There's something not cool about people pearl-clutching so hard about Prince possibly having been addicted to prescription opiates and having been a 'drug addict'.

Here's the deal everyone: many people have drug addictions. These addictions manifest for many reasons. In the case of prescription opiate addictions in the U.S. right now there's a bit of a crisis going on with people becoming addicted to painkillers that have been proscribed by their doctors. This isssue has become apparrent becaue of all the veterans of America's not-stop wars over the last 15 years who received live saving medical treatments that have become addicted. Often move onto heroin, which is much easier to ontain in some places.

Drug addiction is a pitfall that human people experience. Prince was human.

It in no way should tarnish Prince's lagacy if it turns out he was addicted to anything, becasue we love him, right? We also love people who are dug addicts. So, we don't shiun and shame them, right? That's how it should be.

So lets not fall into this trap where we shame and stigmatise people for their drug addictions. Also, let's not pretend that Prince was invulnerable to such things. It's insulting to the people who are currently struggling.

[Edited 4/29/16 10:15am]

I do remember him being asked to comment on MJ's death and him replying smething to the extent of: "Will not comment cause I'm too close to it". At the time I thought he meant he felt his death too closely, but perhaps he was being much more honest....

[Edited 4/29/16 10:13am]

JudasLChrist said:

I don't think it'll tarnish anything, or anyone is stigmatizing him because of anything. I think if it turns out he did have a long standing painkiller/opiate addiction, it would just be so far the opposite with the Prince he portrayed and projected, so I think it would be more "unbelieveable" than anything else. We'll see in the next few months with test results etc.

[Edited 4/29/16 10:37am]

MMJas said:

I do remember him being asked to comment on MJ's death and him replying smething to the extent of: "Will not comment cause I'm too close to it". At the time I thought he meant he felt his death too closely, but perhaps he was being much more honest....

[Edited 4/29/16 10:13am]

he sure did say that

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4505666/?ref_=fn_tt_tt_1

JudasLChrist said:

There's something not cool about people pearl-clutching so hard about Prince possibly having been addicted to prescription opiates and having been a 'drug addict'.

Here's the deal everyone: many people have drug addictions. These addictions manifest for many reasons. In the case of prescription opiate addictions in the U.S. right now there's a bit of a crisis going on with people becoming addicted to painkillers that have been proscribed by their doctors. This isssue has become apparrent becaue of all the veterans of America's not-stop wars over the last 15 years who received live saving medical treatments that have become addicted. Often move onto heroin, which is much easier to ontain in some places.

Drug addiction is a pitfall that human people experience. Prince was human.

It in no way should tarnish Prince's lagacy if it turns out he was addicted to anything, becasue we love him, right? We also love people who are dug addicts. So, we don't shiun and shame them, right? That's how it should be.

So lets not fall into this trap where we shame and stigmatise people for their drug addictions. Also, let's not pretend that Prince was invulnerable to such things. It's insulting to the people who are currently struggling.

[Edited 4/29/16 10:15am]

I agree. Even moreso, I think the issue may be not so much that Prince may have had a chemical dependency issue, but that we have placed him on a pedestal and think he can do no wrong. If it turns out he did have a dependency issue and someone finds issue with it, then perhaps the bigger issue resides with that particular individual than with Prince. BTW, there is a huge difference between addicition and dependency. This last comment isn't directed at you just a general statement. I wish people knew what they were talking about before they started spouting off.

If he was taking medication prescribed by a doctor for legitimate medical reasons, then I don't think "drug addict" is the right word.

paulludvig said:

If he was taking medication prescribed by a doctor for legitimate medical reasons, then I don't think "drug addict" is the right word.

That's not really what they're saying. You don't simply die as a result of taking a doctor prescribed dosage for pain relief. That fact he OD's 6 days prior indicates an addiction, when coupled with the pharmacy runs and the "sickly" look people have noticed. They're thinking along the lines that there's a clear indication he became hooked after being introduced to them when originally prescribed for pain. If it turns out there were huge prescriptions filled and stuff they'll be looking for a doctor to blame.

I recently saw an Unsung episode on a great lady singer who died as they were producing the show. Forgive me, can't think of her name but was impressed by her incredible humour and talent. Anyway, i read up on her and one very good,insightful article was on this very topic, that America has a serious problem with these pills. It's true, everyone, I mean everyone has got to have something just to function in this society. It is something that we all need to look at about ourselves and be honest.

paulludvig said:

If he was taking medication prescribed by a doctor for legitimate medical reasons, then I don't think "drug addict" is the right word.

ya, we really don't know, it's too early but given how common it is, it's understandable. Opiates are about the worst stuff to do, I've heard many times that once you get hooked on them, you'll never get off. That has to be exxageration but it's bad stuff. What I don't get with Prince, he was so disciplined and driven maybe he really was in terrible pain. I once knew a Navy Seal who had such severe wounds, mental and physical really but the poor guy had absolutely no choice but to pop pills. I never judged him and felt badly for him, I doubt if he's still alive and when I knew him, he could barely function. Prince never appeared like that in public, so I don't really know what to think right now. However, my idol's death makes me want to throw out the pills I take for migraines, I'd rather just suffer through them most of the time anyway. the old symbol of medicine, the two snakes facing each other means that the cure can also kill. Prince seemed to admonish others about this in Let's go Crazy, at least that's how I always saw it, never could imagine he'd end up like that when I was a kid.

also, i've mentioned in another thread, that about five years ago, there was a thread about a leaked letter from prince's camp, it was written by a woman and it was addressed to prince and expressed a great deal of concern for his pain and his pill ingestion. funny thing was, one of the posters said they had a sense he wouldn't live much past 57, of course people jumped all over them at the time, but, unfortunately they were right. Wish I could find that thread here now.

paulludvig said:

If he was taking medication prescribed by a doctor for legitimate medical reasons, then I don't think "drug addict" is the right word.

