Next step up from prescription painkiller abuse, when legal painkillers become too expensive.

"damn near 50% of the people I chilled with growing up got hooked on the oxy during the pill mill days....some got strait and quit...most of us just kept it moving until they got so expensive that we had to switch to H."

http://www.bluelight.org/vb/archive/index.php/t-496626.html

http://www.bluelight.org/vb/archive/index.php/t-712613.html

Today a first taste can be doctor's prescription for pain. Pain killers are often potent, addictive, opioids. There is also some evidence that some pharmaceuticals mislead doctors about their potential for abuse.

John Oliver did a segment on Opioids that's pretty informative. Have a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pdPrQFjo2o

The quick answer though is that it starts with prescription painkillers that are highly addictive.

I can answer, I had a breakup in February that I'm still not over, I've been in CBT which isn't working as it's supposed to, and now I would do just about anything to have some respite from thinking about her, initially it came from playing around with some psychedelics at an earlier age (social-group) to now, mostly being ketamine, and with the occasional (I've so far managed to keep it under control) escalation to H. I live alone, and it's all to feel disassociated.

At first, it's fun to experiment. Then you realize how no one fucking understands you and no one understands each other. That's depressing, buddy. Life is depressing.

Welcome! Yeah -- and you ask why people abuse drugs?

And it's even more than that -- people tend to be wrapped up in their worlds. Mostly, people feel alone. I mean, the world expects you to be a certain way. Look at all of these people -- on the internet, walking on the street. They're all in the motions. That feels like jail, when you see repetition, over and over.

I'm guessing despair is a big component. Most of the places around here in the Northeast where heroin is exploding you've got dead communities, with moribund economies, where there isn't much in the way of optimism for the future. Might as well get fucked up.

For a portion, it is the same sorts of things that cause folks to use other drugs. Curiousity at first or looking for a way to not feel bad. People don't usually start with heroin - they go for 'tame' highs. Cigarettes, alcohol, pot. And just explore from there.

For a (probably much bigger) portion, this is the result of pain pill addiction. It got harder and harder to get the pills and they grew in cost, so some folks switched to heroin because the pull of addiction is so great.

Some good information here too https://alorecovery.com/upward-trend-heroin-overdoses-explai...

Some people try it (and other drugs) out of curiosity and boredom. Then, once they experience how good opioids make you feel, it's hard to stop.