...Heroin Addiction and Treatment Abstract This paper offers a brief explanation of the history of heroin. Describing the origins of heroin, who discovered it and describe the detrimental effects heroin has on an individual. There are several treatment options available for heroin addicts and this paper will look at a few of the ones that have shown the most success. Heroin Addiction and Treatment Introduction: A Brief History of Heroin Heroin comes from the opium poppy. This plant has been used by a number of various civilizations going back to include ancient civilizations. Opium, heroin, and morphine are derived from the poppy. Opium had been used by Drs. in the United States for many years prior to the Civil War. When morphine was discovered Drs. switched to using morphine instead of opium for pain, mainly because the hypodermic needle had been invented and morphine could be injected and pain could be better controlled. Heroin was derived from a chemical process discovered by Felix Hoffman in 1874. Heroin was initially distributed as a pain killer, and cough suppressant by Bayer Company in 1898. Drs. initially thought that heroin could replace morphine because they thought heroin did not possess the addictive qualities of morphine. In fact Drs. used heroin to get their patient’s off morphine. They thought...
Words: 1554 - Pages: 7
...Heroin Abuse: Reaching to the Suburban Youth The best driving force to get informed and motivated about a certain topic is a personal experience and my motivation came when one of my best friends passed away from a heroin overdose. Almost exactly a year ago, this friend of mine passed away from a heroin overdose and none of his close friends or family even knew the problem had escalated so greatly. It had all started with a pill addiction to xanax that slowly grew more severe but with a few interventions and a couple of trips to rehab, most of us thought that he was doing well and had kicked the habit. Little did we know that he had kicked the xanax habit only to graduate to something as intense as heroin. The frightening thing about this drug is that my friend was a small, upper class, Jewish boy from the suburbs of St. Louis and would not typically be the image you think of when a person might think of a heroin addict. He was the furthest thing from an underprivileged, poor, inner city adult. But addict hew was, and it is still somewhat of a mystery to those who were closest to him as to how he was able to access his drugs. For every person that believes they know the true meaning of the word “addiction,” there is another person right beside them to argue a different point of view. In this day and age, one would think that doctors or scientists or psychologists would have narrowed it down to a universal description but this is not the case. There are many different...
Words: 1740 - Pages: 7
...Drug Profile Paper 5/17/16 PSY/425 Chemical Dependency in the Workplace Stacey Lederberg Explain the psychological and physiology of addiction: Simply put phycology is the understanding of human behavior and physiology is the study of the physical function of humans. In the following paragraphs I will discuss the psychological and physiological issues of addiction. According to psychologists there are a few different causes for addiction. Some people get into an addiction or harmful behavior because of an abnormality. Another reason people get into an unhealthy addiction because of the environment they are in. The last one is someone’s beliefs or thoughts create feelings that cause addiction because these feelings are not realistic. When you think about addiction there are actually quite a few definitions. This is because there are so many substances that are addictive and each one has its own disorder. Addiction can be many things from illegal drugs, prescriptions, inhalants to gambling, hoarding, sex etc. The cause of an addiction has many factors that encompass it including biological, psychological and environmental. Because humans are wired to seek out reward and avoid discomfort it makes sense that addictions pacify the seeking of pleasure and erase pain. In the brain of an addicted person drugs, alcohol or any other substance target the CNS (central nervous system). The substance causes a hostile takeover in the pain-pleasure...
Words: 911 - Pages: 4
...In other words, street drugs are typically contaminated through mixture of other properties which in return causes dangerous diseases and possible death to those who ingest these substances. Caulkin (2014), mentioned that an opiate such heroin is safe because it can be utilized in medical purposes. However, there are two major issues concerning heroin. The first being that heroin coming off the streets typically ranges from 20 to 90% in regards to the purity of the drug. Which in this case can increase the likely hood of someone dying while consuming it. Secondly, septicemia and wound infections take place when drug users incorporate unhygienic injection methods. For example, according to Chitwood (2002), states that 40% of international cases dealing with aids result from user sharing needles amongst other drug users. In addition to sharing uncleanly injection equipment, the user may develop hepatitis C which is likely to lead to liver cirrhosis then...
