Society, they say, has placed them in the untenable position of being addicted to a drug which is illegal. A small number of addicts first received narcotics in the context of medical or dental treatment. Finding the medical profession unable to treat their addiction, they may have moved to illicit drugs. The commonest illicit narcotics in Sydney are heroin and black market methadone. In Western Australia and New Zealand 'homebake' is most commonly found.
Raw opium is popular in India while brown impure heroin is found in Russia.
In Poland, a codeine based mixture called 'compot' is the most frequently used opioid. For discussion and explanation of individual drug categories, see appendix at the end of this book. It is important not to tell too many people about someone's addiction. Number one, they may not understand, and secondly it may be none of their business. The stigma is very hard to lose with some people who have fixed ideas about addiction.