Well, you were rather rude earlier, no need to break out the "F*ck you" stuff, and as a matter of fact, I do know exactly what I'm talking about. I've been there, I've stood right in your shoes right now. My circumstances were a little different, but opiates have basically ruined my life. They are fun. When you start, it really feels like you can control it. It took me about 3 years to develop a habit at all. Then it took another year before I started to have withdrawal symptoms. Slowly but surely I started doing opiates all the time. It's not like you are going to do a gram or two, and sell your house and everything you own right away. Opiate usage, and especially Heroin slowly but surely takes over you. You end up living for one thing and one thing only, to get more opiates. You know its stupid, but it doesn't matter. Once you are addicted, its there forever. It isn't like you can quit doing heroin and its just gone. You think about it all the time, you never ever feel right again. I think about dope every single solitary day. No matter how long you stay clean, you will not see the sun rise then set without craving some. It's not a craving like you wanna smoke pot.... Opiate cravings will rule you. Dope sickness is no joke either, going through w/d's from strong opiates is a rough, rough experience. Everyone here will tell you that w/d's have broken them. I'm not trying to float my own boat or anything, but I'm a tough, mentally strong person. I've spent as much time as anyone else here crying like a little girl because I was so dope sick.
I'm not trying to put you down, no one here is. You have found one of the most accepting communities online. I can tell by your comment about being a functioning addict through high school that you probably aren't all that old. Telling me "try not to say shit when you have no idea" tells me the same. There's no need for all that. You don't like our answer, I know. Honestly, I don't like the idea of not doing opiates myself, but I'm already an addict. I'd do anything to not deal with what I have to deal with on a daily basis. I hate opiates, and wish I had never tried the first pain pill. Today, the only way I ever feel normal is when I'm on opiates, or take a xanax. As a result of my extreme addiction, I have permanent GAD. It never goes away no matter how long I stay clean for. It has taken most of the things in my life I enjoy.
As for your original topic. The only way to avoid addiction is to not ever do it. You can casually use opiates for a while, you won't be addicted in a day. It took me years, it started out just enjoying a few pain pills here and there. Unfortunately, you can be very functional on opiates, and this is what gets everyone. You can do them all day long every day, and at first, you may even be more productive. I would always make way way more money when I bar tended on Oxycontin. Usually about twice as much. There are just so many ways to get pulled in slowly, but surely. They have this incredible way of making you lie to yourself and rationalize everything in the best possible manner. It's easy to rationalize getting a bag, or an oc, or whatever for your shift at work when it means you will make twice as much money isn't it? It just doesn't go that way forever. Eventually, you get dope sick. Then you need opiates to feel normal. At that point, they will own you forever. I never ever thought I'd stick myself with a needle. I have. I never thought I'd steal to support my habit, I have. I'm so ashamed of how I lived my life for so long. I still have a bit of a habit today. I'm not on the needle anymore, I don't ever steal anything anymore, but I still do pills sometimes. I fight it every day. Every day of my life I wake up craving pills. Every single thing I do in my life is connected with opiates, no matter what I do, I always wish I had some dope to do too. It's there everyday, I hate it, but it will probably never go away. I just do better. I only use pills about twice a week. On the surface, you might think I'm in control. Well, I'm not in control. If I could afford it, I'd do pills all day every day. The only thing I am limited by is money, like 99.9999% of addicts.
You are on a forum full of functional addicts. It amazes me you can tell us we don't know whats going on, or whats up. Why do you think we are on this forum? Most of us are functional opiate addicts specifically. Look up my posts and you can read all about what I've been through. Not all heroin addicts are homeless on the streets. Many of us have jobs, and live "normal" lives. We carry a burden though, a sickness. A sickness that breaks us down to tears, that hurts everyone around us. We ourselves hate it, but for lack of a better term its just too damn late for us. We have wised up, and know what to do to help limit our addiction. We still go to work on days that we feel like, and usually wish we were dying. It takes all our money, it's a disgustingly expensive habit, I've had to spend $50 per day to keep from being sick before. There is almost no emotion or color left in our life when we are out of dope. I know plenty of people who have a family, are raising kids, and you would never know it from the outside if you didn't know them, but they carry a terrible burden every day. I wish you understood how bad it is man. In fact, maybe you shouldn't be talking when you have no idea, because you don't. You might think it was easy to be a functional drug addict in high school, but you weren't addicted to anything with the keeping power Heroin has. You ARE NOT stronger than heroin. I'm not trying to put you down, but that's how it is. I know you are strong willed, and obviously you think you have it figured out. You just have no idea what you are walking into. It will destroy you man, it will take everything from you. Please listen to what we are saying. If ONE good thing can come out of the hell I live through every day, it will be that no one else has to go through it.
