So many 'junkies'

ChocolateSauce

I have noticed no change in the level of junkies in DUblin.

Now, in Portugal where for the last 9 years heroine has been legal, they've been having a spectacular decline in the number of junkies....

punchdrunk

every morning at 10 outside the spar where virgin records used to be,they meet up to buy their gear,on abbey st. by the statue's of the heads too
it's like clockwork and wouldn't take the gardai much work to round them up in a sting

shane86

mickoneill30 wrote: »

This post has been going a few hours now. Where's the guy / girl that normally drops in to say

"Sure it happens in every major city"

as if that makes it all OK.

They must be off today

In fairness if you think Dublin is bad you would want to see here in Sydney. I thought the guards were lazy but jesus christ like, takes the piss over here.

Oz is a funny oul country. ffs they bring sniffer dogs onto trains and into pubs to catch people with grass and yet pretty much ignore heroin dealing and associated begging one street away.

mickoneill30

shane86 wrote: »

In fairness if you think Dublin is bad you would want to see here in Sydney. I thought the guards were lazy but jesus christ like, takes the piss over here.

I lived in Sydney for 5 years (till 2006). It must have changed. In the city centre I never saw a junkie. I know there are parts of the city you stay away from but the city centre from the Rocks -> Chinatown seemed junkie free. Thats an area about the same size as North O'Connell St. -> St. Stephens Green. See how many you can count in Dublin in that size area.

Edit: Actually, now that I think about it Kings Cross was near the city centre, wasn't too glamerous. But at least you knew what was there before you went to it.

Loomis

Recently in the waiting room of the Rotunda and two of them came staggering out of the toilets, hands and mouths all over one another.
It was so sweet.

meboloxitis

The real issue imo is that Junkies, Alcoholics & any other people receiving treatment for addiction are popping out kids like gremlins getting fed after midnight.

I hate to see addicts dragging their kids around while out scoring....sickens me! I believe that anybody receiving treatment for addiction should be steralised or at least put on some form of immediate contraception to control this problem. Addicts are not fit to be parents.

Most likely the addicts you are seeing running round the city are hooked upto their eyeballs on pills rather than heroin. I have even heard stories of addicts injecting tablets :eek: From what I can see around the city the police just dont seem to care. They simply walk by and look the other way, tbh I dont blame them. All it takes is to be bitten once & you could get a death sentance.

On a lighter note, here is a copy of the Brass Munkie magazine which is distributed around all the methadone clinics & treatment centres.

http://www.nicdtf.ie/RESOURCES/upload/BrassMunkie.pdf

orourkeda

markok84 wrote: »

Well I'll tell you one thing, you wouldn't see them in Cork:pac:

Really? I suppose theres no alcoholics either

Degsy

meboloxitis wrote: »

.

I have even heard stories of addicts injecting tablets :eek:

Its not uncommon at all.
They usually call the tablets Napps(diomorphine) and they'll inject them quite happily when they cant score actual heroin.

xzanti

meboloxitis wrote: »

The real issue imo is that Junkies, Alcoholics & any other people receiving treatment for addiction are popping out kids like gremlins getting fed after midnight.

QUOTE]

And then you see perfectly respectable couples who can't conceive at all.. makes you wonder..

Maybe they should scrap the IVF and put them on Heroin instead.. Seems to work great for the vermin..

Degsy

xzanti wrote: »

meboloxitis wrote: »

The real issue imo is that Junkies, Alcoholics & any other people receiving treatment for addiction are popping out kids like gremlins getting fed after midnight.

QUOTE]

And then you see perfectly respectable couples who can't conceive at all.. makes you wonder..

Maybe they should scrap the IVF and put them on Heroin instead.. Seems to work great for the vermin..

You'd want to be on something to ride some of those 'women'..foul-mouthed munters who only seem to be capable of shooting up,roaring and squeezing out kids.

meboloxitis

Did you read the Brass Munkie magazine?

