A short post about heroin voice

This was triggered by a post over at our long-term friendly-rival blog, LGM. That post, in turn, was triggered by something stupid that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said recently.

What Kennedy said: he thinks his distinctive hoarse, raspy voice is “spasmodic dysphonia”, which he suspects may have been caused by taking flu vaccines for years.  Because dysphonia is a KNOWN side effect of these dangerous vaccines!  So he stopped getting flu shots back in 2005.

Blogger Shakezula quite correctly deconstructs this nonsense (only one flu shot lists dysphonia as a possible side effect, and that one wasn’t available until after 2005; if dysphonia is a side effect, it’s ridiculously rare, and nobody seems to have ever encountered it).  But then they make a wrong turn:  they suggest that maybe RFK’s weird voice is genetic, because his sister also has a kinda weird voice.

No.  No no no.  


There’s a thing called “heroin voice”.  And yes, it’s an actual thing — go ahead and google it.  There are papers.

TLDR: long-term heroin use can permanently damage your voice.  It doesn’t always happen, but it’s definitely a real and well-known risk.  Long-term junkies and ex-junkies often have a distinctive hoarse, raspy voice.  In rare, severe cases the user may need speech rehabilitation.  More often, they just have a weird voice.  And they may keep that weird voice for the rest of their life, because in most cases the damage seems to be irreversible.

Now on one hand this is a slightly niche topic.  If you’ve never spent much time around junkies, there’s no reason to know about heroin voice.  But on the other hand it’s not exactly a deep obscure secret.  “Raspy voice” is regularly listed as one of the warning signs of heroin abuse.  It’s right up there with pinprick pupils, pallor, reduced appetite, and a marked preference for long-sleeved shirts.

“RFK Jr. used to be a junkie” isn’t a secret either.  He’s admitted to several years of heroin addiction: basically, “It was the Eighties, man”.  I would bet a modest amount of money that he used heroin both more and longer than he’s now willing to admit, but whatever.  It’s relevant to his current position, not because he used to be an addict — there’s no shame in that — but because he grew into one of those ex-addicts who believe, that since they Triumphed Over Addiction through some combination of Clean Living and Personal Awesomeness, they’re now uniquely entitled to tell the rest of us how to behave.  If you’ve ever spent much time around twelve-step programs, you’ll know the type — mercifully rare, but instantly familiar.

Anyway!  RFK Jr. doesn’t have a weird voice because of vaccines.  And it’s not genetic either.  It’s heroin voice.   He has a weird voice because he used to be a junkie.

And that’s all.