The Relapse Of Heroin

Heroin, a powerful narcotic, acts upon the brain as a painkiller, increasing physical addiction and ongoing emotional dependence (Schaffer Library of…). 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.

A huge epidemic that is obtaining a lot of attention from Congress and medical professionals across the county is the spiking heroin overdoses that are rising at alarming rates. (Krisberg, 2014). My question to everyone that is researching this topic is this:

Opioids are killing Americans throughout the world and also decreasing their lifespans overall. According to a medical report from JAMA Opioids take about 3 months off of our lives. In 2015 life expectancy in the US decreased since the year 1993. Deaths from drug overdose continue to get higher and according to The Center for Disease control there were 64,000 deaths from a drug overdose in 2016. The amount of deaths related to Opioid’s has multiplied by four since 1999. One of the main causes for opioid overdose deaths has been from heroin and fentanyl. According to the CDC Fentanyl is the number one cause of opioid overdose. (CNN)

This literature review will focus mainly on the drug use of heroin, the scary numbers behind the drug and the sudden rise of overdosing on the drug across the United States. Issues that will be discussed are what is Heroin, what’s in Heroin that makes it addicting, how it can increase the users risk of contracting other life threatening diseases and where it’s use and abuse are most popular across the United states and we will take a look at multiple studies that show examples of our new drug problem in the United States. While we looked at how homicide rates have dropped while in class, the flip side to that is that the amount of drug usage has risen.

Heroin is a drug most children grow up learning about as being one of the worst things you can do. Being young, a child could never imagine doing something to them that is harmful. Yet here we are, at home, right in Northeast Ohio with the biggest heroin epidemic in history. Heroin is essentially a pain blocker. It turns into morphine when it enters the brain. Is this why it is so popular, or is it because this drug is becoming cheaper and cheaper? The answer is both. Heroin offers users a cheap, quick fix to temporarily numb themselves. With its growing popularity, this drug needs to be stopped. The Heroin and Opioid Epidemic Northeast Ohio Community Action Plan is currently a working draft that will

Nonmedical Prescription-Opioid abuse in the United States and Michigan has continued to rise, and with it, the devastating results that accompany it. Research has shown that increased opioid abuse leads to an increase in overdose and death, increases in crime and increased incidences of costly blood borne diseases like HIV, AIDS and Hepatitis. It also leads to increased societal costs, such as an increasing number of children in foster care and increased healthcare, workplace and criminal justice costs that can decimate communities and local budgets. Many communities were caught with their heads in the sand, as they were overwhelmed by the influx of prescription opioids into their communities. When policies were finally implemented to curb the amount of prescription opioids in their communities, rates of heroin use (also an opioid) began to skyrocket and people began realizing they had an opioid epidemic on their hands. How to combat this heroin epidemic has been the topic of many debates. This article will attempt to examine the relationship of nonmedical prescription-opioid abuse and its effects on heroin use.

In the US, according to CQ Researcher, the number of those that used heroin had more than doubled between the years of 2002 and 2004 and doubled again between 2011 and 2013. It is a growing issue especially due to

A heroin overdose is generally a familiar, yet taboo, subject in today’s culture. It is familiar because one can witness the drug’s devastating effects like crime, imprisonment, and death within their community. It is taboo because it is culturally unacceptable and embarrassing to use an illegal product. Heroin overdoses have become a huge epidemic in Northwest Ohio, due in large part, to a misinformed culture, an influx of pain management programs, mixed drug toxicity, and a user’s desire to abuse laced heroin. With doctors, scientists, and researchers desperately searching for an answer to why heroin addiction is so prevalent, our community can find relief by being properly informed on

According to the NSDUH data, women are prescribed abuse-prone opioid medications more often than men, but men are found to abuse opioid drugs non-medically at higher rates than women (Back et al. 2010). Alternatively, middle aged, 25 to 34 years old, have the highest rates of opioid overdoses. In addition, researchers have found that whites, American Indians or Alaska Natives, and people living in rural counties are also more likely to abuse prescription pain relievers (CDC, 2011). These racial trends demonstrate the disparity between races when it comes to health care, more specifically is it shown that race has a major impact on physician and patient care (CDC, 2011). In regards to socioeconomic status (SES), it is shown through research that people in higher SES areas are prescribed more opioid medications more often than those in the low SES communities (Galea & Vlahov, 2002). As well as, those with lower education are three times more likely to receive medical prescriptions for opioids than those in higher educational levels (Platts-Mills et al., 2012). Therefore, the opioid abuse epidemic has shown it’s effects in unique and harmful ways to those who are experiencing homelessness (National Alliance to End Homelessness, 2016). A study in Connecticut revealed that 25 percent of homeless individuals had identified opioid, especially heroin, abuse being the main reason for their homelessness (National Alliance to End Homelessness,

