I’ m not a Junkie!

[Woodman]

Do you know a person who seems obsessed with using?
Does that person depend on family for lodging and/or financial support?
Are they always hitting you up for small favors here & there; a ride somewhere, always borrowing tools or household supplies, or perhaps a few bucks for food or gas or a pack of cigarettes?

Chances are, that person is a JUNKIE!

Junkies are a unique class of drug users. They are actually ADDICTS who use and manipulate others to further their own habit.

Where a RECREATIONAL DRUG USER may use drugs infrequently, and a DRUG ADDICT is compelled to use drugs regularly, the JUNKIE is separated from the them by his willing to exhaust all social, medical, personal, and financial options. A junkie is best described as a ruthless addict willing to burn all bridges and cheat anyone and everyone in order to get drugs; and indeed, a junkie has NO friends.

You may know someone who is in the process of becoming a junkie. There ARE telltale signs to look for that would indicate one is turning from a drug
addict into a full-blown junkie.

One of the first indicators is the absence of electronics: stereo, computer, C/D’s, DVD’s & DVD player, etc. Usually all but the TV, though eventually
even that will go as cable and satellite services require regular payments that would otherwise feed a voracious habit.

If a junkie has a job it usually doesn’t last long, and sooner or later they will find their way to government assistance.

Cars owned by junkies don’t fare well at all. They are poorly maintained and any damage the car sustains may take months to repair, but as long as it
can run it will be used for quick transport to and from a dealers house.

Of course, driving a damaged vehicle makes anyone susceptible to being stopped by cops and issued a citation, but a junkie fetching drugs is like a Messiah on a religious mission and not likely to be concerned with a court date that’s 30-60 days away. Moreover, the god of a junkie requires regular worship, so it is also likely a junkie will get stopped on SEVERAL separate occasions and issued MULTIPLE citations.

Junkies have a limited perspective of current events, especially as they relate to their own community. They will be acutely aware of a new federal law
enforcement program in their district while completely unconcerned with a road widening project at the bottom of their own street. This kind of social detachment is characteristic among almost all junkies.

Don’t bother asking for sports scores, because they don’t keep up. The TV’s gone so they aren’t familiar with any TV shows. They won’t go to a bar because they can’t do drugs in public (it’s not beer they are after, anyway), and it’s probably been at least a year since they’ve even visited a theater to see a movie.

These aren’t the type of people who are going to have friends over for a barbecue while drinking beer in the back yard. In fact it’s more likely they traded the Webber grill for a hit or two, the grass is overgrown, and the house is in a bad state of disrepair. There’s probably more than one “Past Due” notice lying around somewhere, and you may discover either the telephone or electricity isn’t working.

Water is usually the last to be shut-off, and by that time a bench warrant has probably been issued for all those traffic citations that were disregarded.

If you know a junkie, the WORST thing you can do is to let them do you a favor. It may be to score some drugs, or just to have them give you a ride
somewhere; or perhaps just to introduce you to someone. Whatever it may be, once the junkie has done you that favor, you are (in the mind of a junkie) FOREVER in their debt and will likely find that you’re expected to repay this favor many times over as the junkie hits you up for everything from spare change to a place to stay. The most important rule in dealing with a junkie is to Never let a junkie do you ANY favors.

The SECOND WORST thing you can do is to actually allow YOURSELF to do a favor FOR a junkie; to give him a ride somewhere, or to pass him a few bucks for breakfast or bus money. Keep in mind that once you do a junkie a favor they will be back to hit you up for more (hookers often pry their johns in this way. it’s called “playing a mark” as they nickle & dime you for extras above & beyond the original fee), and their need knows no end

As a general rule, junkies spend all of their resources in pursuit of drugs. The meal you provide to a junkie means that much less that they will have to spend on food, allowing them more money to buy drugs, and making you a mark to hit-up the next time they need a free meal; so rule #2 is NEVER do any favor for a junkie.

If there’s a THIRD rule to dealing with a junkie it is a very simple rule: Never talk to a junkie about being a junkie. No matter what you say to them, they will NOT change. It may give them pause to contemplate the harm they have caused. It may even bring a junkie to admit that he (or she) actually IS a junkie, but it will not change them. The best you can expect is a rambling confession that seems very much sincere, but a junkie’s repentance is short lived and their contrition is for practical purposes, ONLY.

At the end of it you will be asked to perform an act of faith, proving that you believe them to be truthful and sincere, willing to clean-up and straighten themselves out. It'll just takes a few bucks for a pack of cigarettes, or a ride into town, or “let me borrow ...”

If anything is certain about junkies, it is that they are MOOCHES of the worst order, and anyone who’s known a junkie recognizes the behavior and knows
that it gets old, fast.

