I feel saddened by the constant use of the term ‘drug addiction’ in various publications citing Prince’s unfortunate demise.

It may not be out of place to mention here that regular usage of legally prescribed medicines, or even dependence on the same, is different than ‘drug addiction’.

Many people take medicines regularly all the time, the said act does not qualify for ‘drug addiction’ unless someone is using such medicines for getting high.

For example, medicines are regularly taken even for common ailments in this time and age such as hypertension and also for chronic pain- there is just no other way out at times, but it is not kind to see this being labeled as ‘drug addiction’.

Prince stood for a clean and healthy life and it is well known that he was against recreational drugs, and in this background, indulging in tabloid journalism by giving a spin to the entire issue does not seem ethical.

Just my thoughts.

Thanks.

armybrat said:

Thank you! I was sitting here getting very annoyed and upset with all this "labeling" going on. If someone is in pain, and have perscriptions, that doesn't make them addict. Now they are reporting he reached out for help. Which tells me, he may have felt he was on the cusp of becoming too dependent or needed clarification on how to best manage his pain without becoming one. I am so saddened that there wasn't anyone there to help him, or watch over him the day before he was to meet with a doctor. Sounds like his staffers knew about the meeting. He was private, if he reached out, how could you not deduce he needed extra care?

Suzanne said:

Thank you! I was sitting here getting very annoyed and upset with all this "labeling" going on. If someone is in pain, and have perscriptions, that doesn't make them addict. Now they are reporting he reached out for help. Which tells me, he may have felt he was on the cusp of becoming too dependent or needed clarification on how to best manage his pain without becoming one. I am so saddened that there wasn't anyone there to help him, or watch over him the day before he was to meet with a doctor. Sounds like his staffers knew about the meeting. He was private, if he reached out, how could you not deduce he needed extra care?

Agreed.

It's sounding more and more like he had crossed the point into addiction. That doesn't make him a bad person. If anything maybe we should all be a bit less judgmental about those suffering from addictions, especially when people suffering from these problems with prescribed pills in particular is a HUGE issue in America right now.

weirdozmedia said:

It's sounding more and more like he had crossed the point into addiction. That doesn't make him a bad person. If anything maybe we should all be a bit less judgmental about those suffering from addictions, especially when people suffering from these problems with prescribed pills in particular is a HUGE issue in America right now.

exactly,,its very easy to do and you wont even know it...the guy they called in california was an addiction specialist not pain mgmt

lwr001 said:

weirdozmedia said:

It's sounding more and more like he had crossed the point into addiction. That doesn't make him a bad person. If anything maybe we should all be a bit less judgmental about those suffering from addictions, especially when people suffering from these problems with prescribed pills in particular is a HUGE issue in America right now.

exactly,,its very easy to do and you wont even know it...the guy they called in california was an addiction specialist not pain mgmt

He was both it seems

You should understand the word addiction, more.

.

It doesn't mean he's hoardering pilling in a corner, and popping them like Tic Tacs. I don't believe he was doing that. Some drugs, many actually, are addictive by their very composition. The body gets that drug, and almost immediately becomes dependent on it, or craves it more. Much like sugar, and even heroin or meth which some people get addicted to the first time they use it. MJ got hooked on pain killers back in 1984. It happens to folks all the time. It's biological. However....

.

It's one reason I hate big pharma, and their incentant drug ads on TV. Watching a family oriented program like Wheel Of Fortune, will get you almost a dozen drug ads in that 30 minutes. And their commercials are only 2 minutes each, so that's a lot of drugs thrown in your face. I am convinced that some drugs are purposely made to be addictive. It's money in big pharma's pockets, and who cares if people die from addiction. Someone got paid, and that's all they care about. There's no prevention, only proverbial band aids on people's alleged problems. (All that is not in reference to Prince's issues.)

.

I think people see the word "addiction" and think a person out of their minds on Intervention. That's simply not the case, especialy with Prince. Addiction is a chemical reaction most times, not some empty void someone's trying to fill and numb the pain of the past (all the cliche' shit). If anything, it shows Prince was as a human as any of us.