Here is one of the health warnings issued in the mag:

"THIS IS NOT A JOKE. DOG FLEA TABLETS HAVE ALSO BEEN SOLD
AS "BENZOS" AND A FEW PEOPLE HAVE BEEN RIPPED OFF WITH
THEM, SO AGAIN BE AWARE AND CAREFUL"

Woof Woof :eek:

whadabouchasir

there really isn't much sympathy for junkies on this thread is there?I know that they are a cost to the taxpayer and a burden on society and so on,but they are still people and we should try to help them rather than shooting them as someone suggested.Also i don't think that anyone plans on becoming a junkie,it just happens as a result of bad choices and possibly a lack of opportunities.

meboloxitis

whadabouchasir wrote: »

there really isn't much sympathy for junkies on this thread is there?I know that they are a cost to the taxpayer and a burden on society and so on,but they are still people and we should try to help them rather than shooting them as someone suggested.Also i don't think that anyone plans on becoming a junkie,it just happens as a result of bad choices and possibly a lack of opportunities.

your right, there isnt much sympathy for them!

I feel sorry for their kids, they are the real "victims"

xzanti

meboloxitis wrote: »

Did you read the Brass Munkie magazine?

Here is one of the health warnings issued in the mag:

"THIS IS NOT A JOKE. DOG FLEA TABLETS HAVE ALSO BEEN SOLD
AS "BENZOS" AND A FEW PEOPLE HAVE BEEN RIPPED OFF WITH
THEM, SO AGAIN BE AWARE AND CAREFUL"

Woof Woof :eek:

See yerman in the illustration.. apparently he 'feels like p1ssin an sh1ttin everywhere' nothing unusual there really.. Doggy pills or not :rolleyes:

Acacia

whadabouchasir wrote: »

there really isn't much sympathy for junkies on this thread is there?I know that they are a cost to the taxpayer and a burden on society and so on,but they are still people and we should try to help them rather than shooting them as someone suggested.Also i don't think that anyone plans on becoming a junkie,it just happens as a result of bad choices and possibly a lack of opportunities.

Yes, but...

it's hard to feel sympathy for them when you're mugged with a dirty syringe, as me and my Bf were.

You kind of run out of tolerance when somebody threatens you with AIDS so they can fund their habit, regardless of how they got there, why should me and my BF (or anybody else) have to pay for their 'bad choices'?

Not that we should be shooting them or anything.

whadabouchasir

Acacia wrote: »

You kind of run out of tolerance when somebody threatens you with AIDS so they can fund their habit, regardless of how they got there, why should me and my BF (or anybody else) have to pay for their 'bad choices'?

.

I can see how you would.However I was making the point that Nobody wants to be reduced to the state where they have to rob someone with a srynge to pay for drugs.they do it because they are physically dependent on drugs.as for paying for the bad choices of others,I believe that it is our respnsability to care for those less well off than ourselves.afterall you would want people to do the same for you.also if we wnt to stop Junkies mugging people then we have to try and help them to get clean not just put our heads in the sand and avoid the Boardwalk.Remember the only thing that separates you from them is one bad decision.

meboloxitis

Taken from issue of Brass Munkie magazine:

"ANA LIFFEY DRUGS PROJECT
WOMEN’S DROP IN ~ FRIDAY 10AM—12AM
A PLACE FOR WOMEN TO MEET EVERY FRIDAY MORNING FOR A CHAT AND A CUP OF TEA. IF YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN AND NEED A BIT OF COMPANY, OR EVEN JUST TO GET AWAY FROM "THE OTHER HALF" FOR A FEW HOURS COME ALONG.
CHILDREN ARE VERY WELCOME.
WE’RE AT 48 MIDDLE ABBEY STREET
(A BLUE DOOR ACROSS THE ROAD FROM THE BACK OF ARNOTTS)
WOMEN IN HOSTELS ARE PARTICULARLY WELCOME AS WE KNOW YOU REALLY NEED A BIT OF "YOU" TIME. THE WONDERFUL MIRANDA WILL TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOU
THE PROJECT HAS A DOCTOR WHO SITS ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON 2-4.THIS SERVICE IS OPEN TO BOTH MEN AND WOMEN AND IS FREE OF CHARGE TO ALL. NO MEDICAL CARD NECESSARY.
See you there."

DTrotter

whadabouchasir wrote: »

there really isn't much sympathy for junkies on this thread is there?I know that they are a cost to the taxpayer and a burden on society and so on,but they are still people and we should try to help them rather than shooting them as someone suggested.Also i don't think that anyone plans on becoming a junkie,it just happens as a result of bad choices and possibly a lack of opportunities.

