I am a recovering oxycodone addict and (more recently) did inpatient treatment for alcoholism. It’s “hard” for me to watch anyone do opiates, in that in makes me crave them. I have never used intravenously, but watching people shoot up makes me wish I had some oxy. Still the HARDEST is the cutters. I honestly cannot watch that at all.
Heroin, for me…I have to turn my head when they show people “shooting up”…I’m not judging, I just couldn’t imagine sticking myself with a needle for a high…and I used to stick babies for IV’s to give them medication…but to stick myself with a brown, nasty liquid..i just cant do it…I recently watch an episode with Alissa, who shoots bath salts…and she even admitted that she never knew how to shoot up, her arms look like Freddy Crougars…
Gina, I do the exact same thing by turning my head. I hated injecting my drugs into my arm, as I was so terrible doing them. I have been in recovery for over 24 healthy years.
Wow, I thought us bulimics would be at the top of the list. I put heroin, because it involves needles, and then the person can go into an OD, like that Audrey girl. Scary stuff. I’ve worked in the medical field with needles, so they don’t bother me a lot- but when people shoot into their necks, it just freaks me out.
I mean no offense- I think my addiction is the most disgusting of all…
I think bulimia is pretty hard to watch because I don’t know a lot of people that can comfortably watch someone throw up and not feel like they want to as well. I guess it evokes the biggest physical response for me. If any other substance I would say meth or coke addiction because I can’t imagine the amount of anxiety they must be feeling. It too makes me anxious to watch.
Alcoholism is difficult to watch because the booze brings to the surface the addict’s deepest emotional pain and can cause the addict to make a melodrama out of every small thing in life.
IV drug use is difficult to watch because it’s just plain disgusting.
Eating disorders are difficult to watch because people with eating disorders are extremely hostile and manipulative. Their behaviour is intended to manipulate and abuse others. In other words, they harm themselves in order to harm other people.
I find your description of people with EDs reductionist and unfair (and insulting, as a person in recovery from one). They are in as much pain as anyone with a substance use disorder, and abuse food instead (or in addition to) drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism– it’s not a coincidence that eating disorders and substance abuse are often bedfellows. The motivations and compulsive behavior patterns are often indistinguishable. If you have a personal issue due to someone in your life with an eating disorder, you need to own that instead of promoting judgmental statements as facts.
The most difficult addiction I have ever seen on the show is inhalants but the most traumatic or difficult abuse/addiction I witnessed was huffing aerolac paint or industrial glue from clear baggies or paper bags . When I was in Romania there were thousands of parentless homeless street children huffing paint in order to get high . Seeing a 5 year old childs eyes roll back in her head from huffing paint every 5 minutes is horrifying . These children are the result of Nicolai Cesucuae banning all birth control during his reign and before he was executed so hundreds of thousands of babies were born into a country with little to no food , rampant alcoholism in the parents and people living in extreme poverty .
These children will huff paint 24/7 to fight hunger , deal with sexual abuse as predators sell children as young as 8 into prostitution and 100 other horrible things . Many die from inhalant use , homicide or starvation and they are not very likely to escape the situation .
Seeing inhalant abuse on the show is so terrifying to me because of the total loss of who they are and the erratic violent behavior . Both subjects show that huffed were obviously not themselves but both and had no desire to get sober until they got that they would be homeless and without funds . Oh and the skin freezing from the duster getting too cold was horrific .
The same problem is prevelent in the population of street children in Kathmandu. They’re largely ignored by law enforcement and social welfare groups but a coalition of locals and expats in the Boudhanath area was formed to address some of the children’s short and longterm needs; and have pushed shopkeepers to stop selling inhalants to the kids. To generate financial support for providing hope in abysmally dismal lives that would eventually end in addiction to ice, the group opened a guesthouse in the area for tourists.
I feel that gambling is an untouched addiction stone on intervention. While through the TV it might not be as “hard to watch” it is a very real very scary addiction to witness. I was the victim of a gambling addict I was coned, manipulated, lied to, blackmailed and swindled out of a lot of money. I’ve studied this addiction and it’s u inquest because they are essentially addicted to an idea; they think they will become millionaires set for life who have it all, they are addicted to the idea of a lavish lifestyle. Where as any other addiction they are addicte to a RUSH or want to numb out and cope with trauma. From my experience a gambler isn’t addicted to anything real. They are also the most selfish manipulative people very hard to be around. Wish more episodes would focus on this but the person is so unlikable.
The hardest for me to watch is duster, I think it’s called, in the past I worked with people huffing and find that most damage to the mind is from abusing inhalants. However, anyway you look at it, addiction takes lives everyday, and it’s getting worse. It absolutely breaks my heart the lives lost, I just learned the other day that Eric from season 13 lost his battle with heroin, I’m so sick of the loss and hurt it causes to loved ones, love to the people suffering from this devastating disease.
There have been a couple of episodes with gay guys who “pnp” (meth combined with hours/days of risky sex) and they make me really uncomfortable. Have known several men in the gay community who’ve gone down that path.
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I am a recovering oxycodone addict and (more recently) did inpatient treatment for alcoholism. It’s “hard” for me to watch anyone do opiates, in that in makes me crave them. I have never used intravenously, but watching people shoot up makes me wish I had some oxy. Still the HARDEST is the cutters. I honestly cannot watch that at all.