If a doctor prescribes somebody drugs, and the patient becomes addicted to the drugs, then "drug addict" would seem to be a fairly accurate descriptor.

PeteSilas said:

I recently saw an Unsung episode on a great lady singer who died as they were producing the show. Forgive me, can't think of her name but was impressed by her incredible humour and talent. Anyway, i read up on her and one very good,insightful article was on this very topic, that America has a serious problem with these pills. It's true, everyone, I mean everyone has got to have something just to function in this society. It is something that we all need to look at about ourselves and be honest.

Vesta Williams i beleive

You know what's weird - the Walgreen's Pharmacy he was photographed at is not as near to Paisley Park than a few other Walgreen's Pharmacies. Why didn't he go to the closer ones? Why this one that was a 7mi away, as opposed to the one that was 1mi away. Then there's a few more close still than the one he was going to.

breakbeat said:

You know what's weird - the Walgreen's Pharmacy he was photographed at is not as near to Paisley Park than a few other Walgreen's Pharmacies. Why didn't he go to the closer ones? Why this one that was a 7mi away, as opposed to the one that was 1mi away. Then there's a few more close still than the one he was going to.

could be close to where his doctor was located ..i have pharmacies by my home but usually goto the one closest to my PCP

All I can say on it, is it changes nothing for me, and Percocet would be exactly what I'd expect a lady from the 80's to be addicted to. All Prince's friends were ladies from that era, so it makes sense to me.

breakbeat said:

You know what's weird - the Walgreen's Pharmacy he was photographed at is not as near to Paisley Park than a few other Walgreen's Pharmacies. Why didn't he go to the closer ones? Why this one that was a 7mi away, as opposed to the one that was 1mi away. Then there's a few more close still than the one he was going to.

I noticed that too, he literally drove past at least one location to get there (assuming he was coming from Paisley Park). I thought maybe he lived closer to this pharmacy, but sounds like he was actually living in Paisley Park.

If he was pharmacy hopping, wouldn't the Walgreens computer show that he was going to other locations as well?

lwr001 said:

PeteSilas said:

I recently saw an Unsung episode on a great lady singer who died as they were producing the show. Forgive me, can't think of her name but was impressed by her incredible humour and talent. Anyway, i read up on her and one very good,insightful article was on this very topic, that America has a serious problem with these pills. It's true, everyone, I mean everyone has got to have something just to function in this society. It is something that we all need to look at about ourselves and be honest.

Vesta Williams i beleive

ya thats her

weirdozmedia said:

breakbeat said:

You know what's weird - the Walgreen's Pharmacy he was photographed at is not as near to Paisley Park than a few other Walgreen's Pharmacies. Why didn't he go to the closer ones? Why this one that was a 7mi away, as opposed to the one that was 1mi away. Then there's a few more close still than the one he was going to.

I noticed that too, he literally drove past at least one location to get there (assuming he was coming from Paisley Park). I thought maybe he lived closer to this pharmacy, but sounds like he was actually living in Paisley Park.

If he was pharmacy hopping, wouldn't the Walgreens computer show that he was going to other locations as well?

I don't know. I thought maybe he had some dodgy pharmacist on his side at this particular spot. But, as mentioned above it may just be the pharmacy that's close to his doctor.

breakbeat said:

weirdozmedia said:

I noticed that too, he literally drove past at least one location to get there (assuming he was coming from Paisley Park). I thought maybe he lived closer to this pharmacy, but sounds like he was actually living in Paisley Park.

If he was pharmacy hopping, wouldn't the Walgreens computer show that he was going to other locations as well?

I don't know. I thought maybe he had some dodgy pharmacist on his side at this particular spot. But, as mentioned above it may just be the pharmacy that's close to his doctor.

There's a post on TMZ about how he had a "friendly" doctor who would supply him with stuff, and it could be a "conrad murray" type thing. I think that's the info the cops are looking for with the search warrants.

breakbeat said:

You know what's weird - the Walgreen's Pharmacy he was photographed at is not as near to Paisley Park than a few other Walgreen's Pharmacies. Why didn't he go to the closer ones? Why this one that was a 7mi away, as opposed to the one that was 1mi away. Then there's a few more close still than the one he was going to.

It may have been a pharmacist he had history with. Someone else might have sold his info. A lot of people who ran their own pharmacy lost their businesses and took a job with CVS or Walgreens.

well, if any of this is true there will be hell to pay. Elvis died at a time when knowledge was much more limited. the lessons seem to be lost on everyone.

Doctors may end up charged.

[Edited 4/29/16 15:52pm]

breakbeat said:

weirdozmedia said:

breakbeat said:

You know what's weird - the Walgreen's Pharmacy he was photographed at is not as near to Paisley Park than a few other Walgreen's Pharmacies. Why didn't he go to the closer ones? Why this one that was a 7mi away, as opposed to the one that was 1mi away. Then there's a few more close still than the one he was going to.

I noticed that too, he literally drove past at least one location to get there (assuming he was coming from Paisley Park). I thought maybe he lived closer to this pharmacy, but sounds like he was actually living in Paisley Park.

If he was pharmacy hopping, wouldn't the Walgreens computer show that he was going to other locations as well?

Only if their pharmacies are networked. I worked for a large retail pharmacy when I was going through college. If you fill a prescription at one location, the other locations don't always have access to those records.