I'm sure osme of the people with no sympathy don't mind a bit of smoke, of course the friendly neighbourhood stranger you buy your drugs off never sells heroin.

NewFrockTuesday

I dont have a huge ammount of sympathy for any junky, but that Brass Munkies newletter is an interesting look at things from an addicts point of view. Ive only read the first few pages as yet, but I never thought of them actually living a lifestyle as it seems to be put across. this is like the junkys version of Home & Garden.

Its a sympathetic perspective to the point of condoning the lifestyle once it has been entered. IS there a whole sub culture of thought that I dont know anout in realtion to actually being a smackhead? One that is "well, this is my life now so Ill hook up with like minded people and cobble togeather some sort of existance" Interesting that you become so entrenched in procurement and consumption of your drug level in your body that it evolves into something nearing a style.

Never thought of it that way before.

grundie

It wouldn't be too hard to deal with drug addicts, if only those in power actually did something.

The first thing is to acknowledge is that methadone and the like do not work. We've had methadone programmes for nearly 30 years and if they worked we wouldn't have junkies on the streets.

Portugal had the right idea with decriminalising drug use. Something similar should happen here. Treat addicts as patients not criminals.

We should offer drug addicts a controlled, safe, clean supply of their drug of choice free of charge whilst they are being treated. That would sort out the gangs by taking away their market.

Treatment centres should be opened in rural areas away from urban temptations. In these centres addicts could be weaned off drugs and given training.

Those who refuse to acknowledge they have a problem, i.e. the addicts who don't know they have a problem because they are so out of it, should be forcibly treated.

And most of all the government needs to spend some serious money on this. I once heard a statistic that 1/3 of all crime was related to drug abuse. The government could dump hundreds of millions in to such a strategy and it would probably pay for itself in reduced crime and improved quality of life in a few years.

My 2 cents worth.

asdasd

I like the idea of a rural retreat with free heroin. What is the issue there anyway. We give methadone, which is a drug, so why not heroin?

The legal issue I can imagine is that someone dies on the State's watch, someone who would have died on the street anyway. That would cause more do-goodery and litigation.

xzanti

THE PROJECT HAS A DOCTOR WHO SITS ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON 2-4.THIS SERVICE IS OPEN TO BOTH MEN AND WOMEN AND IS FREE OF CHARGE TO ALL. NO MEDICAL CARD NECESSARY.
See you there."

Nice one.. I know where I'll be going about my ingrowing toenail.. Why didn't I hear about this before??

My name is URL

asdasd wrote: »

I like the idea of a rural retreat with free heroin. What is the issue there anyway. We give methadone, which is a drug, so why not heroin?

The legal issue I can imagine is that someone dies on the State's watch, someone who would have died on the street anyway. That would cause more do-goodery and litigation.

Methadone is supposedly even more addictive than heroin, the difference is side-effects. Still, I don't agree with using one addictive substance to replace another

Acacia

whadabouchasir wrote: »

I can see how you would.However I was making the point that Nobody wants to be reduced to the state where they have to rob someone with a srynge to pay for drugs.they do it because they are physically dependent on drugs.

Then maybe they should make an attempt to get off the gear before they get to that stage. Easier said than done, I know, but I have limited sympathy for those who think just because life has been tough on them they should get to hurt innocent people and ruin their lives.

whadabouchasir wrote: »

as for paying for the bad choices of others,I believe that it is our respnsability to care for those less well off than ourselves.afterall you would want people to do the same for you

Bo11ocks. Why should I get infected with AIDS or forcibly give away my money to somebody who fcuked up their life?

I've no problem donating to charities and that sort of thing , but I resent being told it's my responsibility to let a junkie mug me because his life was tough and he made bad decisions. Or that I should feel sympathy for him.

whadabouchasir wrote: »

Remember the only thing that separates you from them is one bad decision.

A decision implies they had a choice in the matter. They could have said no to heroin but they didn't. The junkie who came up to me and my BF had a choice to walk away but he didn't.

Bad decisions , poor choices, blah, blah, blah. Just because they messed up their own life doesn't give them an excuse to ruin somebody else's.

