Heroin It is eight a.m. and she has been up for hours at this point. The diarrhea is uncontrollable and her stomach is killing her. She needs to vomit again. Her bed is covered in sweat. Her body feels hot, but she is freezing cold. Her hands are shaking because she is a nervous wreck. Her legs are restless and her entire body aches as if she had been run over by a semi. She feels weak, both physically and mentally. She has been crying all night because she hates herself. Her addiction is the reason her daughter was taken from her and given to her mother. Most of her family and friends now disown her. At this point, she is debating if everyone, including herself, would benefit from her suicide. The only reason she had not taken her own life
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The love that families provide is unconditional and they are often the ones that people turn to when times are hard or when guidance is needed. Many people know of the damage heroin does to the user, but overlook the burdens placed on those closest to them. In the article “Family Disease,” the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) (2016) acknowledges that “[a]ddiction is a family disease that stresses the family to the breaking point, impacts the stability of the home, the family’s unity, mental health, physical health, finances, and overall family dynamics (para 1)”. NCADD refers to heroin addiction as a “family” disease because not only does it affect the addict, but those closest to them suffer as well. Children fear the next time their parents go to jail, or live in fear that their mother or father may not wake up from the next overdose. This type of mental abuse can lead to long term psychological issues such as anxiety and depression. Parents of children who are heroin addicts often feel guilty because they think they have failed as parents. They fear the day they get a phone call saying their child has died from a heroin overdose. Heroin addiction can also lead to marital issues, often leading in divorce. When users become addicted, heroin often becomes their first priority. They become undependable to their spouse, neglecting their wants and needs. Heroin addicts will steal …show more content…
A successful economy is important to the well-being of every person in this country, and although most people have no trouble understanding heroin’s effects on the user, many never think about its impact on the economy. There have been many studies in reference to the economic costs of illegal drug use overall, but not many that pertains to the costs of just heroin. However, the last study done on the economic costs of heroin was in 1996. The authors of the article “The economic costs of heroin addiction in the United States,” Tami L. Mark, George E. Woody, Tim Juday, and Herbert D. Kleber (2001) acknowledged that “the cost of heroin addiction in the United States was US$ 21.9 billion in 1996… [P]roductivity losses accounted for approximately US$11.5 billion (53%), criminal activities US$5.2 billion (24%), medical care US$5.0 billion, and social welfare US$0.1 billion (0.5%)” (p. 195). It makes sense that with the rise in heroin use, to go along with the rise in heroin related deaths, the economic costs of heroin today exceed those from 1996. First, loss in production can stem from addicts who do not work or cannot keep a job, thus leading to those individuals collecting unemployment benefits and abusing the welfare system and its resources. Also, addicts who are employed, often stay high on the job, cause more work related accidents, and frequently do not show up for work,
The love that families provide is unconditional and they are often the ones that people turn to when times are hard or when guidance is needed. Many people know of the damage heroin does to the user, but overlook the burdens placed on those closest to them. In the article “Family Disease,” the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) (2016) acknowledges that “[a]ddiction is a family disease that stresses the family to the breaking point, impacts the stability of the home, the family’s unity, mental health, physical health, finances, and overall family dynamics (para 1)”. NCADD refers to heroin addiction as a “family” disease because not only does it affect the addict, but those closest to them suffer as well. Children fear the next time their parents go to jail, or live in fear that their mother or father may not wake up from the next overdose. This type of mental abuse can lead to long term psychological issues such as anxiety and depression. Parents of children who are heroin addicts often feel guilty because they think they have failed as parents. They fear the day they get a phone call saying their child has died from a heroin overdose. Heroin addiction can also lead to marital issues, often leading in divorce. When users become addicted, heroin often becomes their first priority. They become undependable to their spouse, neglecting their wants and needs. Heroin addicts will steal …show more content…
A successful economy is important to the well-being of every person in this country, and although most people have no trouble understanding heroin’s effects on the user, many never think about its impact on the economy. There have been many studies in reference to the economic costs of illegal drug use overall, but not many that pertains to the costs of just heroin. However, the last study done on the economic costs of heroin was in 1996. The authors of the article “The economic costs of heroin addiction in the United States,” Tami L. Mark, George E. Woody, Tim Juday, and Herbert D. Kleber (2001) acknowledged that “the cost of heroin addiction in the United States was US$ 21.9 billion in 1996… [P]roductivity losses accounted for approximately US$11.5 billion (53%), criminal activities US$5.2 billion (24%), medical care US$5.0 billion, and social welfare US$0.1 billion (0.5%)” (p. 195). It makes sense that with the rise in heroin use, to go along with the rise in heroin related deaths, the economic costs of heroin today exceed those from 1996. First, loss in production can stem from addicts who do not work or cannot keep a job, thus leading to those individuals collecting unemployment benefits and abusing the welfare system and its resources. Also, addicts who are employed, often stay high on the job, cause more work related accidents, and frequently do not show up for work,