Obliguhl said:
I don't like that this opioid Community calles us nexians a "bunch of snobs" and "elitists". It's propably the most horrible thing you could throw at the nexus. But there might be some truth to it. Where's the border between self-righteous land and love ocean? Where is the difference between warning someone and getting all fired up on a topic you're not to change?
A very good point Obliguhl! I think it would take a few of the opioid community to come over here and actually participate in some discussions to realise that people on here aren't snobbish or elitist. And if some of us are, something I can be guilty of certainly, then that's the individual, not the community itself. There's a massive distance between the Nexus and Opiophile, but it all comes down to the fact we're interested in two massively different chemical compounds. Community wise, I'm sure there's plenty of equally supportive and loving people on there as well as here, but we're looking at life through two very different lenses and conflicts are bound to arise.
If any of the Opiophile forum read this posting, just realise that the negative statements made by myself or others are not representative of the site. I usually can't stand forums 'cause they're so full of fake people and idiots who think they've got some point to prove - This site is VERY different and I can honestly say that it's a very supportive, educational and entertaining place with people who REALLY DO CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER. It's not hippy-dippy peace and love, it's a compassion and love borne from our experiences with consciouness altering substances and the realisation that we're all connected. To accuse this community of being snobbish or elitist is unfair and as judgemental as I, wrongly, was about the OP and heroin in general.
My reaction was for the reasons I've stated and I'll confirm for anyone that my opinions do not represent the opinions of this site. If someone wants to call me an elitist snob then they're welcome to. As far as being self-righteous, I'll put my hands up to that one there. I do genuinely hope that y'er man who posted the original thread does get off the smack 'cause even he knows it's not doing him any favours. He's not a stupid person, he knows what he's doing with his life and you can tell from what he says that he's genuine about it. He accepted the criticism and gave decent answers back without resorting to being unpleasant about it, unlike me.
I did a lot of thinking about what happened on here yesterday and realised a few things about myself and my willingness to shoot my mouth off without thinking. I'll tell you a quick story here which I hope can show that, regardless of my personal opinion of junkies and their lifestyle, I still view people as people and would never see anyone come to any harm if I could prevent it....
A couple of years ago, I was on my lunchbreak from work and was sitting down by the River Clyde in Glasgow (if you're from here, it was at the bit under the bridge where the ferry leaves from on the wee sandstone wall). I saw a girl staggering down the path, one look at her said she was out of her face on smack, I thought to myself "Fucking junkies" and went back to reading my book. A minute or so later, I looked up again and she was standing at the edge of the barriers looking down onto the river, I saw her start to climb under the barriers and realised she was going to jump in the Clyde. I dropped my book and ran over, grabbed her and pulled her away from the edge. I hugged her and held her as she started to cry, I was telling her that there was no point ending your life and that, even though it doesn't seem like it sometimes, there's always hope that things will change. I looked her in the eye and told her that jumping was pointless as I would jump in and drag her out anyway, she held me and sobbed her heart out telling me her story and how shit a life she'd had. Her mother had killed herself the same way a few years earlier, her junkie boyfriend snapped her wrist 'cause she wouldn't give him money and his friend kicked her in the stomach causing her to miscarry the baby she was carrying. I just held on to her any told her that, even if it's hard to believe, I cared. I couldn't obviously relate to her situation entirely but I knew she was in pain and needed to know that SOMEONE gave a fuck about her even if they didn't know her. People walked by looking disgusted at this girl, just looking dirty and bedraggled, and probably thought that I was involved with her or whatever but I didn't care. I sat with her for a while, talking to her and telling her that she should get some help and get herself clean because otherwise this is the way her life was going to be. She smiled and hugged me again and I asked if she would promise me that she wouldn't try to jump. She promised. I said goodbye and walked back to work but phoned the police so that they'd come and at least make sure she wasn't going to kill herself. I hoped that maybe they could help her get help.
This was AFTER I'd lost family to heroin and watched two friends die through it but even then, regardless of everything else, I could not allow someone to do that to themselves when I could do something to prevent it. I'm not posting this for praise, I'm a total fucking hypocrite especially after my tirade yesterday and I realise now what my true feelings on the matter are. Anyway, I'm rambling again.
Take it easy folks, big love all round.