TrivialPursuit said:

You should understand the word addiction, more.

.

It doesn't mean he's hoardering pilling in a corner, and popping them like Tic Tacs. I don't believe he was doing that. Some drugs, many actually, are addictive by their very composition. The body gets that drug, and almost immediately becomes dependent on it, or craves it more. Much like sugar, and even heroin or meth which some people get addicted to the first time they use it. MJ got hooked on pain killers back in 1984. It happens to folks all the time. It's biological. However....

.

It's one reason I hate big pharma, and their incentant drug ads on TV. Watching a family oriented program like Wheel Of Fortune, will get you almost a dozen drug ads in that 30 minutes. And their commercials are only 2 minutes each, so that's a lot of drugs thrown in your face. I am convinced that some drugs are purposely made to be addictive. It's money in big pharma's pockets, and who cares if people die from addiction. Someone got paid, and that's all they care about. There's no prevention, only proverbial band aids on people's alleged problems. (All that is not in reference to Prince's issues.)

.

I think people see the word "addiction" and think a person out of their minds on Intervention. That's simply not the case, especialy with Prince. Addiction is a chemical reaction most times, not some empty void someone's trying to fill and numb the pain of the past (all the cliche' shit). If anything, it shows Prince was as a human as any of us.

i get it..its why i dont buy the cocaine addition as you cant get addicted to coke,,you dont bother it , it wont bother you..folks do coke cuz they like it

[Edited 5/4/16 10:15am]

Addiction is addiction. This is why people who are suffering from so much physical pain and have to use perscription painkillers need oversight from responsible doctors and need to engage in pain managment practices which would include other options besides pain medication. That should be the option of last resort. But some people have to take medication.

purplethunder3121 said:

Addiction is addiction. This is why people who are suffering from so much physical pain and have to use perscription painkillers need oversight from responsible doctors and need to engage in pain managment practices which would include other options besides pain medication. That should be the option of last resort. But some people have to take medication.

AND they should not be labelled OR crucified for having to do so....... (not mentioning any names here...... cough, cough).

Meh. The difference is the reason for starting the drug, ie, out of necessity vs recreation. As purplethunder said, addiction is addiction. Most reports I've seen do carefully state "addiction to pain killers", which implies starting out of necessity.

TrivialPursuit said:

You should understand the word addiction, more.

.

It doesn't mean he's hoardering pilling in a corner, and popping them like Tic Tacs. I don't believe he was doing that. Some drugs, many actually, are addictive by their very composition. The body gets that drug, and almost immediately becomes dependent on it, or craves it more. Much like sugar, and even heroin or meth which some people get addicted to the first time they use it. MJ got hooked on pain killers back in 1984. It happens to folks all the time. It's biological. However....

.

It's one reason I hate big pharma, and their incentant drug ads on TV. Watching a family oriented program like Wheel Of Fortune, will get you almost a dozen drug ads in that 30 minutes. And their commercials are only 2 minutes each, so that's a lot of drugs thrown in your face. I am convinced that some drugs are purposely made to be addictive. It's money in big pharma's pockets, and who cares if people die from addiction. Someone got paid, and that's all they care about. There's no prevention, only proverbial band aids on people's alleged problems. (All that is not in reference to Prince's issues.)

.

I think people see the word "addiction" and think a person out of their minds on Intervention. That's simply not the case, especialy with Prince. Addiction is a chemical reaction most times, not some empty void someone's trying to fill and numb the pain of the past (all the cliche' shit). If anything, it shows Prince was as a human as any of us.

What's crazy is that the US allows all of those companies to push their drugs so openly, I think it's one of the only countries in the world that allows those types of ads on TV. Of course our government is heavily lobbied by those same companies.

weirdozmedia said:

TrivialPursuit said:

You should understand the word addiction, more.

.

