Australians : Help me out here - DEFINE JUNKIE?

[psytaco]

^ such a good mini-series, even if the ending is really bleak.

What miniseries is that? chilling tonight on some benzos and wouldn't mind watching a mini series.

p.s trying to get maximum value out of this thread.

Whilst personally I don't really like the term junkie, but to me it is someone addicted to heroin and generally to a hopeless degree. The people who always look haggard, dirty and hastle you on the street. A junkie to me uses a needle.

Though I don't really consider meth heads junkies, in a lot of ways they are similiar to the above description.

 

[poledriver]

^ It's called the Corner.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Junkie or junky may also refer to:
Look up junkie or junky in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
A person suffering from drug addiction, most commonly used to refer to a heroin addict.

here

 

[bustabraincell]

Crappybones... from Wikipedia... Addiction can also be viewed as a continued involvement with a substance or activity despite the negative consequences associated with it. Pleasure and enjoyment would have originally been sought; however, over a period of time involvement with the substance or activity is needed to feel normal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction

 

[Oxycondone]

I don't think of myself as a junkie even though I put opiates into my veins or nose almost daily... Although I may be one, I tend to think of a junkie as someone who can't function 'normally' in society with or without their chosen drug (whatever drug that may be). Under this description I would classify a drug user that has been clean for a little while and can't hold a job, make friends, is shunted by their family, ect; as a junkie, and these people often end up turning back to drugs and repeat the cycle for the rest of their diminished life.

Now that's just what I think of when I have to define the term junkie. I am a very open and accepting person and I try to not judge people harshly or assign terms which I see as very stigmatised, such as junkie, on individuals; so generally in life I avoid using the term.

 

[ayjay]

A junkie is someone else - as in "Yeah I use gear but I'm not a junkie because..." Basically it's drawing a line in the sand and putting yourself on the "good" side. A junkie is anyone more fucked up than me.

It's a derogatory and discriminatory term, that I generally avoid as much as possible. Let's face it - practically everyone who posts on BL would fit someone's definition of a junkie.

 

[belarki]

It's a derogatory and discriminatory term....

I agree, I try not to look down upon addicts regardless of their DOC or method of injestion. I can't envisage many well-adjusted, mentally-stable people without some underlying issue whether that be a mental illness, some suffered trauma, poverty, etc, turning to the escapism of daily meth/heroin use and falling into addiction.

That said if I find someone breaking into my house to flog my cd's to hock at cash converters I'm not likely to go easy on them

Let's face it - practically everyone who posts on BL would fit someone's definition of a junkie.

You betcha. You feel like smoking the occasional bong? You can bet your arse there is a large portion of conservative australians who wouldn't think twice about locking you up for being a druggo degenerate.

 

[Oxycondone]

You can bet your arse there is a large portion of conservative australians who wouldn't think twice about locking you up for being a druggo degenerate.

Sad thing is I understand the motives of "junkies" better than these naive, stubborn, law abiding Australians.

 

[footscrazy]

A junkie to me is someone who puts getting their next hit above anything and anyone else, and is almost proud of it. The drug will win out over friends, family, morality and self respect. These people can no longer fake any vestige of human decency, and have accepted that. Someone can be addicted to something without being a junkie.

 

[headdah]

Difference between a Junkie and an Addict is : A junkie will try and scam/cheat/lie/steal/etc etc to get their next high, doesn't matter if its their bestmate,gf,husband,grandma etc etc etc.

An Addict will still try and get high, but will not cross that line. The day when the addict crosses that line is the day the addict becomes a Junkie

 

[ReInCarnation]

Hi there,
I posted this in Australia specifically because I am looking for the way it is viewed in this country.
A substance dependent person, who has marked psychological and physical withdrawal symptoms, usually associated with heroin/methamphetamine abuse
How can you define a junkie, by habit, what substance is used, is it just people who use needles, is it depth of addiction, frequency, behavioural or lifestyle?
Read a book by the late William Burroughs called "Junkie"
For Example: I personally used to be what many would consider a 'junkie' heroin to chill but ice to keep me up all IV
Now every weekend, sometimes with a few weeks in between I will still IV ice only and thoroughly enjoy it (not going to lie)
Still psychologically dependent on a substance
I have never shared needles or 'ingesting or preparing' equipment.
safe, smart
So tell me, DEFINE JUNKIE!

