Question:
just heard a piece on the radio that said researchers have found
that a cocaine addict cannot tell a difference when they are given
Ritalin instead of cocaine.... food for thought
Answer:
Not having visited theinternet for a few weeks, I'm not aware if you've
posted other items, but I take it that you are anti-ritalin. If it is
true that a cocaine addict cannot tell the difference between taking
ritilin and cocaine then I think it actually speaks in favor of ritalin
- they obviously have been self-medicating without any means of control.
Having to purchase ritalin through a doctor would put a control
mechanism into place that should also include testing,counseling and
working towards a more satisfactory conclusion - an altogether better
option than cocaine.
Same thing happens with Crystal Meth. When my son started using it I was
totally unaware because it actually had a therapeutic affect until he
went over the deep end with it. Although my son took Ritalin when he
was younger, with very good results, he never needed to increase the
dose to get the same therapeutic affect. When he became 13 and obnoxious
he refused to take his medicine anymore, so the doctor stopped writing
the prescription. About 6 months later he began self-medicating and
started on crystal. He need more and more, very quickly, to get what he
considered the "desired affect". After that, he moved on to PCP, and
almost fatally od'd on 1-7-95, three days before his 16th birthday.
This, of course, is a calm synopsis of the hell we endured for several
years, but my firm belief is that if he'd continued taking his Ritalin,
the likelihood of him turning to illegal and uncontrolled drugs would
have been extremely small. I wish that he would have not needed any
medication at all, but I'm extrememly grateful that Ritalin was there
for the time that he took it.
