What fentanyl users want you to know

There are dozens of people at Fusion Studios, the homeless hotel in Denver where I live, who use fentanyl. But even hardcore meth users judge them. The fentanyl users are the most stigmatized group in the building.

There is a universal assumption that fentanyl users must have a death wish to partake. But that absolutely is not the case. “I’m scared as hell of dying,” explained one daily user interviewed for this story. “I’d love to be able to quit.”

Truths like that one are what people using fentanyl at Fusion want you to know. From several fentanyl users interviewed for this article who spoke on the condition of anonymity, some common revelations rose to the top when asked, “What do fentanyl users want non-users to know?”

Jail leads to death

“People need to understand that most people overdose and die when they are released from jail,” said one user. Other users explained that while much of the public applauds police for arresting people who use drugs, they’re actually killing them. They explained that while they are in jail, their tolerance for fentanyl drastically drops. When they’re released from jail a week or two later, using fentanyl resumes immediately. People want to reach the nirvana state, and they use as much as they did than before they were locked up. With the lower tolerance, they overdose and die.As for the nirvana state, fentanyl users say the drug brings them immediate peace. There’s no waiting for the drug to take effect, it hits them as soon as they smoke it. They said the drug relieves all pain, both physical and emotional. One user said covering up emotional pain is his motivation to use.

People addicted to fentanyl experience emotional pain every day. Many are homeless. Fentanyl takes away the bite from the winter wind and the constant reminder that a user is trapped in a go-nowhere situation.

Users deeply experience humanity

Contrary to the stereotype that fentanyl users are zombies, they actually experience humanity on a much higher level than most of us. People who use fentanyl rescue other users from the brink of death all the time with Narcan.

Fentanyl users want people to know, “We’re not monsters, we’re people,” said one Fusion resident.

Points that often come up:

They’re someone’s child, sibling, parent, partner.

They have histories, dreams, and identities beyond their drug use.

They’re tired of being treated like a public nuisance or a moral failure.

Fentanyl didn’t cause their problems

“Fentanyl didn’t start my problems—it’s where I landed.” People want the public to understand that fentanyl use is usually the end point of:

Childhood trauma

Untreated mental illness

Domestic violence

Medical injury and pain

Poverty and housing instability

Previous addiction to prescription opioids

‘Unbearable’ withdrawals

“We use because withdrawal is unbearable,” said one user. This is one of the most misunderstood realities.

People describe withdrawal as:

Bone-deep pain

Uncontrollable vomiting

Panic and dread

Feeling like their skin is on fire

A sense of dying

They want the public to understand that fentanyl use is often about avoiding agony, not chasing a high.

A desire for normalcy

“We don’t want to be homeless,” several interviewees said as they expressed appreciation for their housing. People often assume drug use causes homelessness. But many users will tell you they started using after losing housing.

Fentanyl numbs the trauma of living outside

Shelters feel unsafe or dehumanizing

They want stability but can’t get it without housing first

“We’re tired of being talked about, not talked to,” is another common sentiment. People want respect, agency to be seen as experts in their own lives, to be included in policy conversations and to be treated as human beings, not statistics

“We want a future.” People using fentanyl often talk about wanting to work, wanting to reconnect with family, wanting to get clean but needing support, wanting housing, and wanting to feel normal again. They’re not resigned to their fate. They’re stuck in a system that doesn’t offer exits.