The Other Side Of Heroin Addiction - 2172 Words

The Other Side of Heroin Addiction During the 2000s, heroin use and overdoses became a national threat. In 2012, 669,000 Americans said they had used heroin in the past year (NIDA 2). Use of heroin has risen immensely since 2007 and is becoming widespread in suburban areas especially. Heroin is most commonly used among middle to upper class white males aged 18 to 25 (Hunter). Heroin related deaths are not just in America either. In 2008, four out of five drug related crimes in Europe were linked to heroin (Heroin Statistics 1). Heroin creates further problems such as abuse of prescription drugs and the spread of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B and C from sharing infected needles (NIDA 5). All of these diseases can be spread through blood or†¦show more content†¦This causes the feeling of intense satisfaction heroin delivers. When an individual uses heroin, they experience a heightened version of this feeling. At first, heroin triggers an abnormally large amount of dopamine to be released in the brain (6). However, o ver time, the drug triggers less dopamine to be released. So to maintain the same feeling as the first time, heroin users have to take more and more to achieve the same high. The body’s intense physical craving for heroin makes withdrawal an incredibly difficult and painful process to go through (4). Society has long held a simplified view of addiction: the more someone performs an action, the more they become addicted. In the 1960s, researchers conducted the â€Å"Skinner Box Experiment† to test the effects of addiction and certain drugs. The researches placed a single rat in a small cage and gave it two bottles of water, one plain water and the other laced with heroin (Alexander 3). They wanted to see what effect heroin had on the rat and whether the rat would become addicted. In each experiment the rat became addicted to the heroin water, overdosed, and died (3). The researchers concluded that addiction comes from repeated use of an addictive substance. In 2010, Dr. Bruce Alexander, a Canadian scientist, made an intriguing observation about the famous experiment. He noticed thatShow MoreRelatedFighting The War On Heroin1378 Words   |  6 Pagesthe War on Heroin Drug addiction is one of the many problems that is prevalent world-wide. An even bigger uphill battle that comes with drug addiction is the ethics behind rehabilitation and treatment. Heroin is one of the most controversial illicit drugs in regards to its use and its treatment. Treatments such as methadone maintenance, LAAM(Levomethadyl acetate) and naltrexone have definitely raised questions in terms of their effectiveness in combatting heroin/opiate addiction. This essayRead Morenegative impact of drugs1264 Words   |  6 Pageseffects and impact of drugs on a user and their family Drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, and prescription pain relievers encompass negative effects on users and his or her family members physically and mentally, however there are various treatment options for the drug or drugs abused. In 2003, 7.1% of Americans aged 12 or older were classified as current substance abusers. Statistically significant increases in the use of heroin, marijuana, cocaine, and pain relievers were reported from 2000 to 2001Read 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. 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The heroin addict pre-1990s used heroin and experienced withdrawalRead MoreThe Substance Abuse Of Heroin By Scott Calvert990 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"fictional drugs,† along with amplifying the side effects of prescription drugs, it is crucial to critique what is actually true or not. Whether or not the drug’s effects are medically correct has been glanced over by many. Directed by Scott Calvert in 1995, the movie The Basketball Diaries focuses on the substance abuse of heroin by the main character, Jim. Jim, a high school all-star basketball player becomes addicted to heroin. He tries to hide his addiction, but it becomes quite prevalent when it