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Psychological factors of addiction
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Heroin is a depressant that is also an opiate. It is made from a plant from the Middle East called the Opium Poppy. The drug morphine is extracted from the raw Opium Poppy plant, and it can be changed into heroin through a chemical process. Heroin is much more addictive than morphine because it gets to the brain roughly 100 times faster. It is addictive in a psychological way as well as a physiological way. Psychologically, if people do not get the heroin that they want, they will start to feel really bad about it. The drug is so addictive, that people who are addicted to it feel a sort of responsibility to go and get their next amount of heroin. In terms of physiological addiction, after about 6 hours without an injection, people will start to feel nauseous and tired. They will also begin to sweat extremely bad, get horrible stomach cramps and aches, and also a high fever.
There are many street names for Heroin; Crank, Jive, Horse, Shag, Dope, Smack, and Junk are just a few of the many street names for Heroin. Heroin affects the body in many different ways. It affects the brain the most when used and also when not used. When it is used often, more Heroin is needed to feel the same effects, and when is not used, the brain and body start to feel withdrawal symptoms. When Heroin gets into the bloodstream, and then into the brain many things start to happen. The biggest thing that happens is that Heroin is converted back into morphine when it gets into the brain. The morphine sticks to molecules on the brain’s opioid receptors. These receptors are involved in the brain’s ability to recognize pain, as well as control our body’s life support system. An overdose of Heroin can cause breathing suppression, which can evidently lead to death. This suppression of breathing can also lead to many different types of pneumonia, collapsed veins, liver disease, and heart disease. Heroin can also cause blood clotting which can also be very fatal. There are many long term and short term effects for Heroin use. Short term effects include; virtually no feeling of pain, feeling good, Nausea, becoming tired, less stressed, hypothermia, and difficulty breathing. Long term effects of the drug include; developing a tolerance, this is the most dangerous long term effect because it can eventually lead to an overdose and death, addiction, and withdrawal.
The documentary states that over 27,000 deaths a year are due to overdose from heroin and other opioids. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2015 prescription pain relievers account for 20,101 overdose deaths, and 12,990 overdose deaths are related to heroin (Rudd et al., 2010-2015). The documentary’s investigation gives the history of how the heroin epidemic started, with a great focus on the hospice movement. We are presented with the idea that once someone is addicted to painkillers, the difficulty in obtaining the drug over a long period of time becomes too expensive and too difficult. This often leads people to use heroin. This idea is true as a 2014 survey found that 94% of respondents who were being treated for opioid addiction said they chose to use heroin because prescription opioids were “more expensive and harder to obtain (Cicero et al., 2014).” Four in five heroin users actually started out using prescription painkillers (Johns, 2013). This correlation between heroin and prescription painkiller use supports the idea presented in the documentary that “prescription opiates are heroin prep school.”
It’s very hard to be a heroin addict and have a normal, properly functioning life. Most of the times addicts cannot hold stable jobs, so there is not a stable income coming in, which in turn results in these individuals becoming homeless, or turning to criminal activity to support their drug use. It is not easy to maintain a healthy lifestyle when you struggle with an addiction. I’ve seen first hand with family members how quickly your life spirals out of control, and how hard it can be to get back on your feet once you’re addicted. If people using heroin are taking it intravenously, there are a number of risks that come with that as well. Unclean needles can cause people to contract HIV or Hepatitis, and other infectious diseases if they use dirty puddles of water to cook their drugs. The veins of heroin addicts can also become damaged. On top of all that, if these addicts aren’t using clean needles, abscesses can form wherever they’re injecting drugs into the body, which can be very dangerous. For all of the reasons above, the cons of taking heroin certainly outweigh the
Heroin, the drug that has been around for centuries has been making a come into American street. It popularity is growing to the size coke and crack had in the eighties. This time how ever its happening in the rural parts of America. Instead of the the cities like most drug out breaks.
Eighty percent of heroin users say that their opioid use began with the use of opioids. pain relievers. These same individuals say that they have switched to heroin use. because it is less expensive.
The underground market for drugs is like any other market economy. Like all other markets, it is governed by the forces of supply and demand. When speaking about these concepts, it is valuable to have a concrete definition to return to. Supply, as defined in “Essentials of Economics” is “The ability and willingness to sell (produce) specific quantities of a good at alternative prices in a given time period, ceteris paribus.” (Schiller, 50). Similarly, demand is “The ability and willingness to buy specific quantities of a good at alternative prices in a given time period, ceteris paribus.” (Schiller, 50).
According, to the National Institute on Drug Abuse “heroin can either be intravenously injected, inhaled by snorting or sniffing, or smoking.”(Heroin) The most common method used by addicts is intravenous injections delivering the greatest intensity of euphoria or rush usually within eight to ten seconds. Habitual abusers will inject, as much as, four to five times daily. On the other hand, when the heroin is inhaled by snorting or sniffing the maximum effect is generally experienced within ten minutes. Furthermore, when the user chooses to smoke the heroin they can either use a water pipe, standard pipe or marijuana joint. All three methods of administration deliver the drug to the brain rather
Heroin was originally synthesized in 1874 by a man named C.R Alder Wright. Created as a solution to opium, a drug that had plagued many American households. It was originally produced for medical purposes evidently becoming highly addictive. Heroin “... was originally marketed as a non-addictive substance” (“History of Addiction”) which inevitably increased its popularity. It became especially popular in places of poverty. Heroin became a solution to struggle. So common it was almost as if heroin was a prescribed medicine for hardship. Known as “[a] treatment of many illnesses and pain” (“A brief history of addiction”) but later revealed that it caused more harm than good. Being so easily accessible it became immensely common among musicians.
