Opioids Opiates as a recreational drug- is this an oxymoron?

Does all oxycodone use end up becoming an addiction over time? Or is it possible to use oxycodone recreationally and not develop an addiction?

Quantum Perception said:

Does all opiate use end up becoming an addiction over time? Or is it possible to use opiates recreationally and not develop an addiction?

Click to expand...

This topic has been discussed many, many times on BL. You are better off using the search function and posting in the threads where we are currently discussing this. Here are a few;

any successful occasional meth or heroin users?
Occasional and controlled heroin use?
and
the great debate, Is responsible controlled successful opiate use EVER possible?

The third one may be most relevant to you if you are talking about opiates in general, and not just heroin.

Edit: Most recently, we were discussing this in this forum in great depth here.

These pages deal with heroin. I want to know more about pharmaceuticals, especially oral oxy.

You'll most likely become mentally then physically addicted to oxycodone if it becomes your DOC. Opioids are a very addictive class of drugs. Oxycodone is also a more potent opioid. I believe there are some that can remain more recreational opioid use moreso than others such as myself... Never imagined i'd get addicted or end up banging dope in my lifetime

There should definitely already be pre-existing threads on this topic. But even those discussions about other opiates should still be relevant or of interest to you. Oxycodone is not that different from other opiates. It is possible to use opiates without becoming addicted, or to be addicted without being physically dependent, or to be physically dependent without being addicted. But it is very rare that with any opiate, particularly pharmaceutical, synthesized or processed opiates, like oxycodone, that one can use indefinitely without sooner or later ending up with all three.

The thing is, there is no way for you to know in advance whether you are going to be one of the lucky ones who can use opiates "recreationally" or occasionally without eventually getting addicted, and the risks are so high and the consequences so great, that I can't comprehend why anyone would think the benefits outweighed the risks unless they were suicidal and saw using opiates as their only option in order to cope with life, or possibly in unbearable pain that can't be alleviated any other way and only planning to use them short-term to deal with that pain (or are dying anyway and don't care about getting addicted). Unless of course, they don't understand the risks, what addiction and physical dependence are really like, what withdrawal feels like, or they are in denial and have somehow convinced themselves that they will be able to use without getting addicted - all of which are extremely common. Someone can't understand what it feels like until they have been there, and almost every opiate addict starts off thinking they will be able to use them without getting addicted.

So, is it possible to use oxycodone without becoming addicted? Yes. Is it worth taking the risk that you might become addicted? No.

Coming from someone who used opiates for over a year before becoming addicted and ended up with a 15 year addiction. Withdrawal symptoms from long-term opiate use are the worst thing you could possibly imagine. I have been through a lot in my life and the misery of withdrawals is by far the worst, to a magnitude of a thousand.

Quantum Perception said:

These pages deal with heroin. I want to know more about pharmaceuticals, especially oral oxy.

Click to expand...

I edited my original post to include a link to a thread about opiates in general.

Either way, the answers aren't going to change much. I alternate between using oxycodone and heroin, and they are very similar. It's not like people are going to have a better chance of using prescription opiates occasionally as opposed to heroin. You won't see people saying they can use oxy on occasion, but they can't control their oxymorphone use, but they can control their fentanyl use, but not their dilaudid use, etc..... An opiate addict is an opiate addict. Also, how do you think that people started using heroin? Most of them did it after they couldn't control their oxy use, so they switched to heroin which is cheaper.

Yeah, and in my opinion the pharmaceuticals are actually get you hooked physically faster. However, there is a difference between being physically defendant on opioid medications as a pain patient, as you most likely will always get physically addicted when you have to take oxy ore vicodin throughout the day to deal with chronic pain, but not all of these people develope a psychological dependency. They might find themselves needing more of the drug to ward off withdrawal
And suppress pain, but if there condition is temporary, they can probably be detoxed and not revert back to using opioids. Ive known a few people in my outpatient who are alcoholics with chronic pain and they never abused there OxyContin. They could be lying, but since I know them personally I believe them. Opiates aren't for everyone.

Swimmingdancer said:

So, is it possible to use oxycodone without becoming addicted? Yes. Is it worth taking the risk that you might become addicted? No.

Click to expand...

Answered and closed.