Heroin, for me…I have to turn my head when they show people “shooting up”…I’m not judging, I just couldn’t imagine sticking myself with a needle for a high…and I used to stick babies for IV’s to give them medication…but to stick myself with a brown, nasty liquid..i just cant do it…I recently watch an episode with Alissa, who shoots bath salts…and she even admitted that she never knew how to shoot up, her arms look like Freddy Crougars…
Gina, I do the exact same thing by turning my head. I hated injecting my drugs into my arm, as I was so terrible doing them. I have been in recovery for over 24 healthy years.
Wow, I thought us bulimics would be at the top of the list. I put heroin, because it involves needles, and then the person can go into an OD, like that Audrey girl. Scary stuff. I’ve worked in the medical field with needles, so they don’t bother me a lot- but when people shoot into their necks, it just freaks me out.
I mean no offense- I think my addiction is the most disgusting of all…
I think bulimia is pretty hard to watch because I don’t know a lot of people that can comfortably watch someone throw up and not feel like they want to as well. I guess it evokes the biggest physical response for me. If any other substance I would say meth or coke addiction because I can’t imagine the amount of anxiety they must be feeling. It too makes me anxious to watch.
Alcoholism is difficult to watch because the booze brings to the surface the addict’s deepest emotional pain and can cause the addict to make a melodrama out of every small thing in life.
IV drug use is difficult to watch because it’s just plain disgusting.
Eating disorders are difficult to watch because people with eating disorders are extremely hostile and manipulative. Their behaviour is intended to manipulate and abuse others. In other words, they harm themselves in order to harm other people.
Well said janelle!
I find your description of people with EDs reductionist and unfair (and insulting, as a person in recovery from one). They are in as much pain as anyone with a substance use disorder, and abuse food instead (or in addition to) drugs and alcohol as a coping mechanism– it’s not a coincidence that eating disorders and substance abuse are often bedfellows. The motivations and compulsive behavior patterns are often indistinguishable. If you have a personal issue due to someone in your life with an eating disorder, you need to own that instead of promoting judgmental statements as facts.
I have a boyfriend who is an alcoholic – I tend to avoid those episodes because they hit too close to home.
The most difficult addiction I have ever seen on the show is inhalants but the most traumatic or difficult abuse/addiction I witnessed was huffing aerolac paint or industrial glue from clear baggies or paper bags . When I was in Romania there were thousands of parentless homeless street children huffing paint in order to get high . Seeing a 5 year old childs eyes roll back in her head from huffing paint every 5 minutes is horrifying . These children are the result of Nicolai Cesucuae banning all birth control during his reign and before he was executed so hundreds of thousands of babies were born into a country with little to no food , rampant alcoholism in the parents and people living in extreme poverty .
These children will huff paint 24/7 to fight hunger , deal with sexual abuse as predators sell children as young as 8 into prostitution and 100 other horrible things . Many die from inhalant use , homicide or starvation and they are not very likely to escape the situation .
Seeing inhalant abuse on the show is so terrifying to me because of the total loss of who they are and the erratic violent behavior . Both subjects show that huffed were obviously not themselves but both and had no desire to get sober until they got that they would be homeless and without funds . Oh and the skin freezing from the duster getting too cold was horrific .
Why I not more being Done about this problem? I can not imagine this pain.
The same problem is prevelent in the population of street children in Kathmandu. They’re largely ignored by law enforcement and social welfare groups but a coalition of locals and expats in the Boudhanath area was formed to address some of the children’s short and longterm needs; and have pushed shopkeepers to stop selling inhalants to the kids. To generate financial support for providing hope in abysmally dismal lives that would eventually end in addiction to ice, the group opened a guesthouse in the area for tourists.
I agree! I was looking for it on the list. Really surprised it wasn’t there. I had no idea about Romania! So sad.
I feel that gambling is an untouched addiction stone on intervention. While through the TV it might not be as “hard to watch” it is a very real very scary addiction to witness. I was the victim of a gambling addict I was coned, manipulated, lied to, blackmailed and swindled out of a lot of money. I’ve studied this addiction and it’s u inquest because they are essentially addicted to an idea; they think they will become millionaires set for life who have it all, they are addicted to the idea of a lavish lifestyle. Where as any other addiction they are addicte to a RUSH or want to numb out and cope with trauma. From my experience a gambler isn’t addicted to anything real. They are also the most selfish manipulative people very hard to be around. Wish more episodes would focus on this but the person is so unlikable.
The hardest for me to watch is duster, I think it’s called, in the past I worked with people huffing and find that most damage to the mind is from abusing inhalants. However, anyway you look at it, addiction takes lives everyday, and it’s getting worse. It absolutely breaks my heart the lives lost, I just learned the other day that Eric from season 13 lost his battle with heroin, I’m so sick of the loss and hurt it causes to loved ones, love to the people suffering from this devastating disease.
Alcohol by far is the worst addiction because its legal and it wreaks havoc in families.
There have been a couple of episodes with gay guys who “pnp” (meth combined with hours/days of risky sex) and they make me really uncomfortable. Have known several men in the gay community who’ve gone down that path.