22 Comments

I watched and remember that night! I don’t remember the jokes, but I do remember you saying you were on pain meds! I wish you guys would have met for drinks before or after. That would have nailed your childhood dream! Loved this essay!

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Well done narrative, as always. Thanks for the color. I vividly recall an abscess that the drugs couldn't get me through and the immense relief once the tooth was out. Please, never again!

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You’re a badass cowboy. And whatever Rahphael said 😂

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1. Appearing on television with tooth pain isn’t necessarily a better alternative. 2. In early February this year, the CDC reached the similar conclusion that doing an activity in pain isn’t necessarily a better alternative than doing it on a painkiller, and granted doctors more leeway in prescribing. Hence the headline: “In a victory for pain experts, CDC tones down its opioid prescribing guidelines.” 3. Sally Satel and other practicing psychiatrists have long ago revealed that that OD problem did not pertain primarily to acute or even chronic pain patients, but to people with addiction and other issues going on in their lives; not necessarily the same thing. And during the epidemic, many of those people sadly obtained medications illegally online or on the street, with fatal results. 4. Bottom line: if your tooth really hurts, it’s OK to take a painkiller prescribed by a dentist, go about your business, get the problematic truth fixed, and even take a few more painkillers afterwards, because dental procedures can hurt like hell for 24 to 48 hours. ( I had an abscessed tooth pulled in July.) 5. Then, when you’re feeling relatively pain-free, you don’t even have to finish the small amount of painkillers remaining. You can just lay back on the sofa, and watch a relaxing movie, like Marijuana, Assassin Of Youth!

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Loved the 2nd half too. So well done. You're writing! I get lost in your stories, and appreciate every second. Later I study then...ha... I'll have to watch the show, but I've seen you on stage, and you are naturally hilarious.. so.. :)))

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I watched that night. You were great! Any Walter is good Walter.

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I love it. I'm trying to remember the cowboy boots, with the ankle on the knee. I do remember a Museum of Natural History joke. I know that "thin rain" midst traffic in NYC. Wonderful writing. It doesn't hurt that I have recently been through a cracked tooth adventure of my own recently!

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I loooooooove how you write. And I used to loooooooove oxy. It became a problem for me but I am happy for you it served a valuable purpose for you ;-)

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Always great seeing you on television

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Walter - truly the " Bard " of modern day Montana Charlie Russell would br proud.

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Altered states of golden light a poisoned red apple, the show's host beware.

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Would love to find a few clips … what night did this one air?

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I like to track that down as well. Don't have time to catch the show generally.

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Last night started binge watching “Dope Sick” on Hulu. Great series about the OxyContin scam (long acting! Non-addictive!) and resulting epidemic that was caused through collusion between the FDA and big Pharma. 100,000 opioid deaths in the US last year.

Talk about “predictive programming”…. Instead of ‘breakthrough infections’ we were introduced to ‘breakthrough pain’. And more and more doses.

To creative team Barry Levinson, Danny Strong and Beth Macy I say “now do the mRNA ‘vaccines’ “.

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Been said many times before, but the problem with opiates isn't that they aren't pleasant.

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I was culling my free subscriptions today, checking out the archived stuff on some of them, unsubscribing to many, and came across this. Great! It’s a keeper.

Where do I store it, though? Do I just keep a free subscription to Unbound for the rest of my life? Perhaps I should create a book called The Culling, and call myself its editor, and put it in there.

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Now I have to see this episode. Wonderful piece.

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