You are somewhat, given the erratic account of your personal folly of humanities conceits, still somewhat what is referred to in pop culture in Australia as a 'junkie'.

 

[sydkiwi]

Junkie - something I very loosely use to describe an ice addict as I don't know anyone who uses heroin. They might not be necessarily out stealing to feed their habit often and the rare addict might put it up a vein - I've an ex mate who graduated from the pipe to this. But after loosing several mates and seeing addicts of this drug out at clubs - they're at their worst on the come down and their supply and cash has run out. Seen addicts in clubs accuse accuse randoms who have been no where near them all night of stealing their shit, others start fights and mates who haven't slept for days thinking its ok to take their come down out on the last real remaining friends they have left (their drug dealer doesn't count as a mate).

 

[jspun]

I know that this question was asked of Australians butt I'll put in my Seppo 2 cents. A Junkie in the US typically is a heroin addict. dopefiend is interchangeable and the prefered term by some ( one could be an adrenalin junkie, ect...) Methamphetamine addicts are called "tweakers" and people that use coke "coke heads." Crack smokers are "base heads."

At any rate, speaking of heroin it seems to be more stigmatized than the US and Europe, while ice, is associated with "white trailer trash" or gays. Alrgough in Hawaii and parts of San Diego, everyone is smoking it. In the Brothels of TJ, the girl brings a loaded pipe up to the room- the major part of foreplay.

I get the impression that Ice enjoys fairly wide mainstream acceptance whilst it appears heroin is demonized. I also know that the rules of this forum discourage heroin related questions even general ones like is there a scene for it. Did Aus rebound from the 2000 drought? Is the heroin SE Asian #4 or smokable afphgani brown? What is the heroin scenes like in the different parts of Aus? Is there currently a drought? I know I can't ask these questions because I asked them before when I found out that Europe was having a severe heroin drought (there is a dedicated thread with quality, or lack there of, and prices of small amounts).

I'm not visiting aus soon unfortuanately but I wanted to compare and constrast the heroin availability and use trends in aus and Europe. But I don't want to break the rules so I won't ask the questions or expect posted results. Ya'll don't worry about the narcoswine getting intel on the scene- they have a sea of snitches to feed them that info (though they have been known to monitor BL). I don't expect a posted answer, but any vetran dope fiends please PM me time permiting of course.

I have a morbid curisosity of drug history and culture as Drug Mentor could probably attest to based on my posts in DiTM during his tenure there as a mod, many of which were historical articles or period pieces with contemporary articles thrown in.

These reason I'm confounded is because I see lots of info about Ice, LSD, ect... but nothing about heroin which leads me to think that it is demonized and considered extra taboo.

 

[Oxycondone]

I know that this question was asked of Australians butt I'll put in my Seppo 2 cents. A Junkie in the US typically is a heroin addict. dopefiend is interchangeable and the prefered term by some ( one could be an adrenalin junkie, ect...) Methamphetamine addicts are called "tweakers" and people that use coke "coke heads." Crack smokers are "base heads."

At any rate, speaking of heroin it seems to be more stigmatized than the US and Europe, while ice, is associated with "white trailer trash" or gays. Alrgough in Hawaii and parts of San Diego, everyone is smoking it. In the Brothels of TJ, the girl brings a loaded pipe up to the room- the major part of foreplay.

I get the impression that Ice enjoys fairly wide mainstream acceptance whilst it appears heroin is demonized. I also know that the rules of this forum discourage heroin related questions even general ones like is there a scene for it. Did Aus rebound from the 2000 drought? Is the heroin SE Asian #4 or smokable afphgani brown? What is the heroin scenes like in the different parts of Aus? Is there currently a drought? I know I can't ask these questions because I asked them before when I found out that Europe was having a severe heroin drought (there is a dedicated thread with quality, or lack there of, and prices of small amounts).