This has been going on for generations. In the mid to late 1800’s, opium was a popular drug. Opium dens were all over the wild west back in the 1800’s. The opium came from Chinese immigrants who came here to work on the railroads. They used the drug to help them work and forget about the pain caused by the hard work they were doing. Opium were more used than saloons. Opium was seen as a cure for alcoholics by the late 1800’s. It was from opium that morphine, was developed as a pain killer around 1810. The people of the time called heroin a wonder drug because it stopped severe pain that came with medical operations or traumatic injuries. Morphine left the user high in a completely numb dream state. During the Civil War, the numbers of people
... a few hours, the overall impact of consuming this drug can inevitably lead to serious complications and illnesses. Before consuming or breaking down to pressure, it would be wise to become educated on the subject of heroin. Its original intend failed to be a cure to addiction but was contrary to the belief, and ended up being highly addictive as its original component, morphine. From the reasoning and scientific evidence displayed above, heroin is a molecule that disrupts the natural order and balance of life, leaving behind a path of destruction. It is also important to note that heroin addiction is treatable and is manageable with the help of a professional (“Heroin in the Brain”, n.d.). Whether it is snorting it, smoking it or injecting it there is no okay amount or consumption of this drug that will benefit an individual. Its nature is too disrupt and destroy.
...ss the body. This brief but intense rush is then followed by a deep, drowsy state of relaxation and contentment that is marked by a clouding of consciousness and by poor concentration and attention. This state lasts two to four hours and then gradually wears off. Some individuals do react negatively to heroin, experiencing only anxiety, nausea, and depression. Additionally some addicts may experience the burning out or detrition of muscles from injection sites intramuscularly (mainlining).
Heroin, also known as diamorphine, is an opiate typically used as a recreational drug. Medically it is used to relieve pain and as a form of opioid replacement therapy alongside counseling. Heroin is typically injected, usually into a vein. However, it can also be smoked, snorted or inhaled. Heroin purity has been classified into four grades. Number 4 is the purest form, white powder (salt) to be easily dissolved and injected. Number 3 is “brown sugar” for smoking (base). Number 1 and number 2 are unprocessed raw heroin (salt and/or
Trainspotting follows a group of people who live in Leith who are heroin addicts as well as friends of said heroin addicts who take part in destructive behaviour. The addicts have little morals when it comes to deceiving their friends but the story is about their relationships with one and other and how they maintain the bond they share. It is set in the late 1980’s and the Sunday Times called it “the voice of punk, grown up, grown wiser and grown eloquent.” The book gives a very bleak look into the lives of the working class in Scotland and even offended two female judges leading it to being rejected for the Booker Prize shortlist. Trainspotting also highlights the stereotypes that are associated with the Scottish identity with the language use, dialect and accent.
For one, addiction would be the biggest problem due to a person's need for more and more opioids in order to function. Opioid abuse has also been known to weaken a person's immune system and in turn making they more likely to get sick. Also, if a person did not die from a opioid related overdose, they could end up in a coma because of it. Even if a person were to stop using opioids all together, they could have lifelong health problems due to their previous use of opioids. This is more common with the opioid Heroin since it is often used by syringe. Many Heroin users have contracted HIV/AIDS as well as Hepatitis because they tend to share needles with other people who may have these diseases.
...drawal syndrome that indicates the subject’s state of dependence). (Maremmani, p. 6) The addictions effect on the body is quickly established. Adapting to the presence of the drug, the body will begin to exhibit withdrawal symptoms once the opiates effects diminish. Symptoms of withdrawal include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps, and leg movements (Volkow, p. 2). Although the demand for heroin remains significantly lower than for other drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana, the consequences of heroin abuse are such that it poses a significant drug threat (Gruber, p. 157). Although a variety of effective treatments are available for heroin addiction, methadone maintenance (MM) remains the most common and current treatment of choice for opiate addiction in the United States (Gruber, p. 157)
Abuse can cause countless medical problems to the body. A person who is addicted will continue to stimulate themselves regardless if they are aware of the negative chain reactions. Once addicted, it becomes difficult to stop due to how the body has become dependent. Health will be harmed the more a stimulant is used. Health effects include: cardiovascular disease, strokes, cancer, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, lung disease, mental disease, birth defects. Mental health is what keeps a person in the right mind to make better decisions and have better control in life. Drugs have the ability to change mood and behavior. If drugs have affected the brain already, the desire increases which changes mental health. Some may not realize that they have been affected their health negatively. “A person who abuses drugs may not realize they have a problem until pronounced effects of drug abuse are seen, often physically. While drug abuse effects on the body vary depending on the drug used, all drug abuse negatively impacts one 's health (Addictions Community). Since drugs create many health issues, treatment is not a simple task. Treatments are hard to obtain and addictions often go