Prescription Abuse and The Pharmaceutical Black Market


Unlike most of our writers who spend their time writing on Substack or Wattpad, turns out someone had a friend outside of our writer’s room. Some friends have different struggles to you, and some struggles have more stigma, consequences, and are harder, if not near impossible, to overcome. It’s a long road from a few drinks and a vape to abusing painkillers, or any pharmaceuticals, but we spoke with an anonymous addict to learn how the gravel on that path feels so you never have to walk it.

How did you get into drugs? 

It started off with friends as a social thing but became serious over a long period of time! Especially after trauma! [It] Became less fun and more a necessity. 

How did you notice the change from social to necessity? 

I didn’t notice until it was too late! Once it became a necessity, I became self-aware of the fact that it had turned into that. Also, [I] think that back then I was trying to numb myself and not deal with my problems or my emotions, so I didn’t care because it was easier that way. 

It’s hard to explain and people won’t understand unless they have been through a similar situation where avoidance is easier and less painful than trying to handle or deal with what’s affecting you. Also, it wasn’t overnight, it was something that slowly happened and after certain situations got worse. 

How did pharmaceuticals enter the picture? 

I played with them a little back in the day but nothing super serious! When I got diagnosed with problems and started getting prescribed them, I started truly appreciating them. 

How easy is it to abuse prescriptions, such as getting your dose increased? 

Depends how you go about it. Your average person will struggle to get prescribed the drugs that are sought after, but those that truly have the problems get them and can easily get dosage increased depending on [the] severity of what the problem is and what the drug is. Opioids and benzodiazepines are a lot harder because of the culture and the name they have for themselves 

How can you get pharmaceuticals that you aren’t prescribed? 

Easily! [You] Just have to know the right people! Hard if you’re not in the crowds but if you hang around or know the right people everything is available if you have the cash! Like literally anything you want! Cash is king tbh. 

What’s the culture like in those crews and how is the business organised? 

Culture is a hard thing to place, as there are different cultures throughout the so called trade, the main thing that follows through is they’re either doing it for the money or they are stuck on the prescription and they sell to support themselves and keep on taking the drugs that they need. There are many other reasons, but I believe those are the main 2 that keep popping up across most people that are involved. 

There are a few different ways the business is run, I would say the most common way that people I know get [pharmaceuticals] is the black market, where people can buy their drugs for cheap in bulk at wholesale prices and resell them at street prices. Others like me prefer to get their own prescription or buy straight off people with scripts that will fling it off for quick cash. 

What should chemists, doctors, etc. be doing to limit black market pharma and prescription abuse? 

This is a hard question to answer because most of the people getting scripts for these drugs are getting them because they truly need them and we are already running into problems of people who truly need these drugs struggling to get them. 

I believe the mental health system and support for the ones that need it need to get better in this country to be able to tackle this pandemic. 

Is this related to our mental health crisis and what more could be done to support pharmaceutical abusers? 

I would say the large majority of people that abuse drugs in general suffer from mental health problems, when you add drugs that get prescribed for mental health problems being abused, I would say 100% these are linked. 

We need to support care and figure out ways to cope! Each individual needs to do their part to make the world a better place for each other! Because that’s something we can control and will make a difference. 

What’s your drug of choice and why? 

Benzodiazepines are my drug of choice but that has to do with my mental health. But if I’m [being] honest I will abuse most drugs. 

Have you seen any changes in which pharmaceuticals people are taking to get high? 

As you go through life and people around you experiment more, you will notice that their addictions will upgrade and what you will notice is as their tolerances build, they will tend to start mixing drugs to get better effects. This isn’t new but is becoming more normal within the culture. 

Who in society is abusing pharmaceuticals? 

You can find it throughout, but the majority would be made up of people with troubled pasts, trauma and mental health conditions/problems.  

How do pharma users differ from other drug users? 

I would consider the use of pharma drugs less about the social side of things than people that abuse non pharma drugs! But the abuse crosses over you will notice that people that use both but will have a preference to which they use more often for what reasons. 

It also really depends on the types of people and their preferences and the underlying issues they have. But there is also a stigma around pharmaceuticals. I have noticed in people, where for example people are happy to take Ket, MD or coke every weekend to party but are against pharmaceutical drugs completely because “that’s what feins take” or “that stuff is really bad”. 

What do people get wrong about addiction? 

So many things! Anyone can get addicted, there are different types/levels of addiction and many more, but if you haven’t been addicted to anything, it’s really hard to wrap your head around the difficulties and the problems that people face. 

Personally, I’m a polyaddict, more specifically SUD (substance use disorder), which means my problem isn’t with a specific drug but more with all drugs! I am addicted to not being sober and often take multiple drugs either at once or regularly. 

Any last words for readers? 

I guess my last words for readers would be support the ones around you! Show kindness and do your part to make life easier for others! You never know what people are struggling with and what they have been through!