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In the past Heroin Heroin In the past twenty years heroin use has grown dramatically. Psychoactive drugs have become the young persons largest problem to face. Drugs have become a part of even the most stereotypically normal family's life. No workplace, home, or school can be completely drug proofed. To live with these drugs one must learn about them. Not knowing the facts about heroin will ultimately lead to the drugs winning the game.
What is heroin? Heroin is an opiate, which comes from the opium poppy. When the opium poppy dies, a white substance is left. This substance hardens and turns brown, becoming opium (Smith, 13). Heroin was created to treat morphine addiction for men coming home from WWI. Only until it was too late was heroin discovered to be more destructive than morphine.
What happens after a person uses heroin? Heroin is an opiate or a downer that affects the brains pleasure and pain systems. Heroin interferes with the brains ability to perceive pain and page 1 activates the brains pleasure system. Heroin is a fast-acting drug, especially when injected or smoked. Injected heroin reaches the brain in 15 - 30 seconds; smoked heroin reaches the brain in 7 seconds.
How many people use heroin? It is extremely difficult to estimate how many people use heroin. There is agreement among epidemiologists that heroin is the most under- reported drug in terms of usage and that any usage statistics are unreliable. Estimates range from 428, 000 past-year heroin users (National Household Survey, 1995) to 600, 000 past week heroin users (Office of National Drug Control Policy).
On the other hand, some experts estimate that as many as two to three million people in the United States use heroin recreational. How does heroin become addictive? Once a person begins using heroin, he or she quickly develops a tolerance to the drug and needs more and more to get the same effects page 2 (Zackon, 45). Within one month, a new user might need much more than his / her initial dose to get high. Many heroin addicts have intense cravings for heroin but find it takes more and more heroin to get high. A regular dose may simply result in reduction of the extreme discomfort associated with withdrawal getting straight or being not sick but does not lead to the good feelings of being high.
Many users switch to injection as a more economical way of use. It takes less injected heroin than smoked or snorted heroin to achieve the same effects (Anonymous, 76). Heroin is psychologically and physically addictive. The acute physical withdrawal is grueling and lasts up to 72 hours. During this time, symptoms include vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, cramping, and severe shaking. It can take months or even years to recover from the physical addiction, and fighting the psychological addiction is a lifetime battle.
During this protracted withdrawal, recovering addicts battle cravings and depression (Anonymous, 75). What are some names for heroin? Heroin is referred to as smack, horse, mud, black tar, Mexican mud, china white, big H, junk, say, censored , H, brown, harry, boy, dope, brown sugar among many others (Washburne, 61). page 3 How can you tell someone is using heroin? Heroin users can be identified by many means: slow and slurred speech, constricted pupils, droopy eyelids, impaired night vision, dry skin, itching, skin infections, vomiting (at first use, and later at high doses), and nodding off (at very high doses) (Washburne, 70). If anyone is found in this state it is imperative to seek help from a methadone clinic or other forms of addiction help.
Half gram bag What affects does heroin have on the mind and body? Along with the false euphoria heroin produces there are many short term and long term affects. A few short term affects are: decreased sexual pleasure, indifference to sex, sedation proceeding to coma, menstrual irregularity, slow irregular heart rate, irregular blood pressure, reduced appetite, and constipation. Long-term affects include: can impair immune system, soft tissues in certain involuntary muscles (such as the intestines) page 4 relax to the point of not working (Zackon, 66), HIV infection from injection, and death from overdose. Why is heroin appealing?
Heroin causes false senses of euphoria. The natural high humans get from extraneous workout is produced from endorphins. Heroin causes the glands that create endorphins to pump out extra amounts that human bodies can not handle. The euphoric feeling is produced when the connection of the drug and nerve cells are made (Mendelson, 66). Most heroin addicts have a feeling of inadequacy and low self esteem (Mendelson, 89). The process of finding, scoring, and doing heroin is the false sense of success that junkies need (Smith, 25).
What is Heroin Withdrawal Like? Heroin and other opiate withdrawal symptoms are extremely uncomfortable, but are not likely to be fatal or lead to permanent injury (Washburne, 63). The symptoms occur because there is no longer enough opiate present to cause a pleasurable, or even a normal feeling. The symptoms usually begin four to twelve hours after the last dose. The page 5 symptoms typically reach their peak in thirty-six to seventy-two hours. Early symptoms include: goose flesh, hot and cold flashes, runny nose, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, pain and spasm, joint aching, insomnia, malaise (feels like the flu), yawning, irritability, and sweating.
The intensity of the symptoms vary directly with the dose and duration of use of the drug. These acute symptoms are usually greatly improved by the fifth day and are largely gone by seven to ten days. (This is true for heroin but may vary somewhat with other opiates such as methadone where the symptoms tend to come on later and last longer. ). This acute withdrawal is followed by a protracted abstinence syndrome from about week four to week ten or longer. It consists of a mild increase in blood pressure, restlessness, restless sleep, irritability, and craving for the drug. The Law It is illegal to supply or possess opioids without a prescription, or to produce, import or export them without authority.
It is also an offence to allow premises to be used for supplying or producing them. Heroin, morphine, opium, methadone, dipapanone and pethidine are Class A drugs. Codeine and dihydro codeine (DF 118) are Class B drugs unless they are page 6 prepared for injection when they become Class A drugs. Sources Cited Anonymous. Heroin Horrors: Hard Drugs, Hard Realities. Teen: October, 1997 m 75 - 76.
Drug Abuse Carolyn Kit Washburne. 1997, San Diego: Lucent Books. Heroin Sandra Lee Smith. 1991, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group Heroin: The Street Narcotic Jack Mendelson, M. D. &# 038; Nancy Mello, Ph. D. 1986, New York: Chelsea House Publishers Methadone Jack Mendelson, M. D. &# 038; Nancy Mello, Ph. D. 1985, New York: Chelsea House Publishers Heroin Fred Zackon, M.
Ed. 1986, New York: Chelsea House Publishers
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