In terms of actions or behaviors, individuals have a tendency to show the following symptoms: vomiting, scratching, slurred speech, complaints of constipation, complaints of nausea, neglect of grooming, failure to eat, and covering arms with long sleeves. Some warning signs that an individual may be using are: excessive or sudden sleeping, sudden changes in behavior such as poor school or work performance, being expelled or fired, lying, avoiding eye contact, withdrawal from friends/family, wearing long pants or long sleeves, and suddenly wearing eyeglasses frequently or inappropriately. Those looking for solutions to children struggling with addiction have many options. There are plenty of treatment places available. Different types of treatment options include outpatient, group therapy, individual therapy, and residential. For example, facilities available in Delaware are Aquila, Crossroads, Gateway Foundation Inc., PACE, Inc., and Bowling Green Brandywine Treatment Center. Ignoring substance abusers does not ease the situation, it only makes it harder on the addict. Support can be a big factor in the success/treatment of a substance abuser. Many addicts who experience emotional and physical trauma when they are young gravitate towards opiates. Heroin helps the pain of not being able to express unresolved grief. The ritual is addicting as well. Coming home to the bedroom, locking the door, putting on music, getting the drug paraphenalia out. Withdrawal symptoms are the unpleasant physical reaction that accompanies the process of ceasing to take an addictive drug. Some symptoms could include: fatigue, sweating, shaking, nausea, vomiting, and irritability. I experienced these symptoms myself. I am a recovering addict. I have broken my physical dependence but I still struggle with addiction to this day. I have

Bruce Brandler is a man who lost his son to heroin. Brandler says in an article by the Los Angeles Times, “I want to evaporate the myth that heroin addicts are just homeless derelicts, this epidemic hit’s everyone… I think my situation exemplifies that.”. I think what Brandler meant by this is many people have a certain image in their minds when they think about heroin addicts. This image is often wrong simply because heroin addicts are now the people right in front of us. When society expects all addicts to fit one description it often overlooks those that need

Heroin users and overdose deaths are on the rise. Especially among young middle-class white citizens (Seelye, 2015). Why is the amount of heroin users rising and how is the government handling this epidemic? There is a strong correlation between the increase of prescription painkillers and the amount of heroin users. “People who are dependent on prescription opioids are 40 times more likely to abuse or be dependent on heroin” (Seelye, 2015). One of the main reason there has been a recent increase of heroin users in the last decade is because there has also been an increase of prescription opioids such as OxyContin. And the government has never tested a way to stop the increase of drug users other than harsh

Heroin and its subsequent misuse has been a contentious issue plaguing society for decades. With the advent of the internet, it is becoming more difficult to curtail many of the illegal activities individuals engage in regards to drug use. Heroin in particular is very pervasive in the United States as it is a drug that is highly addictive. In America, drugs are becoming a very serious issue as immigrants enter into the country illegally carrying the drug with them. Heroin, although mainly created in Afghanistan and China, is often brought to the United States illegally from Latin countries. By entering into the country these individuals provide drugs and other narcotics to disseminate among the masses. Even more troublesome, it seems that little is being done to help prevent the influence of drugs within American society (Eric, 2008). According to the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use, the number of current heroin users increased from 153,000 in 2007 to 213,000 in 2008. One issue that is especially interesting is substance abuse among many young individuals and how that affects HIV rates within the American population. Many individuals are not concerned with drug use among the young population. It is my contention however, that drug use among the young has a profound impact on the society in which we live in.

According to the federal government’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 4 out of 5 current heroin users report that their opioid use began with OPRs. America is re-living an epidemic of heroin usage that killed thousands during the 1960s and 1970s where heroin consuption was often associated with violent, lower class, African-American and Hispanic populations. However, today’s average heroin users are young, middle-class, white citizens who would not typically be associated with such substances. In 2013, 15.2 percent of individuals aged 12 or older reported it would be fairly easy or very easy for them to obtain heroin if they wanted some (NSDUH).

The rise of heroin use in the United States can be mostly attributed to more young adults between the ages of 18-25 using the drug. Data from NSDUH revealed heroin initiation rates by young adults during the years 2002 through 2011 was nearly two to seven times higher than the initiation rates in people were between the ages of 12-17, as well as older adults who were between the ages of 26-49 (Muhuri, Gfroerer, & Davies, 2013). Additionally, in 2013, young adults had the highest rates of