Words: 1752 - Pages: 8
...Psychological Effects of Street Drugs Krystal Colosimo Mohawk Valley Community College Abstract This paper explores the psychological effects of street drugs, classified as legal, illegal and controlled substances. The legal drugs that I cover are caffeine, alcohol and nicotine. The illegal are marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and heroin. I will also discuss controlled substances, but mainly in reference to prescription pills. I discuss the short-term and long-term effects of all the drugs I cover as well as withdrawal symptoms. I will close with drug abuse treatment help and support and follow with my conclusion. Psychological Effects of Street Drugs A street drug is defined as any substance taken for nonmedical purposes. They can be legal or illegal and are comprised of amphetamines, barbiturates, opiates, psychoactive drugs and as well as natural sources. A drug is a chemical substance that has known biological effects on humans. For this paper I will be discussing drugs under the three categories of being legal, illegal and controlled substances. The most common legal drugs I will discuss are caffeine, alcohol and nicotine. The more common illegal drugs that I will discuss are marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and heroin. There are numerous controlled substances as well and it is defined as a drug or chemical that is regulated by the government. For controlled substances I will only be covering prescription pills. Legal Drugs ...
Words: 2693 - Pages: 11
...A Comparison of Methadone and Suboxone in Opioid Treatment Program Julien Nougarou Upper Iowa University Abstract Addiction to opioids is a common problem throughout the world. Maintenance treatments such as Methadone and Suboxone are effective in lessening the desire to consume illicit drugs, but they are not perfect options for drug treatment as each has negative effects, too. In this paper, both the positive and negative effects of the drugs Methadone and Suboxone will be determined and evaluated in order to better ascertain the better treatment. It was concluded that the effectiveness of each treatment can only be determined on a case-by-case basis, as the factors of success are often dependent on the patient receiving the treatment. There are various criticisms for both modes of treatment, but no other means of treating opioid addiction have yet to be found. There are improvements that could be made for both treatments, but regardless of improvements each mode of treatment is risky as there is no miracle cure for opioid addiction. Introduction In 1864, The New York State Inebriate Asylum, the first in the country, opened in Binghamton, NY. It was the first of a growing network of inebriate asylums that treated alcoholism and addiction to drugs such as opium, morphine, cocaine, chloral, ether, and chloroform. Today, when talking about opioid addiction and dependency treatments, two controversial but efficient treatments stand out from the lot: Methadone and Suboxone...
Words: 2769 - Pages: 12
...United States. With these numbers, there are still wide spread efforts to legalize illicit drugs around the country. This paper will research drug legalization in the United States versus other countries, the positives and negatives, and a reasoned opinion on the topic. When debating the issue of drug legalization and crime, there are questions to ask: Do drugs cause crime and do they inevitably lead to crime? If drugs are made legal, would there be less crime? If the government subsidized addicts, would they still engage in criminal conduct? What would happen if drugs were legalized (Hartnett, 2005)? States like Washington and Colorado have made Marijuana legal, all other states and countries are watching the results. They are watching what legalizing marijuana does for the economy, tax revenue, and crime reduction. There is an international impact with marijuana legalization. History behind the drug war Throughout the history of the drug war, both state and federal law enforcement agencies have cracked down on both drug abusers and drug dealers. During the late 60s, the U.S. government founded the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD). The BNDD worked a study to find a correlation between crime and heroin addiction. They found that 44 percent of those entering the jail system in Washington, D.C. have used heroin (Innabi, 2014). The next year the Controlled Substance Act was passed by Congress to give schedules to regulate drugs by medicinal...