It doesn't mean he's hoardering pilling in a corner, and popping them like Tic Tacs. I don't believe he was doing that. Some drugs, many actually, are addictive by their very composition. The body gets that drug, and almost immediately becomes dependent on it, or craves it more. Much like sugar, and even heroin or meth which some people get addicted to the first time they use it. MJ got hooked on pain killers back in 1984. It happens to folks all the time. It's biological. However....

.

It's one reason I hate big pharma, and their incentant drug ads on TV. Watching a family oriented program like Wheel Of Fortune, will get you almost a dozen drug ads in that 30 minutes. And their commercials are only 2 minutes each, so that's a lot of drugs thrown in your face. I am convinced that some drugs are purposely made to be addictive. It's money in big pharma's pockets, and who cares if people die from addiction. Someone got paid, and that's all they care about. There's no prevention, only proverbial band aids on people's alleged problems. (All that is not in reference to Prince's issues.)

.

I think people see the word "addiction" and think a person out of their minds on Intervention. That's simply not the case, especialy with Prince. Addiction is a chemical reaction most times, not some empty void someone's trying to fill and numb the pain of the past (all the cliche' shit). If anything, it shows Prince was as a human as any of us.

What's crazy is that the US allows all of those companies to push their drugs so openly, I think it's one of the only countries in the world that allows those types of ads on TV. Of course our government is heavily lobbied by those same companies.

And the list of side effects, some extremely serious, would make any sane person NOT want to take the medication.

weirdozmedia said:

Let's not grasp at straws here

we are parsing words here..when crack was an epidimic plaguing the black community no one gave a fuck..I live in the north shore of massachusetts,,upper middle class area were heroin, oxy, and perc are destroying the kids, and soccer moms at an alarning rate,,,whats intersting is the compassion and empathy that politicians show vs coke kids

lwr001 said:

we are parsing words here..when crack was an epidimic plaguing the black community no one gave a fuck..I live in the north shore of massachusetts,,upper middle class area were heroin, oxy, and perc are destroying the kids, and soccer moms at an alarning rate,,,whats intersting is the compassion and empathy that politicians show vs coke kids

Isn't that a great cover up my middle class mom's too? They point fingers at urban kids or adults smoking some weed, while they're oxy'd out of their bob-cut heads while sending their kids on playdates with other Perc'd out mothers. "No my kid." Uh huh.

.

Don't get me started on big pharma. It's a soccer mom's best kept dirty little secret.

TrivialPursuit said:

You should understand the word addiction, more.

.

It doesn't mean he's hoardering pilling in a corner, and popping them like Tic Tacs. I don't believe he was doing that. Some drugs, many actually, are addictive by their very composition. The body gets that drug, and almost immediately becomes dependent on it, or craves it more. Much like sugar, and even heroin or meth which some people get addicted to the first time they use it. MJ got hooked on pain killers back in 1984. It happens to folks all the time. It's biological. However....

.

It's one reason I hate big pharma, and their incentant drug ads on TV. Watching a family oriented program like Wheel Of Fortune, will get you almost a dozen drug ads in that 30 minutes. And their commercials are only 2 minutes each, so that's a lot of drugs thrown in your face. I am convinced that some drugs are purposely made to be addictive. It's money in big pharma's pockets, and who cares if people die from addiction. Someone got paid, and that's all they care about. There's no prevention, only proverbial band aids on people's alleged problems. (All that is not in reference to Prince's issues.)

.

I think people see the word "addiction" and think a person out of their minds on Intervention. That's simply not the case, especialy with Prince. Addiction is a chemical reaction most times, not some empty void someone's trying to fill and numb the pain of the past (all the cliche' shit). If anything, it shows Prince was as a human as any of us.

The problem is more a build up of tolerance, the longer someone takes a drug. You then become an 'addict' almost by default. The human body produces its own supply of opiates. Had Prince been taking these drugs for a long time, he would have worn out the cell receptors to these chemicals.

TrivialPursuit said:

armybrat said:

I feel saddened by the constant use of the term ‘drug addiction’ in various publications citing Prince’s unfortunate demise.

It may not be out of place to mention here that regular usage of legally prescribed medicines, or even dependence on the same, is different than ‘drug addiction’.

