Heroin: A new epidemic with an old drug The first ever opioid, opium, comes from the sap of opium poppies. Cultivation and growth date back to ancient civilizations around 3400 B.C. In the early 18th century physicians used opium for a therapeutic agent that had multiple purposes, but mostly for relieving pain. It was only towards the late 18th century that some physicians began to recognize that the drug had extremely addictive qualities. Codeine and morphine are isolated forms of opium. Heroin was first synthesized from morphine in 1874 by English chemist C.R Wright. However, the drug was not available for commercial use until The Bayer Company introduced heroin as a substitute for morphine in 1898. The United States outlawed the drug in
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During this time the user has a sense of being warm and flushed, heavy sensation in the extremities, reduced sensation of pain, drowsiness and sedation. The pleasurable feelings will only be felt for a few minutes but the feelings of sedation persist for more than a few hours. Often the user may move between periods of being asleep and then awake. This is referred to as “nodding”. Unfortunately over time the pleasurable short-term effects become overshadowed by the unwanted side effects. This is because the body adapts to the drug and the immune system attempts to counterbalance the effects. These side effects include: nausea and vomiting, grogginess, confusion, dry mouth, itchy skin, mitotic or constricted pupils, light sensitivity, lower body temperature, slowed respiration, slowed heart rate and bluish colored hands, feet and lips. Furthermore, the long-term effects of heroin use include: decreased dental health marked by damaged teeth and swelling of the gums, excoriated skin from excessive scratching, severe constipation, increase in susceptibility to disease due to the immune system diminishing, weakness and sedation, poor appetite and malnutrition, insomnia and decrease in sexual …show more content…
Tim who is now 22 is asked to describe his first experience with heroin. Tim explained:
I was 16 years old and I was living in my girlfriend’s mother 's house in a separate bungalow. I was doing a lot of codeine and oxycodone and one day my friend brought over some heroin. So I injected it and, my God, all I knew at that moment was it was the best feeling in the world.
Tim, later talks about how his father was addicted to heroin, and put his addiction before his family. His father eventually died of drug. This is yet another example of how this drug destroys families and lives. When looking at a map by Mount Laurel recovery Center, it is clear that the states in the US that are affected most by heroin use are: Vermont, West Virginia, Baltimore, Delaware, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New Mexico. Espinola, NM. Is near the top of the list with the highest numbers of heroin abuse in the
During this time the user has a sense of being warm and flushed, heavy sensation in the extremities, reduced sensation of pain, drowsiness and sedation. The pleasurable feelings will only be felt for a few minutes but the feelings of sedation persist for more than a few hours. Often the user may move between periods of being asleep and then awake. This is referred to as “nodding”. Unfortunately over time the pleasurable short-term effects become overshadowed by the unwanted side effects. This is because the body adapts to the drug and the immune system attempts to counterbalance the effects. These side effects include: nausea and vomiting, grogginess, confusion, dry mouth, itchy skin, mitotic or constricted pupils, light sensitivity, lower body temperature, slowed respiration, slowed heart rate and bluish colored hands, feet and lips. Furthermore, the long-term effects of heroin use include: decreased dental health marked by damaged teeth and swelling of the gums, excoriated skin from excessive scratching, severe constipation, increase in susceptibility to disease due to the immune system diminishing, weakness and sedation, poor appetite and malnutrition, insomnia and decrease in sexual …show more content…
Tim who is now 22 is asked to describe his first experience with heroin. Tim explained:
I was 16 years old and I was living in my girlfriend’s mother 's house in a separate bungalow. I was doing a lot of codeine and oxycodone and one day my friend brought over some heroin. So I injected it and, my God, all I knew at that moment was it was the best feeling in the world.
Tim, later talks about how his father was addicted to heroin, and put his addiction before his family. His father eventually died of drug. This is yet another example of how this drug destroys families and lives. When looking at a map by Mount Laurel recovery Center, it is clear that the states in the US that are affected most by heroin use are: Vermont, West Virginia, Baltimore, Delaware, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New Mexico. Espinola, NM. Is near the top of the list with the highest numbers of heroin abuse in the