Junkies give drugs (and drug users) a bad name. Mention the term “drug user” in casual discussion (even among some drug users), and the personification of a “Junkie” is usually the first image that comes to mind.

The media has wasted no effort in exploiting this image to advance a political agenda in support of drug control. The effect of this brainwashing campaign has been so successful that it has even found it’s way here, to a forum of drug users, where visitors post questions with the presumption that ALL drug users live and behave in a manner that is almost uniquely reserved for (and characteristic of) junkies.

As a drug user I, for one, am sick and tired of taking the rap as a result of all the crap for which junkies are truly responsible.

Goddamit!...I am NOT a Junkie!

The time is long overdue for someone to step forward and make clear the distinction between drug use, drug addicts, and junkies. If you use drugs then you will eventually be required to make such a stand on this issue, because to remain silent is to permit drug control advocates to continue misleading the public and allow them to misrepresent all drug users in the stereotypes that they regularly present to the general public.

Reputation Comments on this post:

nice!

[WhiteRyan]

We all know these type of people. My have a famous junkie and everytime I meet another one I refer to him by the original junkie. To survive and junkie you gotta hustle a junkie. Cuz they will try to hustle you. Stay away from them. Turn them down on things with a sour face.


I like the entry alot though

[djryand]

Beautiful post woodman!!!

I'm a drug user. I work, go to school, support a wife and baby, and pay outrageous taxes.

I AM NOT A JUNKIE!!!

Let my smoke my pot in peace
and fuck off you supposed officer of "peace"

[Synthe-heart]

indeed it's a great post! and I'm also a drug user

[hippie_lain]

Junkies do have friends but thier other junkies and they team up to help each other mooch of us responsible drug users. If your friends show the signs I'd drop them before they fuck you over.

[manda]

RIGHT ON! Well said.

[icemaster]

I think your post pigenholes people a little too much: you are either a regular drug user or a junkie, with no in-between.

[OneDiaDem]

Not so. I am neither of those. I use drugs occasionally, not regularily. The only drug that I take daily is xanax, and that is for bipolor disorder. Im with Woodman on this. I finally got to the point where I started telling junkies to f#%k off and get a job. I am not the bank of Dia.</font>

[lindapwallace]

liked the post woodman......"Do you know a person who seems obsessed with using?

"Does that person depend on family for lodging
and/or financial support?
Are they always hitting you up for small favors here &
there; a ride somewhere, always borrowing tools or
household supplies, or perhaps a few bucks for food
or gas or a pack of cigarettes?" yep that has happened..

"One of the first indicators is the absence of
electronics: stereo, computer, C/D’s, DVD’s & DVD
player, etc." yep that happened as well....

"At the end of it you will be asked to perform an act of
faith, proving that you believe them to be truthful and
sincere, willing to clean-up and straighten
themselves out. It'll just takes a few bucks for a pack
of cigarettes, or a ride into town, or “let me borrow "

when reading all that, yep that is exactly how it happened.....
i learned the hard way and it cost me a lot financially..its good to see that you have been able to put into words exactly what happened to me.

Merry Christmas to you all and I hope its a very peaceful one...
linda

[manda]

Being a junkie isn't necessarily a finanicial situation. The very rich and famous drug users, a lot of them are gone- because they had the money to feed their every fancy. Just because they paid cash money for their shit, doesn't mean they have it under control.
In other words, they can afford to be a junkie...
I can't come close to affording the dope it would take to be a junkie. (Which I consider using the needle to function daily)

[P!MPJU!C3]

They way woordman describes being a junkie its like junkies live of everyone else. Rich people dont live of anyone else because they got their own money. So that would mean being a junkie is financial. A rich person using the amount a junkie uses would just have to be a heavy user.
I dunno what does Websters say?

[Woodman]

Originally Posted by P!MPJU!C3

They way woordman
describes being a junkie its like junkies live of
everyone else.
... So that would mean being a junkie is financial.

No! You merely interpreted my description as
"purely" financial.

No amount of money can instill a sense of
responsibility into a junkie. No matter how rich they
are, they're not going to have any motivation to clean
their house, wash their car, or mow the lawn.

If they've got the money, they might actually be able to
pay someone else to do these things for them, but
that does not make them more responsible
individuals. Their main pursuit in life is still drugs.

Whitney Houston is probably one of the richest
junkies I'm aware of. All she has to do is make an
appearance, to show-up, and without even opening
her mouth she is an embarrassment. Nobody wants
anything to do with her.

She seems completely unconcerned with her
apperance. She no longer knows how to dress, how
to talk to reporters, or how to carry herself in public
because her priorities are completely out of
alignment. This is because the only priority she has
now is her drugs, and it shows. She is a junkie.

