enduring temporary, but excruciating, pain

[guids]

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if the pain is really that bad, there is no way people go through it more than once.

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its so bad that they don't go through with it at all. they stop, give up, and retain their addiction. then the idiot therapists convince them to try again, and the pain is too great, and they give up.

its not like people are kicking heroin, then starting up again 6mo later for shtts and giggles.

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heroin addicts who go into rehab go through the full physical detox. They are fully "off" heroin when they leave, at least the physical dependency part.

[MattS]

You will probably like the science fiction novel "Altered Carbon" by Richard Morgan.

It contains a scene which comes close the scenario you were describing in the OP. The mind of the main character is transformed into another body which is tortured to death. After that the mind containing all the memories of the suffering is transfered back into the original unbroken body. Fortunately this person was trained to withstand extraordinary mental torture without going insane.

Personally there is no amount of money which could convince me to take part at such an experiment.

[thedustbustr]

last ditch effort: they're also given all sorts of alternative pain management therapies, heavy duty meds, etc. Also, not all heroin "addictions" are strong.

But yeah, I do put too much faith in what I've read.

[thedustbustr]

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Personally there is no amount of money which could convince me to take part at such an experiment.

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There are payments stronger than money... How about religious salvation, or true love, or sex with Jennifer Alba?

[NT!]

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either you are trivializing serious heroin withdrawal, or I'm taking the tidbits that I've read way too seriously.

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my reason for what i said is that i know several people who have successfully kicked heroin, and they are pretty much fine. i am sure it is brutal but when it's over i know for a fact you are ok.

torture that tests the limits of human endurance for two straight weeks, on the other hand, i don't know.

[2/325Falcon]

Two weeks of full on, non-stop torture would leave you a much different person.

[samsonite2100]

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can you give me a few keywords to search for?

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There's a good article on it in the New Yorker--might still be up on their website.

[swingdoc]

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Personally there is no amount of money which could convince me to take part at such an experiment.

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There are payments stronger than money... How about religious salvation, or true love, or sex with Jennifer Alba?

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Nice. Also you guys are basing way too much faith in sci fi books here. Yes, dune is a great book. No, it doesn't have much (if anything) to do with reality. Heroine withdrawal is horrible, but the truly physiologic effects are relatively well controlled with methadone, some sort of benzo to relax, etc.

[Case Closed]

Yes to heroin for tons of cash, no to the torture. That would ruin me for the rest of my life.

[KotOD]

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I'd agree that you have experienced this pain.

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I'll start by saying this -- I got to experience that pain for 45-50 minutes when it happened, and there is no way in hell a human being could endure that for two weeks without attempting to kill themselves. There was also the pain when I was going back into surgery when the original surgeries didn't take, and even though I was on a Morphine pump, it STILL would rate as the second worst pain of my life. Both instances were complete and total sensory overload and looking back, the phrase "It hurt so bad, I couldn't think straight" really does a disservice to that pain.

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If the doctors were bound (legally or morally or otherwise) to obey your command, would you have still told them to abort the operation by amputating the hand? Knowing full well that if you stick it out, you will be fine?

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By "stick it out" I assume that you mean for two weeks? Take the hand.