I couldn't disagree more. Junkies looking for their next fix absolutely can and do take the risk to get drugs, or quick money for drugs.
Its not a stretch to think that a burglar would go straight to the medicine cabinet to find pills, since they are common in many households. I wouldn't leap to it being an inside job, honestly, wysiwyg. And let's not forget you were home, and stealing a TV isn't nearly so quick, quiet and tidy as taking a pill bottle. I wouldn't let the fear of it being someone you know keep you up at night. I'm sorry this happened to you. Our experience with a breakin last summer contributed in large part to our decision to move.
In all of my years as a law enforcement professional I have never ever seen this.
If there are drugs, they will take them, along with whatever else of value that they can grab along the way to sell to buy more drugs. They won't just go straight to the medicine cabinet and leave. Breaking into a house just for drugs and not taking anything of value is too risky.
wysiwyg Were you home when this happened? I didn't follow your OP.
I was. We all were! We have a rather large dog, but he is super old and harmless, so we are thinking he lumbered out of our bedroom and maybe scared off whoever it was?
It was a weird situation all around. We woke up the next morning and someone had tracked leaves/dirt throughout the house. We thought it was our dog at first, but we hadn't let him outside the night before. They went through my purse, took a couple credit cards and we thought nothing else.
We do have guests over frequently for game nights, so I'm worried maybe one of them did it. We've known all these people for years though
Post by citrusmint on Sept 17, 2014 10:58:03 GMT -5
wysiwyg I'm sorry this happened to you. I think burglary is a really shitty crime because it's so violating. Someone came into your personal space and went through your things, eventually taking things that belong to you.
Post by jennistarr1 on Sept 17, 2014 11:07:50 GMT -5
You've stumbled into a topic area that I am very passionate about, I'm working on a Ph.d. in public health and this is my dissertation topic.
I never ever tell anyone what I'm prescribed (I'm not saying you did this). But for example, my husband just got his wisdom teeth out. We had MULTIPLE people ask us "did they prescribe him the good stuff" or something similar. I told everyone, "no, just over the counter ibuprofren" because you just never know.
Ritalin and Adderol are stolen a lot of time because people are generally pretty open in talking with others (family, neighbors, classmates) about ADHD
My mom had serious back surgery with MAJOR complications. It took everything she had to go through with my college graduation party. Turns out, several of my friends stole her prescription drugs and got high on them at my party. We were so naïve. It was so apparent that my mom had been through major surgery and that stuff was in the house...wasn't hard to find, they were in the medicine cabinet in bathroom. I get SO angry remembering this. Talk about taking advantage of someone.
My grandmother had her neighbor steal from her MULTIPLE times, unfortunately my cousins have stolen from her too.
I had one freakin codeine pill leftover from something...it was seriously like 6 years old, someone took it and put at anti-diarrhea pill in its place.
A friend of mine, a NICU nurse, just lost her license for prescription drug abuse. She confessed to me and is in recovery, part of her guilt is she has a brother that died of cancer and she stole his morphine while he was in hospice. This is a girl you would NEVER expect it from.
So I keep pretty tight lipped about ANY prescriptions we have, and nothing goes in medicine cabinet. My parents keep their medications in a safe. I encourage everyone I can to do the same.
Chances are, this was random...but you just NEVER know.
So my dad is an addict. He'll take anything he can get his hands on. After my parents had split, my dad came over to the house for something. Luckily, my mom had years of experience with my dad and had emptied her codeine bottle and replaced the pills with anal sphincter muscle relaxers that she had gotten after fissure surgery. He took them all. Like 10+ pills. Thinking they were codeine.
Oh to have been a fly on the wall...
I'm really sorry, wysiwyg. I hope it wasn't someone you know.
Post by dexteroni on Sept 17, 2014 11:19:12 GMT -5
Oh man, I'm so sorry this happened in the first place, but to find out that it was probably someone you know, jeez. That would feel even more violating.
I would be tempted to install a security camera in case it happens again, but that seems like such a drastic step. I hope it doesn't happen again. ((((hugs))))
Lately, I've been thinking about hiding my 'good' drugs and replacing any and all pill bottles with tic-tacs. ALL of them. Like 10-20 per bottle, ALL tic-tacs.
Tick-tacs smell, I'd use aspirin or ibuprofen instead.
No. Get a safe. Unfortunately it's a crime to keep narcotics anywhere but the exact bottle they were given to you in, and I promise, people get prosecuted for this. Xh had to defend someone who tried this and was arrested for it.
"This prick is asking for someone here to bring him to task Somebody give me some dirt on this vacuous mass so we can at last unmask him I'll pull the trigger on it, someone load the gun and cock it While we were all watching, he got Washington in his pocket."
Since we're talking about pain meds and where you keep them, I need to figure out what to do with all mine. I have SO MUCH from multiple surgeries I've had the past 2 years. Percocet Oxycodone, Somas muscle relaxers, you name it. I want it gone. What can I do with them?
Since we're talking about pain meds and where you keep them, I need to figure out what to do with all mine. I have SO MUCH from multiple surgeries I've had the past 2 years. Percocet Oxycodone, Somas muscle relaxers, you name it. I want it gone. What can I do with them?