I don't care how rich she is; I wouldn't trust her to
walk my dog because if she was in the middle of a
jones without any cash on her, I doubt she'ld
hesitate to trade the dog for a hit.

Originally Posted by P!MPJU!C3

A rich person using the
amount a junkie uses would just have to be a heavy
user.

It's a matter of personal priorities and individual
responsibility, not money.

It's too bad that's apparently all you took from it.

Originally Posted by P!MPJU!C3

I dunno what does Websters
say?

Webster was a junkie.
Try Oxford.Edited by: woodman

[Crackkim]

i smoke every day some rocks does that make me a junkie?

[ventrue]

i agree with the original post, i'm going to remember it, maybe put it on the wall

[Be-Bop]

100th post..so i'll say it loud & say it proud..


I AM OPIATE-ENRICHED!!! I AM A HEROIN ADDICT!!


Tho' i agree with nearly..no everything that Woodman says..but there is a very big difference between someone who is addicted to drugs, & a JUNKY!!!


Even tho' i have been using for a long time..i still have almost all my old friends, & the trust of my family..


I'll givean example of why i believe this is so


Once i had stayed at my sister's place for the night..we cooked dinner, sat around, had a few drinks..& i slept over..the next day, she had gone to work, & apart from cigarettes (which..yes..she had bought me) i had fuck all, & was really starting to feel SICK..for whatever reason, her flatmate had left 4 $100 notes just lying on the table..bill? rent?..i don't know? I'm not saying i wasn't tempted, i could have scored within 20min of her place...BUT i DIDN'T, & never have in that kind of situation, coz the love of family,& the trust of friends is more important than ONE DAY of 'not feeling sick'!!!


In the time i have been using daily, i have been given the keys to many of my friends places..& yeah, it was because i was homeless, but all my friends know i would NEVER steal from them..& if i stay at someone's place, i make sure i clean, vacuum, wash the dishes etc to show my appreciation..am i perfect..no way..am i a drain on my friends sometimes, in the sense i mightn't have smokes etc..you bet..but i'm also the person who turns up at my friends, who smoke dope, place's with a bag of pot, & lay a smoke on them & leave them a couple grams..


I can be a fucking trial to know, i know that..i know that sometimes it hurts the people that love me, to see me hurting myself..& them knowing that there isn't anything that they can do.... & yeah, i have borrowed money, but i always pay it back..for the most selfish reasons, coz then,,when things are desperate, i can always rely on that person to help me out..IF they've got it to spare..Yeah, me & my girlfriend both worked hustling guys for money..but at least we earn't our own money selling a service..we didn't steal from anyone..i do know the football scores..i read books..i go & see movies, & bands when i can..which is not as often as i'd like...but, fuck it..i do the best i can


But when someone is moving house..it's me they know will come over & help..& not for money either..coz i know i don't have much else than my time & effort to offer..or my friendship, when someone is going thru a rough time.


Even tho' i agree with you Woodman..i fuckin' HATE most junkies..i'm really embarrassed to be ONE OF THEM..but its not always that simple...


Be-Bop

[circsee1]

I agree one hundred percent with BBob. I think what it comes down to is personality and character traits. Although these do decrease exponentially (for most people) as drug use increases I believe select individuals. although they are "obsessed" with drugs still do maintain a sense of what lines they cannot cross. I have suffered terrible withdrawls alone in my house with my parents wallets sitting around. So, although you may be completely dependent on drugs and your sole focus is on drugs, your personality will prevent you from crossing certain lines which, above, you stated would be the most likely outcome. Anyways, great post, definitely gets to the heart of the matter and is very well written. Just a small disagreement.

[Woodman]

Be-Bop,

Please re-read the topic post.

You might qualify as an "addict", but not a "junkie"!

I sought to make clear the description of a junkie,
and seperate that from drug users and drug addicts.

[raven3davis]

nice post dude. SWIM definitely has known a few people like that. The ones who were great guitar players but pawned their bass, the ones who were loved by many in school, but now hated by most because they stole from friends. BTW what is W. Houston hooked on? She has a show on TV and she seemed kinda out of it but I didnt know for sure. What drugs cause people to become junkies most often? My top choices would be heroin (and other hard opiates)meth and coke. What do you all think about this. SWIM has also seen people become junked out on benzos too. Tweekers as junkies a lot of the time. Before you can speel meth they will have bought a twenty sack with the money the got for stealing your stereo or some shit. Most junkies SWIM has known though are normally just addicted to drugs in general. There is normally a certain drug or class of drugs that they prefer and are more prone to using, but they will really do anything they can get their hands on. A true junkie does not discriminate. If you tell them it will fuck them up they will probably take it. SWIM and friends used to joke saying that this junkies life was woth like $10. Its true. His life would be worth the $10 worth of random rcs packed into a gelcap that he would definitely take if offered. Junkies will take anything in pill form, hell you could even give them some unknown white powder and tell them to sniff it. Its sad that junkies lives are basically worth whatever the cost of drugs it would take to kill them, which is low. Edited by: raven3davis

