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Permalink Reply by dave foster on November 20, 2009 at 3:30am

Such an orphan drug is not likely to find a market, as the coke addict dosen't want it, the legal system could care less, there are no votes in it for the politicians, so who will pay for trials and development? such a shame, our society could use such an anti-drug!

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Permalink Reply by sleepycarol on November 20, 2009 at 8:03am

But there is a certain segment that wants off drugs, but without something to help them, they repeat the cycle.

My husband is alcoholic -- sober since 1990. I have seen so many go through rehab only to relapse. The drugs (alcohol included) are powerful. Hubby has to fight the desire to drink, even after so many years of soberiety.

I have family members (niece and nephew) that are battling drugs now. They have good intentions to stop and I know that at least my niece would seek such help if it were available. So I disagree that there would be no market -- not all addicts like what they have become.

Alcohol and drugs are powerful, cunning, and baffling. It is a love/hate relationship for so many!!

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Permalink Reply by Judy on November 20, 2009 at 8:07am

I was just thinking that prohibition established organized crime in this country and now drugs have embedded and buried orginized crime and its money deep, deep into our society. There's money to be had by Wall Street, by our government and politicians, by big business ....

We aren't destroying the poppy fields in Afghanistan and providing the locals w/other crops and means of supporting themselves and their families in its place ...

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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on November 20, 2009 at 9:43am

We aren't destroying the poppy fields in Afghanistan and providing the locals w/other crops and means of supporting themselves and their families in its place ...

I believe that they call it population control Judy.

I had a rough time with my addiction. Took me years to walk away from it. I did go through rehab where they tried to get me to trade one addiction for another. I ended up walking out and beating it on my own. Had there been something like this I would have taken it.

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Permalink Reply by Tim on November 20, 2009 at 9:57am

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080915164427.htm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090218223504.htm

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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on November 20, 2009 at 10:43am

j n k and Tim, thanks for the links. I took naltrexone years ago to beat opiate addiction- the trouble is that it just changes the way opiate receptors in the brain act, it doesn't change the part of you that's addicted. I found, and though this seems a small thing it isn't/wasn't -while taking naltrexone I could never get my "runners high". In fact I never got that satisfying feeling of having finished a run again. I quit running. Who knows what else changed in my brain?
I am Bipolar and a couple of years ago quit smoking pot when my Psychiatrist told me I could quit smoking and just be Bipolar, or I could keep smoking and be a psychotic Bipolar. I believed him and luckily the last time I had smoked it was a paranoid rather than a fun experience. I feel a lot better not smoking so that has made it easy to stay off the pot. Also, my friends reactions to my improved affect have been deeply satisfying.

From what I understand of Ibogaine, the way it works is by giving you insight into yourself through a psychedelic experience. This insight is supposed to free you from the need to self medicate. Unless you change all the other factors- availabilty, friends, the need to get high to name a few- I can't see it working. It seems to be a deeply spiritual event and unless you're open to the pulse of the universe ,deeply motivated, and have a satisfying life to support you I can't imagine the experience could free you from cocaine or any other addiction.

About the naltrexone- I believe I was treated as a lab rat by people who didn't care about me. The drug was too new and the long term effects such as the loss of my "runners high" and who knows what other small pleasures, is still unknown.

Certainly many of us have to take prescription drugs, but recreational drugs can impact our CPAP treatment in ways we can only imagine.

Mary Zimlich

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Permalink Reply by Judy on November 20, 2009 at 11:15am

Yup, thank you. Ibogaine is the name. I found the most interesting info about it at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibogaine

I knew it was too good to be true, but it sure did have my curiosity up.

By the way, the only "recreational drug" I've ever used is alcohol and then only on occasion. I used to go out when money was tight on a $1 a night. Two mixed drinks at 45 cents each and two bags of potato chips at 5 cents each. I spent most of the night dancing so that was plenty for me. I never did or have understood the need to get "high". Of course, street drugs weren't "in" yet when I was a teen. Alcohol was the thing and since I grew up w/so darn many drunks around me I guess that cured me of any desire to make an ass of myself by getting drunk.

At least in the areas I grew up drugs didn't come into any popularity until the troops began returning from Nam. I do know as far back as the Korean War our own government fed our troops drugs to keep them going. And our own government is doing it today to keep our combat pilots flying in the MidEast.

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