Banning them altogether seems a bit harsh, ren. Here, they have started forcing shops over a certain number of employees to charge for them. Not much, but I guess it must mount up. I just hope the money taken as a result actually goes towards cleaning up the environment as opposed to fattening the government swill-troughs.
One thing thats annoying though, is that some really small shops it doesn't apply to are overzealous and lie, claiming its the law anyway, even when you've masses of produce that otherwise you couldn't hope to get back home. Although most don't. And even some of the big supermarkets will cut you a break if you are down to your last penny enough to pay for your food/drink/medicines/whatever elses.
As for me, bought a few hundred 'physeptone' 5mg (no, not at a supermarket), and they seem to be far more 'functional' if that makes sense than the pain meds I'm currently scripted. I like the long, long duration of action, I think chances are I could dose once daily, with a small top-up to make sure I sleep properly (these are methadone tablets, 5mg each, got several hundred of them for £140 inc. next day priority shipping, after talking to someone who doesn't use them, who mentioned so casually, so I offered to take them off his hands, and the individual concerned was quite happy to do so, getting them for less than £1 a piece, a very fair deal IMO)
Now that I've got them (conveniently, I woke up, having used the very last of my pain meds, although I wouldn't had this opportunity not arisen, and I was just about to check the tracking number to see what the progress of my little package was, and right as I opened up my browser, doorbell rang and the postman came with a present for me
)
I intend to make the best of them. My own docs BARELY give me enough pain meds to stay sort of stable, but not quite, I generally get forced into withdrawal for at least a day a week, and its not because of overuse, its been like that since day one, and because they've made a major screwup in miscalculating the oral bioavailability of morphine, going instead, by the number of milligrams actually put in my mouth and swallowed, ignoring the fact that at best twenty percent to thirty percent, avoids being put through a liver-shaped woodchipper and spat out in useless little pieces.
So, going to use these for a clandestine taper, so that I can break the chain they have me tied to. Then keep getting my usual prescriptions of course, because when the methadone runs out, and I've done my taper, I will still need pain meds, but then, everything will be under MY control, not that of the doctors who don't specialize in main management, and really, don't know what they are doing in that area, plus come with a fuck-ton of prejudice against opioids, and against patients prescribed them.
I don't want to have to beg and plead, just for an extra day's supply, if say, I have a bout of stomach problems and vomit them up (which has happened, I'm on quite a few different stomach meds. And its pretty unfair to judge somebody harshly for, more or less, refusing to pick partly dissolved gelatine capsules out of the toilet, and try to wash the vomit and piss off without the whole thing disintegrating, is it not? because I'm sure as shit not going to do that just to please some fucking GP. Or if I want to go out on an occasional hike in the woods, through very demanding, rough terrain. Or be away from home for a fair while. All these things get me a lecture, censured, treated like crap. Some doctors will help, sometimes, some even threaten to cut me off entirely if I present with a massive hole in some part of me, unable to walk, or some other severe trauma. I had to see several doctors to get some additional oxycodone IRs after I had my cornea, the surface of my EYE burnt off with superheated corrosive alkalis. I had to BEG then, despite the documented fact that I had just gotten out of two hospitals in a row, who themselves left me in withdrawal, not even giving me my regular medication, let alone enough to cope with the pain, and the fact that I'd had my eyes examined by a specialist under the slit-lamp and they could see that my cornea had literally been roasted and melted off, almost costing me my sight.
Shouldn't have to take such fucking stigma, because of medical needs. I have my pride, and the way they treat me, is a step too far. Actually its a fucking triathlon too far. So, I snapped up those methadone tabs the first opportunity I got. Guy that sold me them made sure to get them sent yesterday and here today this early morning, to make sure I'd not suffer in any way, and he did wonderfully, I'm really grateful to him. Moment I wake up and pull the blindfold and coat off my head that I sleep with to block the light out, the door opens and here comes postie.
Going to be a huge help, in breaking free of this ball and chain the doctors force round my ankle, even if I do have to do it at my own expense and keep it quiet from my docs. If it means I can take my regular scripted pain meds only when I truly must, without being forced to take them daily and suffer withdrawal every.fucking.week. because they give me just short of enough and yell at me even then, then good.