One thing that I can say for myself is this:
I've been using Heroin and other Opioids for over a decade. For 80%-90% of that time span, I was using Opioids everyday. Well, I was already dealing with a fairly heavy dependency by the time I was a senior in High School (15-16 years old or so). I was a year or two younger than a lot of people in my grade, so I gravitated toward the tougher kids for social insulation, ended up getting a job at a restaurant, which really helped seal the deal in terms of my dependency.
My point is, I managed to complete college, get my teaching license, travel around the world etc. I've done most of the shit I dreamed of doing. My career is more or less, what I want it to be. I'm teaching, like I'd always hoped, but not in the exact capacity that I'm after, but whatever.
I'm "successful", depending on how you use that term. I don't beg or steal for what I want, but, virtually all of my time outside of work must be dedicated to finding and acquiring my drugs. There's a certain degree of hustling involved, it seems, no matter where you're at, you always need more. Attempts to have a true social life like most of my peers generally ends in failure, as I simply don't have even the minimal amount of time that's required to maintain basic friendships.
So, to piggyback off of what Jess was saying, it's very difficult to get by and function with an addiction to Opioids or any drug for that matter, but it can be done. The issue is, the best possible scenario typically ends with a scenario like mine; immense amount of time, energy, emotion, fear and everything in between occupy all aspects of your life outside of your career. There are no "days off". Opioids will be your hobby, girlfriend and everything in between.
I really still think I prefer being addicted to Opioids. I can say that every time I've been clean, which includes spans ranging from months to over a year, the decision to resume Opioid use has always been decided in a fairly clear-headed way. I don't really care about the stigma, as Opioid are the only thing that has every had an impact upon my depression and/or anxiety.
It's surely a close race, as it were, but taking into account everything ranging from my emotional state to the consequences and pains of maintaining an Opioid habit, I have to say that living with an Opioid habit is probably 25% better for me in terms of ambition and mood. Say what you will, but definitely don't stigmatize.
Something that's very important to mention, my current "put-together" state, where I don't wake up in alleys, show up to work and get my shit done is due in large part to the fact that I switched from Heroin to Methadone a few years back. I almost exclusively use Methadone, as many of you know, from the street. One might think it a small difference, but with Methadone,
I only have to score/use once per day, as opposed to 2-3 times per day, minimum. I owe a lot of my relative stability to switching to long-acting Opioids. Methadone is not as "fun" as shooting Heroin, but I get my motivation and my ambition without having to deal with the madness, chaos and uncertainty of Heroin procurement.
