Heroin Addiction Treatment
We, human beings are susceptible to feelings. We get jealous, happy, sad, angry, disappointed and sometimes, we are vulnerable to pain. It is hard for us to overcome pain especially the severe ones. It is natural for us to ignore the pain in its minimal state however, once it becomes unbearable, we seek help from our doctor for them to help us ease the pain that we are feeling. Doctors are prescribing painkillers for us to relieve from pain. One of those painkillers is heroin.
But, what do we know about heroin? Isn’t it bad for our health? For further understanding of heroin, let us know first what it is and its foundation.
Heroin is one of the opioid painkillers similar to morphine and codeine. Heroin is used as an analgesic, cough suppressant, and antidiarrhoeal. Heroin was made first in 1874 by C.R. Alder Wright. It is
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1 and 2 are the unprocessed heroin (salt or base). No. 3 is “brown sugar” which is used for smoking and No.4 which is the purest is a white powder (salt) that can be easily dissolved and injected.
How can heroin be used? Heroin can be used by injecting, sniffing or snorting because it is two to four times more effective than morphine and has faster effect. It is usually in a white or black powder form which is called “black tar heroin” and often, smokable. Once heroin got into the body by smoking, sneezing or snorting, the drug rapidly transports to the brain which causes changes in it. However, once heroin is taken by the body, health is at risk and also, risk of addiction is very high. Due to the changes of the brain, the body will seek for the drug even if consequences are known.
Heroin affecting the Brain
Once the heroin enters our brain, it is converted to morphine that binds to molecules on cells which is called opioid receptors. Opioid receptors are located in many areas of our brain and in our body especially in our brain stem that controls life’s processes such as arousal, blood pressure and
Heroin is a depressant that is converted back to morphine when it enters the brain. It then attaches to opioid receptors. These receptors are located in many areas of the brain and are that control the sensitivity to pain and reward. After a hit of heroin, users feel a rush of euphoria along with a dry mouth and heavy limbs. After the feeling of euphoria has dissipated the user experiences a consecutively restless and drowsy
The psychosocial effects of heroin can be depression. Heroin is extremely devastating, and users often have can’t stay on a job, relationship problems, legal complications and financial
Within the same period, the data show, 81 percent of first-time heroin users had previously abused prescription drugs” (Markon and Crites, 2014). Prescription painkillers and heroin are known to
The biological explanation of the brain in regards to drug addiction is interesting. According to the textbook, "Studies have found convincing evidence that drugs such as alcohol, heroin, and cocaine act directly on the brain mechanisms that are responsible for reward and punishment. " When one use drugs, the drug stimulates the areas of the brain that create the sensation of pleasure and suppress the pleasure of pain, as, a result, the user receives reinforcement to engage in further drug-taking behavior. The psychological explanation of drug abuse, "Focus on either personality disorders or the effects of social learning and reinforcement on drug-taking behaviors."
In the past, opioids have been used to treat moderate to severe pain such as cancer or post surgery, and on a short term basis. Now they are prescribed to anyone who is experiencing chronic pain and on a long term basis. Opioids being taken for chronic pain allows everyone to have the ability to carry out their daily life easily and without pain. In light of opioids helping people manage their pain, the problem lies with what they are being prescribed for now, how long, and how much. Opioids are now being prescribed for back pain, migraines, and other small instances.
Underlying Causes: The increase in the sale of opioids is considered to be the root of the opioid crisis, as the drugs have been proven to be highly addictive. An addiction to prescriptive opioids, however, can lead to an addiction to synthetic, illegal opioids, such as heroine or fentanyl, which are less expensive and easier to acquire. In fact, in their journal article, “Associations of nonmedical pain reliever use and initiation of heroin use in the United States” Pradip Muhuri and associates discovered that “the recent (12 months preceding interview) heroin incidence rate was 19 times higher among those who reported prior nonmedical prescription pain reliever (NMPR) use than among those who did not (0.39 vs. 0.02 percent)” (Muhuri et. al). In other words, abusing prescription opioids significantly raises the chances of abusing illicit drugs, such as heroin.
There are many treatment centers such as Narcotics Anonymous to serve the need. (http://www.na.org/) 2. Ordinarily there are 24 hour hotlines ready to service you with your needs. Conclusion: You have heard some of the terrible statistics regarding the use of heroin and what it has cause today in our society.
“Every year 214 million prescription for opiods pain killers are given to patients” One of the most prescribed drug that causes overdoses are opioids. a high percentage of the population have issues with the addiction, and not everyone has the possibility to get help, some of them are alone who don't have anyone to help them or they don't have enough income for drug rehabilitation. at the same time rehab is charging thousands of dollars for help. While most people are struggling with money and it's easier and cheaper for them to buy or get drugs prescribed and make the drug help them forget their issues.
users also found that they built up a tolerance to oxycontin and other prescription opioids and that 's where heroin comes in. heroin is an opioid like oxycontin though lots of people who built up a tolerance to prescription painkillers moved on to heroin and today more americans are addicted to heroin and die from it than ever before. The abuse and misuse of opioid products containing oxycodone and hydrocodone, including brands such as OxyContin, Vicodin, Percocet and Lortab increased significantly in the early-to-mid 2000s, doubling between 1998 and 2008. In 2002, 6.2 million Americans were abusing prescription drugs, and emergency room visits resulting from the abuse of narcotic pain relievers had increased dramatically. The misuse and abuse of prescription painkillers was responsible for more than 730,000 emergency department visits in 2009, a number that nearly doubled in just five
Dependence on prescription opioids can stem from treatment of chronic pain and in recent years is the cause of the increased number of opioid overdoses. Opioids are very addictive substances, having serious life threatening consequences in case of intentional or accidental overdose. The euphoria attracts recreational use, and frequent,
Prescription drugs (opiates only) have caused over 165,000 deaths within the last 15 years and is currently on the rise. Over 2 million Americans in 2014 were addicted to Opiate prescription narcotics. The most troubling fact is listed directly on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website: “As many as 1 in 4
You’ve probably heard this a million times before, but I’m going to tell you again. Drugs are bad. Not only do they make people like me pester you to stop, but they have some serious physical effects that you may not be fully aware of. Here are the basics of some of the more common drugs. Heroin is an extremely destructive opioid, which interferes with the brain’s receptors and can lead to seizures and hallucinations.
Narcotics or drugs have been plaguing our society for many thousands of years. They were used as pain relief in the early Egyptian civilization and opium was smoked for sedative effects in ancient China. Medicinal use, however, eventually gave way to recreational use. Hundreds of years passed before anyone realized the dangers of addiction or abuse and even after that, substance abuse has continued widely and openly. It was soon realized that this was a global problem that required a global solution.
Powdered cocaine can be smoked by rolling it on joints. Heroin: Injecting is the most popular way to take heroin. This only works when the heroin is mixed with water and an acid and is heated. Clothing is tightly wrapped around the arm to present the vein and users then inject the heroin into veins in the arms, it may also be injected in to the
All these characteristics led to the conclusion that drug addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use. It is considered as a brain disease because drugs change the structure of the brain, and how it works. Every drug affects different systems of the brain. For example, in the case of cocaine, as the brain is adapted in the presence of the specific drug, brain regions responsible for judgment, decision-making, learning, and memory begin to physically change, making certain behaviors “hard-wired.” In some brain regions, connections between neurons are pruned back.