DTrotter wrote: »

I'm sure osme of the people with no sympathy don't mind a bit of smoke, of course the friendly neighbourhood stranger you buy your drugs off never sells heroin.

It's not the taking of heroin I've a problem with. It's the robbing and all the rest of it that comes with. Take heroin, cocaine, cannabis, whatever you like. Just don't expect people to have too much sympathy for you when you're robbing to fund your habit.

g5fd6ow0hseima

0ubliette wrote: »

Its not right that we should be bending over backwards with treatment programs that obviously arent working and turning a blind eye to these scum

Well, it is a serious problem, and I find it baffling that Heroin is still a scourge in Dublin nearly thirty years on since it first arrived in the city. As long as people like you continue to labels these unfortunate people scum, the problem will not only persist, but continue to get even worse. Will the problem sort itself out eh?

asdasd

Well, it is a serious problem, and I find it baffling that Heroin is still a scourge in Dublin nearly thirty years on since it first arrived in the city.

The children born to addicts may be cause. No doubt, though, were we to take the children from the addicts, that too would generate controversy. We are doing nothing, because that is the easiest thing to do.

And if I were a politican I probably wouldnt change much either, public anger about junkies could easily change into a public anger about the treatment of junkies were we to get strincter - all it takes is a Joe Duffy show.

whadabouchasir

Acacia wrote: »

Bo11ocks. Why should I get infected with AIDS or forcibly give away my money to somebody who fcuked up their life?

You seem to have misunderstood me I'm not saying that what the Junkie did was right,not at all.What I am saying is that we have a responsability to give money to homeless shelters and projects to help people get clean.this will save money in the future as the crime rate will decrease and there will be less of a burden on the health service.i don't know about legalising drugs though.When opium was legal in China 25% of the adult male population did it.This is why China is so strict on the prosecution of drug dealers now.

grundie

asdasd wrote: »

The children born to addicts may be cause. No doubt, though, were we to take the children from the addicts, that too would generate controversy. We are doing nothing, because that is the easiest thing to do.

And if I were a politican I probably wouldnt change much either, public anger about junkies could easily change into a public anger about the treatment of junkies were we to get strincter - all it takes is a Joe Duffy show.

Without wanting to cause controversy. There is an interesting chapter in the book Freakonomics that touches on the issue of children born to those who have a predilection for committing crime.

carlop

Amalgam wrote: »

No offence, but the Gardai have to filter out a lot of that, including requests for help from the public. If they didn't, they'd be nursing smackheads all day, every day. They can't do anything until an offence is commited.

I think prison is a total waste for petty drug offences, either withdraw social benefit payments for a given period of time, force a review of benefits, or do something unique, remove petty assets, if they have any, their shoes, stereo, Sky cable.. TV.. anything that they can feel a tangible sense of loss towards.

Surely though if you strip them of all their possessions and leave them at large the crime rate will go up??

The junkie would be faced with a decision, get clean and have his belongings restored (the sensible option that most people here, who are not addicted to heroin, would take) or go out and rob money to pay for new belongings and more heroin (the anti-social option that most junkies, who are addicted to heroin and feel totally dependent on it, would take.)

I think attempting to shift treatment centres away from the city centre, and therefore the junkies, away from the city centre is essential. Why don't the gardai strike up a 'gentlemen's agreement' with dealers and addicts?

Let them do whatever they want in a designated wasteland area of Dublin, but if any are caught within a designated city limit, let's say the canals, they will get the **** kicked out of them along with having the law enforced to its absolute maximum when dealing with them.



Before anyone says it, I'm aware I basically copied this idea from The Wire.

Acacia

whadabouchasir wrote: »

You seem to have misunderstood me I'm not saying that what the Junkie did was right,not at all.What I am saying is that we have a responsability to give money to homeless shelters and projects to help people get clean.this will save money in the future as the crime rate will decrease and there will be less of a burden on the health service.i don't know about legalising drugs though.When opium was legal in China 25% of the adult male population did it.This is why China is so strict on the prosecution of drug dealers now.

Whoops, sorry, took you up the wrong way there. I don't mind helping people to get off, it just grates on me when people are berated for complaining about junkies 'anti-social behavior' when they've ruined innocent people's lives to fund their habit.