Since we're talking about pain meds and where you keep them, I need to figure out what to do with all mine. I have SO MUCH from multiple surgeries I've had the past 2 years. Percocet Oxycodone, Somas muscle relaxers, you name it. I want it gone. What can I do with them?
This is helpful. Much better advice than my mom gave me which was to pour the pills into one of my sons dirty diapers and throw it away.
I've actually heard that, putting the pills in undesirable containers like dog poop or baby diapers. I've also heard that the the pills can leach into the water table or something after the diaper gets landfilled, so I don't think that's the best option.
This is helpful. Much better advice than my mom gave me which was to pour the pills into one of my sons dirty diapers and throw it away.
You can also talk to your pharmacist. Sometimes they'll take them back right there, or they have a mailer you can buy for like a dollar, that you can send back any unused Rx. I've done this with unused antibiotics. I definitely didn't want those getting into the water table, etc.
Lately, I've been thinking about hiding my 'good' drugs and replacing any and all pill bottles with tic-tacs. ALL of them. Like 10-20 per bottle, ALL tic-tacs.
Tick-tacs smell, I'd use aspirin or ibuprofen instead.
No. Get a safe. Unfortunately it's a crime to keep narcotics anywhere but the exact bottle they were given to you in, and I promise, people get prosecuted for this. Xh had to defend someone who tried this and was arrested for it.
This is helpful. Much better advice than my mom gave me which was to pour the pills into one of my sons dirty diapers and throw it away.
I've actually heard that, putting the pills in undesirable containers like dog poop or baby diapers. I've also heard that the the pills can leach into the water table or something after the diaper gets landfilled, so I don't think that's the best option.
It is actually ok to do this. Nothing really decomposes in a modern landfill - I used to work for a waste hauling company. You definitely should not flush pill though - that can create problems. But yes, the best option is a take back program. Our police have one semi-regularly outside a grocery store. You just drive by and drop whatever you have into their bucket and they take it away.
I've actually heard that, putting the pills in undesirable containers like dog poop or baby diapers. I've also heard that the the pills can leach into the water table or something after the diaper gets landfilled, so I don't think that's the best option.
It is actually ok to do this. Nothing really decomposes in a modern landfill - I used to work for a waste hauling company. You definitely should not flush pill though - that can create problems. But yes, the best option is a take back program. Our police have one semi-regularly outside a grocery store. You just drive by and drop whatever you have into their bucket and they take it away.
Very interesting, thank you. I'm a little unnerved by the fact that nothing decomposes though.
It is actually ok to do this. Nothing really decomposes in a modern landfill - I used to work for a waste hauling company. You definitely should not flush pill though - that can create problems. But yes, the best option is a take back program. Our police have one semi-regularly outside a grocery store. You just drive by and drop whatever you have into their bucket and they take it away.
Very interesting, thank you. I'm a little unnerved by the fact that nothing decomposes though.
Well, it's because of all the layers of liners that have to be placed now because of government regulations. Any leachate that does come off a landfill is collected and treated as well... probably more that you care to know..
Ugh so sorry That's an awful feeling. Like a pp said, I wonder if there are prints on your bottles?
Our cleaning lady at the time took all of my dad's morphine and pain killers from his cancer treatments. My mom didn't realize it until she went to clean out that drawer a few months after my dad died, and it was completely empty. She also took my Vicodin after my knee surgery. It's sad how desperate people get
After one of my surgeries, I was released from the hospital with enough narcotics to keep an addict high for a very long time. Multiple surgeries have left me opiate tolerant and it took a significantly high dose for me to be comfortable. Add to this that my orthopedic surgeon was 100 miles away and I was prescribed enough to get me to my next appointment.
When my SO went to the pharmacy to pick up my pills, he was terrified he was going to get jumped leaving the store. Then he started thinking about it and realized that I was left home alone during the day with a large amount of drugs and incapable of defending myself from a wheelchair.
Like Miniroller above, I kept drugs in different places as well. I only need them occasionally now, so have a stash in my purse for immediate use and have stashed the drugs away should something catastrophic happen again.
Lately, I've been thinking about hiding my 'good' drugs and replacing any and all pill bottles with tic-tacs. ALL of them. Like 10-20 per bottle, ALL tic-tacs.
Tick-tacs smell, I'd use aspirin or ibuprofen instead.
No. Get a safe. Unfortunately it's a crime to keep narcotics anywhere but the exact bottle they were given to you in, and I promise, people get prosecuted for this. Xh had to defend someone who tried this and was arrested for it.
This is helpful. Much better advice than my mom gave me which was to pour the pills into one of my sons dirty diapers and throw it away.
You can also talk to your pharmacist. Sometimes they'll take them back right there, or they have a mailer you can buy for like a dollar, that you can send back any unused Rx. I've done this with unused antibiotics. I definitely didn't want those getting into the water table, etc.
Local police departments and some church service groups also do prescription drug takebacks.
This is a good reminder to keep meds in a less obvious place. We are usually pretty good about that. Bathrooms aren't great anyway because of the moisture.
Thankfully NyQuil is about the only abusable thing in our house right now, but I'm sure that will not be the case over the years.