Informative Essay On Heroin

1789 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Substance abuse and its effects on society

Heroin is a drug that is sweeping across our nation like wildfire. It is destroying families and taking innocent lives. We often wonder how anyone could become addicted to drugs. Addiction does not discriminate and it is a very serious matter. Heroin has recently been on the rise, especially in our own community. The city of Akron, and Northeast Ohio, is becoming known for increasing numbers of heroin usage. Why is this you might ask? Heroin is essentially an opioid. It, like Morphine, Vicadin, codeine, and many others opioids, is derived from the poppy plant. Recently, doctors have cut back on prescribing opioid painkillers due to drug abuse. This has caused those addicted to pain medication to turn to something far more sinister. Heroin
It can be white, brown, or tarry black in appearance. Heroin can be injected, sniffed, snorted, or smoked. It is highly addictive, as it provides a feeling of euphoria. This is because as heroin enters the brain, it is read as morphine. Heroin is a synthetic derivative of morphine. Some symptoms one might see in a heroin user after an injection are a state of euphoria, a dry mouth, a warm feeling coursing through the body, heavy limbs, and fuzzy mental functions. Heroin overdose can potentially lead to permanent brain damage and even death. Over time, the body begins to tolerate the amount of drug you intake, causing you to need more. A heroin addict will typically do anything that he can to obtain the drug. I watched countless documentaries from Drugs, Inc. on National Geographic about heroin. One man was so desperate for a high that he stole from his father under his roof to feed his habit. Heroin is a highly addictive drug that tears families apart. It causes divide between parents and children, and vice versa. A heroin addict will be slightly unstable if he is unable to continue to get high. Withdrawal happens with any drug, but especially with a heroin
Not a lot of people are aware of the impact the epidemic has. I believe a lot of us have the mindset of if it is not happening to me, it is not my problem. An addict who has been caught and is trying to get clean may be unable to get a job due to having a criminal record. I believe a lot of the reason we have such an epidemic is because those feeding the addiction to painkillers cannot access them as easily. Once addicted, it is hard to get back on the right path. There a million different individuals telling the addict that they need to get clean, get a job, and be able to be a productive member of society. The addict may agree, but because a criminal record impacts the chance of getting a job, they may never leave their habit. We have children without parents, and parents without children because a drug has taken their priority. We have human beings putting an addiction before their family. This is a problem. When we take our mind off others and put it on things, we send ourselves down a path we may never be able to get off

Show More
Related

  • Argumentative Essay On The Opioid Crisis

    1170 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the reasons the epidemic has become so widespread is due to the addictiveness of opioids. Opioids are prescription medications used to treat pain, with oxycodone and hydrocodone being the more popular drugs (Mayo). Opioids are addictive because of the way

    Read More

  • Is Harm Reduction the Answer to Canada’s Drug Addiction Problem?

    1747 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Briefing Paper Heroin-assisted Treatment: The State of Play.” Idpc.net. Idcp.net, n.d. Web. 4 Jul. 2010.

    Read More

  • Heroin and Morphine

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    Where did this drug come from and what makes it different from any other drug that is on the market? Heroin's origins go back long before Christ was a bleep on the radar. It goes back to 1200 B.C. Or the Bronze Age. At that time how ever heroin would be known as its chemically altered state of the poppy seeds. Even at that time however the ancient peoples of that time knew that if the poppy seeds juice were collected and dried. the extract that was left behind could make a effective painkiller. This would later be named opium. There were small incidents of it appearing in Europe, for instance it was used by the gladiators in the Roman Colosseum. But as a whole it would take more then a millennium for opium to travel from the Middle East to the Europe. This only occurred do to crusades. In just a few hundred after that is went from a rarely used painkiller to a liquid that was said to cure all aliments and would even lead to the most humiliating defeat China Empire. In the 1803 opium became dwarfed by its new brother morphine which is named in honor of the Greek god Morpheus who is the god of dreams. Morphine is an extract of opium and is ruffly 10 times the strength of its counter part. After Morphine creation it was put to used almost at once to assist battle field victims. This was a mistake however, because this refined does of opium is also 10 times more addicting then it was in its original form. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers would retur...

    Read More

  • Jenny's Battle: The Devastation of Heroin Addiction

    2264 Words  | 5 Pages

    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. 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. Tears stream down her face because she hates herself. Addiction is the reason her mother has custody of her daughter, Abby. Most of her family and friends disown her. This drug has taken over her life. At this point, she is debating if everyone, including herself, would benefit from her suicide. Jenny was dope sick, suffering

    Read More

  • Addiction To Heroin Essay

    1919 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Drug Addiction: A Brain Disease?

    746 Words  | 2 Pages

    When people hear the words drug addict, these words have negative connotations and stigmas attached to them. People visualize a person who does not care about anything, including family, work, or commitments, except for obtaining money to buy drugs to get high. However, there are many people who are drug addicts that maintain a normal, functioning life. Before we can examine why these people are addicted to drugs, one must first define the word addict.

    Read More

  • Opium Essay

    769 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...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).

    Read More

  • Functionalist and Interactionalist Perspective on Illegal Drugs

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    The war on drugs in our culture is a continuous action that is swiftly lessening our society. This has been going on for roughly 10-15 years and has yet to slow down in any way. Drugs continue to be a problem for the obvious reason that certain people abuse them in a way that can lead to ultimate harm on such a person. These drugs do not just consist of street drugs (marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy), but prescription medications as well. Although there are some instances where drugs are being used by subjects excessively, there has been medical research to prove that some of these drugs have made a successful impact on certain disorders and diseases.

