Drugs The Use Of Heroin - 1614 Words

The Use of Heroin My name is Destiny Marcum and I have never been addicted to drugs, but I have seen it first hand through my parents. My parents were heroin addicts for seven years and it made life extremely difficult for them as well as my siblings and me. I am currently in the process of receiving a degree in human services and have a certification in Addiction Studies. I think my parent’s addictions growing up greatly led to my desire to learn about addiction and helping others in this career field. Heroin is an extremely addicting and dangerous man-made recreational drug that has euphoric and even deadly effects for the user. (Anderson, 2014) Heroin is typically injected into the user’s vein but can also be smoked, snorted, orally†¦show more content†¦Although it is made from morphine, it is 2-3 times more potent. As early as 3400 BC, the opium poppy flowers were grown and harvested in Mesopotamia. Now it is grown and harvested in many countries to produce heroin and illegal drugs. Heroin is generally illegal to make, possess, or sell without a license. The term Heroin came into play in 1895, it came from the German word heroisch meaning heroic from the German Bayer medicine corporation. It received this name because of its believed heroic actions by the user. Starting in 1898 and continuing till 1910 Bayer promoted Heroin as being a non-addictive substitute for morphine as well as a cough suppressant. In some countries, Heroin also served medical purposes and was used as a powerful form of pain relief for severe physical trauma, post-surgical pain, and chronic pain caused by end-stage cancers and other terminal illnesses. Heroin is classified as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 and has no medical use in the United States due to the dangers and risks associated. (Anderson, 2014) Current Uses of Heroin Nearly 80 percent of Americans using heroin reported misusing prescription opioids prior to using the drug. While prescription opioid misuse is a risk factor for starting heroin, only a small fraction of people who misuse pain relievers switch to heroin. Prescription opioid misuse is just one factor leading to current users and heroinShow MoreRelatedHeroin Use And Misuse Of Drugs796 Words   |  4 PagesHeroin use and misuse are certainly nothing new to America, although most people probably could not cite its true origin or history, knowing only what is portrayed on television and movies. Heroin invokes images of dirty needles and equally dirty individuals, barely conscious, and lying in their own filth amongst hollowed, abandoned and dilapidated buildings. These are the images portrayed in movies and promoted among mass media, these are the images conjured when one speaks of heroin addictionRead MoreHeroin Drug Use And Its Effects On The United States951 W ords   |  4 PagesHeroin is an addictive, illegal opioid painkiller derived from morphine. This analgesic drug produces stress-relieving effects along with a sense of euphoria. Addiction to heroin generally begins as an addiction to another substance: marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, or prescription painkillers. Overdose on heroin can cause many complications including coma and death. This risk is commonly increased by combining heroin with alcohol or by cutting it in with other drugs. Injection of heroin also puts oneRead MoreSubstance Misuse Practices : Binge Drinking, Prescription Drug Abuse And Heroin Use Among Young Adults1994 Words   |  8 PagesThe following section discusses key strategies to address the substance misuse practices such as: binge drinking, prescription drug abuse and heroin use among NH young adults. The main sub-themes identified by young adults include: academia education, community resources, outreach education, family and friends, peer involvement, key m essages and alternative strategies. Glad these (focus) groups exist, educating, helping. It s wicked important to feel like my opinion mattersRead MoreHeroin1726 Words   |  7 PagesHeroin Samantha Garza COM/172 02/29/2012 William Pinney Heroin â€Å"She was in a coma. She suffered brain damage and was paralyzed from the neck down; her one-time heroin use left her needing around-the-clock care.† (Bubala 2011, pgs. 1-2). This is an example of what Heroin can do to a young adult who tried the drug for the first time. Although Heroin may be a satisfying new experimental drug to young adults, Heroin is an addictive drug that destroys the human body, and canRead MoreDrug Abuse Has Become A Real Problem1235 Words   |  5 PagesHeroin In the world today, drug abuse has become a real problem. In the 1800s there was a drug called opium that was commonly used. Opium came from the poppy seed plant and became very popular here in America, starting in the west. There used to be opium dens where cowhands would stop and stay and smoke opium. From opium, along came the drug morphine. Morphine was derived from the drug opium and was also introduced in America in the 1800s. Morphine became a very popular pain killer in America duringRead MoreThe Center Of Disease Control And Prevention States, â€Å"From1619 Words   |  7 Pagesstates, â€Å"from 2014 to 2015, heroin overdose death rates increased by 20.6%, with nearly 13,000 people dying in 2015.† Overdosing on opioids has drastically increased over the past few years and has caused many deaths. Throughout the United States, many different cases are reported of individuals who have abused these dangerous opioid drugs. Heroin is known as one of the most common opi oid drugs which leads people to addiction and can consequently lead to overdosing. Using heroin on a daily base or takingRead MoreThe Transformation of Heroin from a Wonder Drug to an Abused Narcotic1082 Words   |  5 PagesThe Transformation of Heroin from a Wonder Drug to an Abused Narcotic In 1898, the Bayer Company in Germany developed an opium derivative ten times more potent than morphine. This new drug was seen as a wonder drug and to suggest the heroic curative power of this new drug, its creators named it heroin. Heroin has transformed over the years from a prominent pharmaceutical drug to a very addictive and misused drug (Freeman 48). Heroin initially was available over the counter and was widelyRead MoreHeroin1347 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Heroin is known as morphine diacetate or diamorphine when it is used in medical environment, it is also referred to as â€Å"black tar† among other names in colloquial language. Alder Wright was the first person to synthesize heroin in 1874 when he added two groups of acetyl to morphine molecules (Rubin, 2013). Heroine is an active drug which can also be used in medicine to treat severe pain that results from heart attack or injuries; it is absorbed in the body as morphine. According to Levert (2005)Read MoreHeroin Addiction And Our Adolescent Patients1661 Words   |  7 Pages Today, we know that Heroin is illegal to use in life, as cocaine and Marijuana; because it is also addicted substance and very effect to physical and brain. Heroin processes from morphine, a natural substance extracts from the seed pod of poppy Plants. It usually sells as a white powder or br own powder and pure heroin is a white powder with a bitter taste, heroin emits in South America, then it appears in U.S and involve at Southeast Asia. There are three ways to use heroin that User can be snortedRead MoreEssay on Heroin1631 Words   |  7 PagesHeroin Heroin, a powerful narcotic, acts upon the brain as a painkiller, increasing physical addiction and ongoing emotional dependence (Schaffer Library of#8230;). Heroin has many challenging and highly risky effects on the user, all the more hazardous if overdosing is present. This extremely dangerous drug, heroin, will never cease being used, but may cease the existence of an individual. Heroin is a painkilling drug that is made from the Papaverum Somniferum, also known as the opium