Many people take medicines regularly all the time, the said act does not qualify for ‘drug addiction’ unless someone is using such medicines for getting high.

For example, medicines are regularly taken even for common ailments in this time and age such as hypertension and also for chronic pain- there is just no other way out at times, but it is not kind to see this being labeled as ‘drug addiction’.

Prince stood for a clean and healthy life and it is well known that he was against recreational drugs, and in this background, indulging in tabloid journalism by giving a spin to the entire issue does not seem ethical.

Just my thoughts.

Thanks.

People did and do the same thing to Michael and it did and still does annoy the hell out of me. Maybe some people understand the annoyance now.

armybrat said:

I believe Prince was in serious pain...and I'm not talking about his hip. I believe Prince was secretly very ill. I'm still gona wait until the autopsy results are in before I say anything about drug addiction.

Scarfo said:

derrick31 said:

RiotPaisley said:

derrick31 said:

I agree with you. Something other than hip pain was causing him great distress. The memoir is what really leads me to believe so. I just cannot see him publishing a tell all book next year and having to answer questions about for the next 20 years. He was too private for that. Something else was wrong. [Edited 5/5/16 18:16pm]

I just keep going back to Vanity. I really think that shook him bad. I know he's had other loves/ women but when I heard about her I was like oh damn. Like I just instantly knew it was going to be real rough on him. I think when you love someone and you can't be with them due to circumstance, it's way harder to get over than oh they cheated or Whatever. The worst heartache is seriously just "bad timing."

That relationship with Vanity was a very long time ago. If he was badly shaken by her passing it was probably because it was a sobering reminder of his own mortality rather than any romantic feelings over an ancient love affair.

rightbluecheek said:

weirdozmedia said:

What's crazy is that the US allows all of those companies to push their drugs so openly, I think it's one of the only countries in the world that allows those types of ads on TV. Of course our government is heavily lobbied by those same companies.

Sorry but I'd like someone to please confirm that US TV has commercials on opioid painkillers? :-O Here in Italy, and I guess all over Europe, the only ads allowed are the ones for medications that don't require a prescription.

It may very well be the case that Prince may have died from a drug overdose. Then again, maybe not. I'll wait for the final autopsy and toxicology reports to come out before I make any judgments.

I will say this, though. It's been reported that hundreds of thousands of people who take prescription medications die each year from what is described as an overdose but is really an adverse reaction to the medication being taken. Many heart patients have been suckered into taking statins for lowering cholesterol levels, but the drugs have the adverse side effect of actually weakening the heart muscle, which makes the patient even more prone to a heart attack than the high cholesterol ever did. And the newer diabetic medications which are supposed to regulate blood sguar and insulin have the adverse effect of doing damage to the liver and/or pancreas, thus leading to increased rates of cancer. And far too often these medications are prescribed as the first line of treatment instead of a more holistic approach to using less dangerous medications and dietary and lifestyle changes.

I don't know how much pain Prince was in as far as his hip is concerned, but I've known people with serious hip pain or who had their hip replaced, and they were almost always in excruitating pain. Opioid medications are often prescribed in these cases (Vicodin, Percocet, Oxycontin), but unless they are prescribed in very small and infrequent doasges, they almost always lead to some type of addiction. Unfortunately, the politicians in this country aren't very enlightened about alternative medicine in this country, and too many of them are on the receiving end of campaign donations from Big Pharma, so we don't get to use alternative treatments like cannabis oil to treat pain. (No, you do not need to smoke weed to get its medical benefits. In fact, it's more potent if ingested orally or in suppository form.)

I know most of you European and Canadian orgers would be flabbergasted that we have so many prescription medication commercials on television, but sadly this is far too true about the influence of Big Pharma. At any rate, why would I want to take a prescription medication when it's advertised that the side effects could include internal bleeding, liver damage, foaming at the mouth, blood coming out of the eye sockets, and/or suicidal tendencies? (Pregnant women should not take Zopatrex, as it may cause serious birth defects to the fetus including scaly skin and horns growing from esch side of the skull.)