    Read More

  • Dopamine and Drug Addiction

    1156 Words  | 3 Pages

    Drug abuse is part of everyday life, most of us know someone who is or was abusing drug at some point. A way to simplify a difficult time in our life, we find an exit in a product that numbs our brain to the surrounding. People find addiction through drugs, activities and action that creates chemical reaction within our bodies. Whether you love jumping off the empire state building or inject yourself with a drug, you are looking for a high that your body enjoys. The body creates chemicals which stop our self-control. According to the CDC website, “Deaths from drug overdose have been rising steadily over the past two decades and have become the leading cause of injury death in the United States.” (Birnbaum HG, web).

    Read More

  • Drug Abuse Essay

    758 Words  | 2 Pages

    Drugs are never right! According to National Institute on Drug Abuse, about 570,000 people die annually due to drug addiction. That breaks down to about 440,000 from disease related to tobacco, 85,000 due to alcohol, 20,000 due to illegal drugs, and 20,000 due to prescription drug use. Drug abuse is most common among young adults who are 18-25 years old. Abusing drugs is not only affecting peoples life, it also has a huge impact on United States economy. According to NIDA estimated economic cost due to substance abuse and addiction is about $559 billion/year, that breaks down to $181 billion from illegal drugs, $185 billion from alcohol and $193 billion from tobacco. These costs are due to health care, crime and lost productivity. If we don’t solve this problem the death rate is going to be increase and the economy will go down gradually.

    Read More

  • The Prescription Drug Abuse Crisis

    1696 Words  | 4 Pages

    The rate of death due to prescription drug abuse in the U.S. has escalated 313 percent over the past decade. According to the Congressional Quarterly Transcription’s article "Rep. Joe Pitt Holds a Hearing on Prescription Drug Abuse," opioid prescription drugs were involved in 16,650 overdose-caused deaths in 2010, accounting for more deaths than from overdoses of heroin and cocaine. Prescribed drugs or painkillers sometimes "condemn a patient to lifelong addiction," according to Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This problem not only affects the lives of those who overdose but it affects the communities as well due to the convenience of being able to find these items in drug stores and such. Not to mention the fact that the doctors who prescribe these opioids often tend to misuse them as well. Abusing these prescribed drugs can “destroy dreams and abort great destinies," and end the possibility of the abuser to have a positive impact in the community.

    Read More

  • Informative Speech Outline On Addiction

    1008 Words  | 3 Pages

    Main Point: The effects on a person after they become addicted to something can be small, or they can be great, depending on the length of time they are exposed to the addictive behavior or substance and what caused it. The addiction affects the addict’s health, career and relationships. I can tell you from personal experience with having family members who were addicts, that I was traumatized growing up. (Personal story about couple arguing here.) According to Roxanne Edwards of Medicine.net, “In terms of effects on the body, intoxication with a substance can cause physical effects that range from marked sleepiness and slowed breathing …to the rapid heart rate...” In addition, psychologically they can have suicidal thoughts or elation depending on the addictive substance or behavior. This is why it is important for the addict to seek help because they cannot get rid of the issue on their own. Most of the time, addicts go through some sort of rehab treatment and when they are released they are instructed to go to meetings that help with the aftermath of addiction. Just a few of these groups are places like Alcoholics/Narcotics Anonymous, or even Celebrate Recovery. Although some places believe that these programs do not work, it is well worth mentioning that the success rates depend on the want to of the person working them. They have to want to remain sober or free from the addiction or they will go right back to it. Alcohol Rehab.com puts it this way, “Failure to

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Teen Substance Abuse

    737 Words  | 2 Pages

    Most people do not understand how a person become addicted to drugs. We tend to assume that is more an individual problem rather than a social problem. However, teen substance abuse is indeed a social problem considered a priority for the USA department of public health due to 9 out of 10 Americans with addictions started using drugs before the age 18 (CASA Columbia University). Similarly, 1 in 4 Americans with addictions started using the substance during their teenage years, which show a significant different with 1 in 25 Americans with addiction who started using at 21 or older (CASA, 2011).

    Read More

  • Youth And Drugs Essay

    1137 Words  | 3 Pages

    The addict becomes dependent on the drug. The addict uses it, despite having full knowledge of its harmful effects on health. It is considered a brain disease because it changes the structure and functioning of the brain.There is an uncontrollable desire or craving to consume the drug. Addicted people often engage in compulsive behavior to obtain the drugs. The addicts find if impossible to control the drug intake. In case of drug abuse, people start taking drugs in larger doses than the recommended doses. The addict is not able to discharge his/her day-to-day responsibilities in an efficient manner. It effects both the physical and mental health of the addict. Very often, addicts witness extreme changes in body weight. Very often, the addict stops socializing.Sometimes, drug addiction is also referred to as drug dependency since the addict develops dependency or addiction for a particular

    Read More

  • An Essay About Drug Addiction

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion drug addiction is a very terrible and challenging problem. It affects individuals, families, and the people around them. It is important that drug addicts realize that they must want to stop and seek help for the problem. The drug addict needs the support of friends and family, so they can make it through this process. The process to recover from drug addiction can take a lifetime. There is hope for a drug addict who wants to change their life for the better.

    Read More

More about Informative Essay On Heroin

Open Document