominal surgery and periodically take Oxycodone type pills when my pain levels are high, most people can take these pills responsibly and it sure beats lying in bed in agony. I dont get a high from them, nor do I like the side effects, just take them to help numb the pain when other pain relief doesnt work. Drugs effect people differently, you cant blanket them as bad for everyone cause a few become addicted.

That's true, Paul. I know one guy who was prescribed opiates and was hooked on them for a long time. I'm not sure but I think he finally quit but only because of his inability to acquire more. I know a lady whose been taking them very sparingly/rarely for many years and has never had a problem with addiction. It depends as much on the individual persons as well as the type/strength of the medications. I'm afraid to try them at all because I can have addictive tendencies.

Thank you.

Every investor in Purdue Pharmaceutical should be forced to view this.

The owners have donated millions to museums and they should be outed...

The only people that i have read about Dying From Pain Pills are those that also drink alcohol with the pills.
Are people (In Large Numbers) actually dying from Pills.?
My experience is that we (in the usa) have made it hard for addicts to get pills, so they are buying illegal drugs on the street, such as Heroin, and that type of Fentanyl that Tom Petty died from. At least that is what they are told they are buying. If it was coming from a doctor, they would know.
Drugs should be Legal, Safe and Cheap.
The real crime is to cut-off addicts from their cheap pills, and then complain about the ensuing deaths.
I have issues with the "Honesty" of ALL advertising, not just the drug companies.
I am a disabled person, i take pain meds for "Chronic Pain".....going on 10 years now.
This is just ME...MY Experience.....but in Ten Years, after 12-13 surgeries, including Three On My back, and going to Three Different Pain Clinics and a few Private Practice Doctors for Pain Medication.....I have NEVER not EVER, been told that an Opiate Pain Med was NOT Addictive.
WHO would believe that.....what doctor would SAY That.?
I have been on...not all at once of course.....Oxycontin, Oxycodone, Opana, Liquid Hydrocodone, Fentanyl Patch, and whatever those lollipops are.....and maybe one or two i am forgetting.
I have fought my own battles with addiction, and found my own way to balance the pain and the pain meds. I have sat in waiting rooms with A LOT of People for A LOT of years. We have ALL had addiction issues. I NEVER, not EVER met a patient that did not know what they were doing when they got addicted.
NOT ONE...including MYSELF...NEVER, NOT EVER...did any of us tell the truth to the prescribing physician about how much other stuff we were taking Via other doctors, friends, street purchase, stealing the stuff...or WHATEVER.
NEVER, not EVER, did i ever feel a doctor was Pushing pain meds on me.
NEVER...NOT EVER..did ANY of the other patients, EVER, and i mean NEVER...did ANY patients ever complain to me or to others in the waiting rooms, ...complain that they thought the doctor... "Might be over-prescribing" pain meds to them.
People have LIKED and sought out a Way To Get High from the beginning of time.
Were/Are there phony fly by night doctors.?.....No Doubt there are SOME. Always have been and always will be. But is THAT the fault of the doctors.?
I have been through this over and over again. It is like The Parent who blames the corner drug dealer for "Causing" the death of their poor little darling boy or girl.
YOUR KID went looking for these people. It is not the "Fault" of the doctor or the drug companies.
ask YOU...YOURSELF...if quality Morphine were legal and cheap, would YOU become a Morphine Addict.?
Of Course Not...!!!!
There is nothing sneaky going on here. A certain percentage of the population like to use drugs. It has ALWAYS been this way.
My unfortunate situation is
Lots of surgeries
Lots of chronic pain
Opiates are The ONLY drug that winds my clock. That is MY problem to deal with in an honest manner.
I could live with a room full of Cocaine, a backyard full of Marijuana, a swimming pool full of beer or whiskey, a five gallon bucket full of acid, 20 Million amphetamine pills...and NONE of that would be a problem for me.
People like what they like, and they find a way to get it. Did "Prohibition" teach nothing to citizens of the usa.?
Speaking of Marijuana.....if we are SO WORRIED about peoples welfare, WHY... when the pain doctors drug test you, do The Feds require them to STOP prescribing pain meds, if you Test Positive for Marijuana.....but NOT Alcohol.? It is ALCOHOL that causes the synergy with Opiates that KILLS People...NOT Marijuana.
BTW..... sense we are all so worried about Opiate Addiction all of a sudden, when you have people on a Chronic Pain Programs, and you All Of A Sudden take away their Opiates just because they smoke Pot.....THAT Causes a HUGE Problem. It seems every week i have people asking me for any spare pain meds, because their doctor stopped prescribing due to them LEGALLY Using Marijuana. WTF is up with that...??
You Cannot Legislate Social Problems. That includes the homeless and prostitution.
good luck

CMoore, as you're aware, people have differing addictive personalities and physicalities. Regards to pot being far less addictive and damaging than alcohol; Yes, you're right. However, Big Brother in all his wisdom, illegalized it encouraging more people to abuse alcohol. I have my share of pain but I know that "I" might become addicted to them like I was to alcohol for twenty-one years. I can't and won't take that chance.

