Her Self-Experiment with Drug Detox Almost Broke Her
The New York Times • • health
Key Points:
- In December 2024, a 27-year-old woman named Rebecca, known as Becks, began self-experimenting with a substance labeled "SR-17018" in her childhood bedroom in the Boston suburbs.
- Becks carefully measured and ingested 25 milligrams of the powder, which was marked "NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION," as part of her attempt to get sober through a do-it-yourself approach.
- She has struggled with drug addiction for a decade, most recently using kratom, an opiate-like substance that helped mask pain but led to constant dosing and severe withdrawal symptoms.
- Despite multiple attempts at sobriety, including inpatient detox and rehabilitation, Becks found it difficult to sustain long-term recovery and feared relapse into fentanyl use.
- Becks documented her experience in an online diary, requesting anonymity to protect her future employment prospects.