[BrugmansiaBrujo]

Excellent post. I am a drug user, NOT a JUNKIE.
Sometimes I slip for a while into the realm of addict, then I
check myself and become a drug user again. And sometimes I get
bored with the whole thing and lay off everything for a while.



And throughout it all I have held a job, maintained a home and family,
and have never asked anyone to help me out, even if I really needed it
badly, out of just plain stubborn pride.

[Be-Bop]

Just a quick one to Woodman..i did understand what you were saying in terms of the difference between drug addict/JUNKY..my post was really an internal dialogue about the constant PUSH/PULL between the two.....being an addict, there is the constant NEED for vigilance, & running through a "Moral checklist", lest you find yourself 'slipping' into that pathology...as all-consuming as drugs can be, you gotta constantly remind yourself that it ISN'T as important as it can feel... especially when you are in withdrawal..


Be-Bop.

Why do people always have to pigeonhole and label people?


Everyone is different and people who use drugs get enough abuse from society without other drug users turning against them. I came to this forum because I hoped to find some like-minded intelligent people who enjoyed taking drugs. I feel sorry for junkies and I think it is cruel and narrow-minded to write them off as selfish criminals.


Drugs are expensive and addictive- this combination often leads users to act in ways they are not proud of. I work for my money but in the past I've lived off benefits, handouts, scams and fraud. It made me miserable and ashamed so I sorted myself out. I still spend a lot of money on drugs but I am not going to define myself as a Junky if thatmeans I fityour stereotype. I've got lots of friends who consider me caring and generous.


Stop being so bigoted and give people a chance.

[Woodman]

Originally Posted by Stoned Honey

... I am not going to define
myself as a Junky if that*means I fit*your stereotype.

LOL.

It would seem that you already fit the description and
you're just pissed-off because my post hits a little
close to home.

Originally Posted by Stoned Honey

...in the past I've lived off
benefits, handouts, scams and fraud. It made me
miserable and ashamed so I sorted myself out.

...Stop being so bigoted and give people a
chance.

Junkies make honest drug users look like criminals;
they provide a stereotype image for drug control
advocates in the media to broadcast as the
quintessential profile of ALL drug users.

I've given out more chances to junkies than I care to
admit, but now it's time to call them to the carpet and
let all junkies know that the days of feasting at the
well of generosity are over.

If that makes you feel uncomfortable then you had
better get used to it because I plan on making this
issue into a pop-culture trend.
Edited by: Woodman

[Jeff Woad]

If you are starting to get sick from need of heroin- (and maybe other drugs, I can't say) All, or a lot of morals and ideals change, break or at least bend slightly.


If you've never been there, you maybe shouldn't judge others so quickly... And if you have... I don't think you would have done.

[Woodman]

Originally Posted by Jeff Woad

If you've never been there, you maybe shouldn't judge others so quickly...
And if you have... I don't think you would have done.

Unfortunately that kind of rhetoric would appear to lend itself to the
persona of an empathetic enabler, but while you're busy making junkies
look like beaten-down outcast victims of hard-luck, I'm not about to give
them a free pass by ignoring their reckless behavior.

Junkies give drugs, and drug users, a bad name.

Someone who wouldn't know any better might just look at me and
assume that "I" am a junkie, but why should I have to live with that stigma
when I've done nothing to DESERVE it?

It's time to stand-up and make people aware of the difference between
drug users and junkies, and if that means hurting some junkies feelings
then that's just TOO DAMN BAD!

[Nagognog2]

It would seem that the problem, as usual, is with the law. If heroin were legalized, as it was in Great Britain, and given to junkies by the government then the problem would solve itself. Of course there would still be manipulative, thieving SOB's who would continue in a pattern of behavior associated with being a junkie in need of a fix. But if we made heroin available to the junkie - then the criminal scumbag elements could be easily weeded out and thrown in prison where they belong.


Now, of course, someone is going to chime in and say that I'm being intolerant of the poor, misunderstood criminal element. That I should have sympathy for them as they try to boost my wallet. But I would rather shoot them. One of these poor unfortunates broke into my next door neighbor's house yesterday. I felt so sorry for the darling burglar - as I punched 911 on my phone and grabbed my pistol.Edited by: nagognog2