Did you guys actually see the Nachtwey/Opiate edition of Time Magazine?

Some of you think there's no opiate crisis. Hello?

Theft from nursing homes, and from relatives is a major source...theft is free, makes Oxy cheaper than heroin.

I'll try to find that magazine today...probably will be at the biggest grocery market locally..we don't have real news stands.

Old-N-Feeble said:

CMoore, as you're aware, people have differing addictive personalities and physicalities. Regards to pot being far less addictive and damaging than alcohol; Yes, you're right. However, Big Brother in all his wisdom, illegalized it encouraging more people to abuse alcohol. I have my share of pain but I know that "I" might become addicted to them like I was to alcohol for twenty-one years. I can't and won't take that chance.

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Sorry, i got a bit carried away.
My main point was.....Drugs and Crime have been hand in glove for A Long Time. In the 1920's it was alcohol. There was a "Crisis" with crime and alcohol.
Right now "Opioids" are the Gluten Free buzzwords of the news media. Drugs and Addiction have always been with us and always will be.
How society deals with it is The Real Epidemic

^^^ Right, and political corruption (and corporate greed) goes hand-in-hand with all types of prohibition as well.

What is being missed by the mainstream is this: There are not enough doctors willing to write bad 'scripts for the demand. And that leads to the truth........click me. And this too. It is far too complex to lay blame at any one source or group. We have wanted to feel good for eternity and found untold avenues to that end. Most of them bad. Suing the money men will do nothing except give the gub'ment more cash to misspend. They sued tobacco on my behalf (former smoker) and squandered that money-and continue to- in record time.

If you really care help someone when they reach out for it. And pay attention to those around you because the outreaching hand is often difficult to perceive.

We're a drug culture. Of course we have problems. We want to legalize pot. Does anyone think that's going to help the situation? Feeling down? Have a Zanax. Encouraging youngsters by legalizing pot and handing out feel good pills is very detrimental for all of us.

Not impressed, I've seen the same results with alcohol. What you are seeing are people who are unfortunately, addicts. Doesn't make any difference whether you drink it, smoke it, shoot it or eat it. Legal or not "Addiction is a brain disorder characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli despite adverse consequences". For some people, pain killers help with 24x7x365 chronic pain. Want to know what it is like, you don't want my reply.

Alan Edward Klein said:

We're a drug culture. Of course we have problems. We want to legalize pot. Does anyone think that's going to help the situation? Feeling down? Have a Zanax. Encouraging youngsters by legalizing pot and handing out feel good pills is very detrimental for all of us.

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What "Problem" are you referring to exactly.?
Who is "encouraging youngsters by legalizing Pot".?.....who is doing that exactly and how.?
If we have a Problem, as You say we do, it has been created while drugs are illegal.
At the risk of repeating myself, I have NEVER said, nor have i EVER heard anybody of Any Repute claim that legalizing drugs would stop addiction.
You are correct, we DO have a decent percentage of our citizens that have addiction Problems/Issues/Histories.....Myself included. Has the law against these drugs stopped that in the last 80 years.?
I do not think so, not even close.
What the laws have been good for, is to run a Proxy War against a rather large group of our citizens.

Did you guys actually see the Nachtwey/Opiate edition of Time Magazine?

Some of you think there's no opiate crisis. Hello?

Theft from nursing homes, and from relatives is a major source...theft is free, makes Oxy cheaper than heroin for many users and dealers, even though street heroin is cheaper there.

Any interest in photography? Photojournalism?

Okay,I'm going to give my opinion on the photographs.Too clinical,too sharp,too much contrast-at least on my screen.All in all most unlike the Nachtwey photos I used to see in the "80's and "90's.If we are not discussing photography,my apologies.

Alan W said:

Okay,I'm going to give my opinion on the photographs.Too clinical,too sharp,too much contrast-at least on my screen.All in all most unlike the Nachtwey photos I used to see in the "80's and "90's.If we are not discussing photography,my apologies.

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You mean you would rather talk Photography than Drug Addiction.?
The Nerve...!!!!

Old-N-Feeble said:

I've had at least three doctors try to prescribe me various forms of opiates. My answer every time is, NO THANKS!! I'll live with the pain.

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Just like Big Daddy in the 1958 film, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Pain is a reminder that you are still alive.

I came of working age in the 1970's when terminal Cancer patients were writhing in pain. Physicians didn't want to get them addicted!
"swings like a pendulum do"

I don't see many photos of elders in nursing homes. They die within 2 years on average. Maybe we should photograph them more. But we seem mostly to be unaware. Also unaware of the agony around us in grocery stores and on the street. Evidently more fun to pretend to be "street photographers" and collect images of people who frighten us with their age and pain.