Words: 1283 - Pages: 6
...Distance Education Methadone Treatment Programs are Effective in Stopping Heroin Use A Paper Presented to Professor Loyd Uglow, Ph.D In Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Course THE 5113 Research Literature and Technology Sharon Pete November 28, 2012 THESIS STATEMENT: To investigate Methadone maintenance is found to be more effective in treating heroin addiction than 180 day detoxification. The objective is how methadone maintenance, a widely used but controversial method of weaning heroin addicts off the drug—with counseling has psychosocially enriched 180 day methadone assisted detoxification. OUTLINE I. INTRODUCTION A. History of Heroin B. History of withdrawals II. How Methadone is used to treat Heroin? III. Research Findings IV. CONCLUSION V. Work Cited Methadone Treatment Programs are Effective in Stopping Heroin Use Substitution treatment or maintenance pharmacotherapy programs using methadone are today the most sought after and effective form of treatment for opiate addiction and dependence. Because methadone is a long-acting opiate whose dosage can be stabilized, it is well suited for daily administration and has proven effective in the elimination of narcotic craving, a driving force behind continued heroin use. And, because it can be administered orally, methadone dramatically reduces heroin injecting frequency and, with it, associated risks for HIV and other blood-borne...
Words: 3771 - Pages: 16
...Illegal Drugs Kara Easler COM/220 July 11, 2012 Barbara Plyler Illegal Drugs is something you hear in the news on a daily basis. You hear about how some should be legal and how they should not be legalized. They are either talking about Marijuana, Cocaine or the number of illegal drugs that are out there in the world. Illegal Drugs affect everybody from young kids to grown up adults. Sometimes we see it ruin families and lives of people we care for. This essay is going to go over why drugs should stay illegal and ways we can help people stay off the drugs. First of all let’s talk about some of the drugs and what they are about. The first drug that is going to be talk about is Marijuana. They are trying to legalize that in every state for medical use. There are people who don’t want to see that happen. They want people to realize the effects it has one people. Some of the effects it has on people are “within a few minutes after inhaling marijuana smoke, an individual's heart begins beating more rapidly, the bronchial passages relax and become enlarged, and blood vessels in the eyes expand, making the eyes look red. The heart rate, normally 70 to 80 beats per minute, may increase by 20 to 50 beats per minute or, in some cases, even double. This effect can be greater if other drugs are taken with marijuana.” (Why illegal drugs should stay illegal). Well that could cause a person to have heartache, which is not good. It also gives you a natural high that makes you hungry...
Words: 2145 - Pages: 9
...Nowadays nearly ten per cent of outpatients in our hospitals are cases of drug addiction involving heroin, ganja and phensidyl. These are generally youths and young men between 15-30 years of age and come from all strata of the society. But there are adolescents below 15 years of age and men and women over 30. Hospital surveys show that average age of drug addicts is 22. The addicts are students, professionals, businessmen, laborers, rickshpullers and from other professions. Students are the most affected and drugs have caused deterioration in standards of education and students have also given up going to schools and colleges. Even university’s professors are getting addicted recently. These addicts are turning to various criminal activities, in order to procure drugs. What are Drugs? World Health Organization (WHO) defines Drug; Drug is a chemical substance of synthetic, semi synthetic or natural origin intended for diagnostic, therapeutic or palliative use or for modifying physiological functions of man and animal. Drug impacts directly influence the economic and social aspects of a country and physically to a human body. Drugs are separated into two categories – Soft drugs: 1. Alcohol; 2. Cigarettes; 3. Marijuana; 4. Glue, Hash etc. Hard drugs: 1. Ecstasy; 2. Speed; 3. Amphetamine; 4. Cocaine; There are many types of drugs available in Bangladesh: 1. Opium; 2. Heroin; 3. Phensidyl; 4. Tidijesic; 5. Pethidine; 6. Cannabis: 7. Ganja; 8....
Words: 1536 - Pages: 7
...serious effects of prescription drugs, it is important that this topic is explained to and understood by the American public. The purpose of this research was to gain such understanding and organize it in a way that is informational and comprehensible...
Words: 890 - Pages: 4
...Drug Addiction Crime or Disease? Interim and Final Reports of the Joint Committee of the American Bar Association and the American Medical Association on Narcotic Drugs. INTERIM REPORT For the last half-century public authorities in the United States have been wrestling with the problem of controlling addiction to narcotic drugs. Since the twenties, legislation and enforcement policies have aimed at total repression, with criminal sanctions of notable severity attaching to every transaction connected with the non-medical use of drugs. Drug-law enforcement has become a major police activity of federal, state and local governments; the threat of long imprisonment, even of death penalties, hangs over not only the smuggler and the peddler, but the addict-victim of the illicit traffic. Addiction to narcotic substances has been recognized as a health problem for a long time and in many different countries. It has also in our times and in our national community, emerged as a criminal law problem of distressing magnitude and persistency. The fields of medicine and law are thus equally affected, and the Joint Committee which offers this report has undertaken its assignment with enthusiasm at the prospect of uniting its parent organizations in a common effort centered in an area where the concerns of each overlap and largely coincide. If the Joint Committee can contribute something towards mutual enlightenment and ultimate agreement between the medical and legal professions regarding...