I'm not visiting aus soon unfortuanately but I wanted to compare and constrast the heroin availability and use trends in aus and Europe. But I don't want to break the rules so I won't ask the questions or expect posted results. Ya'll don't worry about the narcoswine getting intel on the scene- they have a sea of snitches to feed them that info (though they have been known to monitor BL). I don't expect a posted answer, but any vetran dope fiends please PM me time permiting of course.

I have a morbid curisosity of drug history and culture as Drug Mentor could probably attest to based on my posts in DiTM during his tenure there as a mod, many of which were historical articles or period pieces with contemporary articles thrown in.

These reason I'm confounded is because I see lots of info about Ice, LSD, ect... but nothing about heroin which leads me to think that it is demonized and considered extra taboo.

Yup you got it. Heroin in my state of Aus is super rare and definitely carries with it a huge stigma. I commonly hear things like "Legalise cannabis, it's not like it's heroin!" ect. Not saying that people have it wrong, I agree that it's a very hard drug. LSD and Ice are about as easy to order as pizza in my experience (not my DOC though). Oh and no one I know except the scare campaigns calls it Ice over here though (just for your interest, there was a big government scare campaign that has kinda stigmatised the word ice as well, but most mainstream anti drug people don't realise Ice and Meth are the same thing).

 

[Jabberwocky]

^i really enjoy your contributions to bluelight as a whole, jspun. i follow your posts, not to be creepy.

feel free to pm myself or any other of the AusDD team with any potential threads/questions you'd like to raise and we can freely discuss it between us and come to a compromise. we definitely don't want to water down any potential discussion of any drug within this forum

 

[kroniic]

Personally, a junkie to me is someone who feels they need their regular dose of illicit substance, regardless of their administration methods, and will steal, deal, etc. to get it, rather then moderately indulge in substances.

Example:

a) Someone who needs their daily heroin hit, and will do anything for it is a junkie.
b) Someone who indulges in a bit of ice/ meth once a month, having a bender is not.
c) Someone who can't go every weekend without getting off their face on MDMA (I know a few guys) is a junkie to me.
d) Someone who takes speed/ MDMA etc. at a music festival once a blue moon isn't a junkie to me.

 

[jspun]

Thanks Leftwing- thanks for the kind words. I enjoy your contributions/moderating as well. Thank you too oxycodone for the response.

So meth is prefered term like the US (along with crystal, shards, glass. Ice is a term used in Hawaii more were the drug is realy big.)

The strange thing is aside from the Czech Republic and Slovokia to a lesser extent, meth never caught on in Europe outside the gay scene. Speed (Amphetamine sulfate) is the amphetamine of choice. But heroin appears to be used by a large cross section of city in the UK and Republic of Ireland (not so much in Northern Ireland).

So their perception of the drug meth is one of being evil incarnate. Alot of their perceptions- of those who havent tried it (the vast majority) is ranges to wanting to try it with reservations to relief the demon drug hasn't caught on.

Intersting how perceptions and scenes change country to country and are influenced by society even though we as drug users past or present are more open minded in general and capable of critical thought/ more resistant to brain washing by the mores of the society we inhabit.

 

[8L4YN3]

Personally, a junkie to me is someone who feels they need their regular dose of illicit substance, regardless of their administration methods, and will steal, deal, etc. to get it, rather then moderately indulge in substances.

Example:

a) Someone who needs their daily heroin hit, and will do anything for it is a junkie.
b) Someone who indulges in a bit of ice/ meth once a month, having a bender is not.
c) Someone who can't go every weekend without getting off their face on MDMA (I know a few guys) is a junkie to me.
d) Someone who takes speed/ MDMA etc. at a music festival once a blue moon isn't a junkie to me.

Someone who cant help but use MDMA every weekend is a junky? Come on now.

 

[belarki]

^ yeh, weekend warrior =/= chasing a high 24/7.

 

[kroniic]

I know a few guys that refuse to go out unless they have MDMA. Someone that takes every week, because it's available isn't a junkie, I've had weeks like that. But for someone to refuse to go out unless they have MDMA is a junkie.

 

[pisspotnrock]

nah thats not a junkie, just a lazy cunt