Question:
Do people usually use heroin or pharmaceuticals? Is one preferred over
the other? Is all opiate addiction basically the same?
Answer:
I think most people would agree that if amps of diamorphine HCl were on sale at the
supermarket, pharmaceutical drugs would be chosen virtually 100% of the time. But
there seems to be a war on drugs going on, so you make do with what you can get.
Highly euphoriant opioids (like diamorphine) tend not to be in favor with the "medical
community," so very few pharmaceuticals can match black-market diamorphine.
Oxymorphone is an exception, but we'll have to watch and see how things evolve with
Opana. As to what people use, my guess would be, "whatever is available."
Yes, all opioid addiction is the same. It differs in severity based on the dose that
was being used and the length of time it was used for, and it differs in onset and
duration of withdrawal depending on what drug was being used, but qualitatively,
neuroadaptation to and withdrawal from opioid drugs is the same no matter what drug is
used.