Words: 5083 - Pages: 21
...that works. Take the case of Charlotte Figi, who I met in Colorado. She started having seizures soon after birth. By age three she was having 300 a week, despite being on seven different medications. Medical marijuana has calmed her brain, limiting her seizures to 2 to 3 times per month.” (Gupta) As you can see, marijuana clearly makes a big difference in some peoples lives. Specifically, those who are epileptics. Imagine if medical marijuana was not available to this patient. She would still suffer multiple seizures a day with no end in sight. Countless other cases similar to Charlottes have been observed over the years on the quest for legalization. Legalizing marijuana so we can reap the medical benefits makes sense. The research is there to back up claims of medicinal value and facts show states are agreeing. “Eighteen states have already made medical marijuana legal and 10 others are currently considering legislation to legalize medical marijuana, according to the National Cannabis Industry Association.” (Fairchild) If states are already connecting the dots on the benefits of medical marijuana, then you would think they could see the benefits in legalizing recreational marijuana as...
Words: 3380 - Pages: 14
...Baltimore: A Community in Crisis Since the 19th century, the illicit drug, heroin, has been a part of American society. When heroin was first discovered it was thought to be a wonder drug because of the euphoric feeling a person is said to feel after using it. However, once the debilitating effects of this highly addictive drug was realized the anti-drug law, the Harrison Narcotics Act, was enacted that restricted its use to medicinal purposes only. In 1920, heroin was banned altogether through the Dangerous Drug Act (Habal, 2011). Heroin for the most part was thought to have gone underground until the Vietnam War. In 1971, two congressmen returned from visiting U. S. servicemen serving in Vietnam with an alarming revelation that “15 percent of U.S. servicemen in Vietnam… were actively addicted to heroin” (Spiegel, 2012, para. 3). The idea that American servicemen were addicted to such a horrible drug disgusted much of the American public. “It was thought to be the most addictive substance ever produced, a narcotic so powerful that once addiction claimed you, it was nearly impossible to escape” (Spiegel, 2012, para. 4). President Richard Nixon took swift action by creating, The Special Action Office of Drug Abuse Prevention which concentrated primarily on prevention and rehabilitation. In the late 70s and early 80s the use of heroin reached its peak when it seemed to take a backseat to the reappearance of cocaine and the subsequent crack epidemic that overwhelmed much...
Words: 3488 - Pages: 14
...------------------------------------------------- How to Fix the Skids By: Stanley Lam This paper will be regarding the topic on “How to Fix the Skids” for Applied Law Enforcement class instructed by Al “R.C.” Arsenault. “Skid row” or “the skids” is located on the 100-block of East Hastings Street in Vancouver, British Columbia; right between Chinatown and Gastown. The Downtown Eastside is also where the safe drug injection site called Insite is located. Through this paper, a few solutions will be discussed on what actions should be taken in order to “fix the skids”. A few issues that will be discussed include: the cost of drugs, harm reduction, drug rehabilitation programs, drug importation, revisal of criminal justice system, and criticisms. According to Wikipedia, Vancouver was for many years the main port-of-entry for the North American opium supply resulting in the rise in popularity for the usage of opium and heroin. During the Great Depression, a pattern of social decay became well established in the Downtown Eastside due to the gathering of the unemployed and poor amongst the area. During the 1970’s, the alcohol and poverty problems in the area was made worse by the expansion of the drug trade which included the importation of crack cocaine. Currently, Downtown Eastside is infamous for its open drug trade and drug-related deaths. Wikipedia explains that Vancouver's Skid Row has the highest per capita heroin-related deaths and the highest rate of HIV and Hepatitis C infections in...
Words: 1556 - Pages: 7
