Opiates: Drug Addiction and Heroin
Opiates:
Heroin, Pain Pills, and Methadone Opiate use in the United States and all over the world is destructive to society and the user. From heroin to a prescription from your family doctor, opiate use is everywhere. In this paper I will discuss the history of heroin, withdrawal, the prescription pain pill epidemic, short and long term effects, and other general information on opiates and their use.
History of Heroin Heroin was first created by C.R. Alder Wright in 1874. His purpose was to find a non-addictive form of opium that still had the same properties for pain relief. While boiling morphine and certain chemicals together, he came up with a more powerful and potent form of morphine and it was even more addictive. It was not to be used again until the 1890’s. In 1897, Felix Hoffman and the company he worked for, “Bayer,” were looking for a new pain reliever. Felix Hoffman started working with acetylsalicylic acid and diacetylmorphine in hopes of developing a new medicine. They found that acetylsalicylic acid was good for minor aches and pains, and that diacetylmorphine was helping various breathing problems such as tuberculosis, asthma, and bronchitis (Opium, page 2). In 1898, “Bayer” started selling diacetylmorphine as heroin. It would not take long before the government would step in. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made all narcotics illegal. This made heroin addicts either buy it on the street or get a written prescription by a doctor. In 1918 the laws were made even stricter and in 1924, there was a ban on all forms of opium (Opium, page 3).
Methods of Heroin Use The most common use of heroin is injection. It is injected into the vein using a hypodermic needle. This is the fastest way for heroin to reach the brain and the onset of euphoria takes seven to eight seconds. Intravenous injection gives the greatest intensity. Intramuscular injections give the slowest onset of approximately five to eight minutes. Other forms of use are
Heroin, Pain Pills, and Methadone Opiate use in the United States and all over the world is destructive to society and the user. From heroin to a prescription from your family doctor, opiate use is everywhere. In this paper I will discuss the history of heroin, withdrawal, the prescription pain pill epidemic, short and long term effects, and other general information on opiates and their use.
History of Heroin Heroin was first created by C.R. Alder Wright in 1874. His purpose was to find a non-addictive form of opium that still had the same properties for pain relief. While boiling morphine and certain chemicals together, he came up with a more powerful and potent form of morphine and it was even more addictive. It was not to be used again until the 1890’s. In 1897, Felix Hoffman and the company he worked for, “Bayer,” were looking for a new pain reliever. Felix Hoffman started working with acetylsalicylic acid and diacetylmorphine in hopes of developing a new medicine. They found that acetylsalicylic acid was good for minor aches and pains, and that diacetylmorphine was helping various breathing problems such as tuberculosis, asthma, and bronchitis (Opium, page 2). In 1898, “Bayer” started selling diacetylmorphine as heroin. It would not take long before the government would step in. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson made all narcotics illegal. This made heroin addicts either buy it on the street or get a written prescription by a doctor. In 1918 the laws were made even stricter and in 1924, there was a ban on all forms of opium (Opium, page 3).
Methods of Heroin Use The most common use of heroin is injection. It is injected into the vein using a hypodermic needle. This is the fastest way for heroin to reach the brain and the onset of euphoria takes seven to eight seconds. Intravenous injection gives the greatest intensity. Intramuscular injections give the slowest onset of approximately five to eight minutes. Other forms of use are
Cited: 1. Anonymous. Heroin Withdrawal Symptoms. 2007. 12 Apr. 2008. <http://www.softlandingrecovery.com/articles/heroin_withdrawal.html> 2 3. Anonymous. The Effects of Heroin – abuse & addiction. 2005. 12 Apr. 2008 <http://www.guide4living/drugabuse/heroin-effects.htm> 4 7. Leduc, Marc. Addiction to Methadone and Other Opiates. 2003. 25 May. 2008. <http://www.healingdaily.com/exercise/methadone.htm> 8 11. National Institute on Drug Abuse. “What is Heroin?” Heroin Abuse and Addiction. 2005 9 Apr. 2008. <http://www.nida.nih.gov/ResearchReports/heroin/heroin2.html> 12 13. Richter, R.W. “Cerebral Complication of Heroin ‘Overdose’” Neurological Complications of Addiction to Heroin. 1973. 25 May. 2008. <http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/pagerender.fcgi?artid=1806907&pageindex=4#page>