Opium, the first opioid, is derived from the sap of opium poppies, whose growth and cultivation dates back to the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia around 3400 BC. Egyptians and Persians initially used opium. Eventually spreading to various parts of Europe, India, China, and the Middle East. During the 18th century, physicians in the U.S. used opium as a therapeutic agent for multiple purposes, including relieving pain in cancer, spasms from tetanus, and pain attendant to menstruation and childbirth. It was merely towards the end of the 18th century that some physicians came to recognize the addictive quality of opium.
In 1805, morphine and codeine were isolated from opium, and morphine served as a cure for opium addiction since its addictive characteristics were not known. Morphine’s use as a treatment for opium addiction was initially well received as morphine has about ten times more euphoric effects than the equivalent amount of opium. Over the years, however, morphine abuse increased.
Heroin was synthesized from morphine in 1874 by an English chemist, but was not made commercially until 1898 by the Bayer Pharmaceutical Company. Attempts were proposed to use heroin in place of morphine due to problems of morphine abuse. However, it turned out that heroin was also highly addictive, and was eventually classified as an illegal drug in the United States. Today, heroin in the United States comes mostly from Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, Latin America, Mexico, and the Middle East. It is generally sold in a white or brownish powder form or as a black sticky substance known as “black tar” heroin. Heroin found on the streets is usually mixed with other drugs or substances such as sugar, starch, powdered milk, talc, baking...
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...ss the body. This brief but intense rush is then followed by a deep, drowsy state of relaxation and contentment that is marked by a clouding of consciousness and by poor concentration and attention. This state lasts two to four hours and then gradually wears off. Some individuals do react negatively to heroin, experiencing only anxiety, nausea, and depression. Additionally some addicts may experience the burning out or detrition of muscles from injection sites intramuscularly (mainlining).
Heroin is consumed usually 3 main ways: cut then snorted, smoked, or injected. When being cut, the heroin is placed in a straight line then snorted up and through the nasal cavity. Smoked, heroin is placed in pipe (like a marijuana pipe), then heated, and inhaled. Lastly heroin can be heated to a liquid form mixed with water and injected into veins and muscles under the skin.
Almost one hundred years ago, prescription drugs like morphine were available at almost any general store. Women carried bottles of very addictive potent opiate based pain killers in their purse. Many individuals like Edgar Allen Poe died from such addictions. Since that time through various federal, state and local laws, drugs like morphine are now prescription drugs; however, this has not stopped the addiction to opiate based pain killers. Today’s society combats an ever increasing number of very deadly addictive drugs from designer drugs to narcotics to the less potent but equally destructive alcohol and marijuana. With all of these new and old drugs going in and out of vogue with addicts, it appears that the increase of misuse and abuse is founded greater in the prescription opiate based painkillers.
Where did this drug come from and what makes it different from any other drug that is on the market? Heroin's origins go back long before Christ was a bleep on the radar. It goes back to 1200 B.C. Or the Bronze Age. At that time how ever heroin would be known as its chemically altered state of the poppy seeds. Even at that time however the ancient peoples of that time knew that if the poppy seeds juice were collected and dried. the extract that was left behind could make a effective painkiller. This would later be named opium. There were small incidents of it appearing in Europe, for instance it was used by the gladiators in the Roman Colosseum. But as a whole it would take more then a millennium for opium to travel from the Middle East to the Europe. This only occurred do to crusades. In just a few hundred after that is went from a rarely used painkiller to a liquid that was said to cure all aliments and would even lead to the most humiliating defeat China Empire. In the 1803 opium became dwarfed by its new brother morphine which is named in honor of the Greek god Morpheus who is the god of dreams. Morphine is an extract of opium and is ruffly 10 times the strength of its counter part. After Morphine creation it was put to used almost at once to assist battle field victims. This was a mistake however, because this refined does of opium is also 10 times more addicting then it was in its original form. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers would retur...
It is eight a.m. and she has been up for hours at this point. The diarrhea is uncontrollable and her stomach is killing her. She needs to vomit again. Her bed is covered in sweat. Her body feels hot, but she is freezing cold. Her hands are shaking. Her legs are restless and her entire body aches as if she had been run over by a semi. She feels weak, both physically and mentally. Tears stream down her face because she hates herself. Addiction is the reason her mother has custody of her daughter, Abby. Most of her family and friends disown her. This drug has taken over her life. At this point, she is debating if everyone, including herself, would benefit from her suicide. Jenny was dope sick, suffering
Drug use and abuse is as old as mankind itself. Human beings have always had a desire to eat or drink substances that make them feel relaxed, stimulated, or euphoric. Wine was used at least from the time of the early Egyptians; narcotics from 4000 B.C.; and medicinal use of marijuana has been dated to 2737 B.C. in China. But it was not until the nineteenth century that the active substances in drugs were extracted. There was a time in history when some of these newly discovered substances, such as morphine, laudanum, cocaine, were completely unregulated and prescribed freely by physicians for a wide variety of ailments.
Heroin was originally synthesized in 1874 by a man named C.R Alder Wright. Created as a solution to opium, a drug that had plagued many American households. It was originally produced for medical purposes evidently becoming highly addictive. Heroin “... was originally marketed as a non-addictive substance” (“History of Addiction”) which inevitably increased its popularity. It became especially popular in places of poverty. Heroin became a solution to struggle. So common it was almost as if heroin was a prescribed medicine for hardship. Known as “[a] treatment of many illnesses and pain” (“A brief history of addiction”) but later revealed that it caused more harm than good. Being so easily accessible it became immensely common among musicians.
Behavioral signs and symptoms of heroin abuse include lying or other deceptive behavior, avoiding eye contact, loss of motivation and lack of interest, decreasing attention to hygiene and physical appearance, and more. Once a user has become fully addicted to heroin, they will do anything to get their hands on the drug. They don’t care who they get the money from, if they have to beg for it or steal it. Some addicts even lose their family, friends, car, house, and more because of their ...
“Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy”. (Wiki) . Opium is said to have been in existence since ancient times, and is still produced using ancient methods. .Before opium became a popular substance to abuse it was mostly used for medicinal purposes or uses. Countries such as “Sumerian, Egypt, and India” ( opiates.net). contributed to the national widespread of opium. They found it to be the most valuable form of pain relief. The wide spread availability of opium helped surgeons all over perform longer surgery ,which lead to more efficient and safer medical operations. Alcohol and ethyl were also common pain relievers in ancient times, but many physicians preferred opium because it was less threatening to the human’s sensory organs and didn’t impair their intellectual/motor judgment as much. This was only when opium was used at correct lower dosages. Physicians believed opium’s healing medical capabilities consisted of “resists to poison and venomous bites, cures chronic headache, v...
This has been going on for generations. In the mid to late 1800’s, opium was a popular drug. Opium dens were all over the wild west back in the 1800’s. The opium came from Chinese immigrants who came here to work on the railroads. They used the drug to help them work and forget about the pain caused by the hard work they were doing. Opium were more used than saloons. Opium was seen as a cure for alcoholics by the late 1800’s. It was from opium that morphine, was developed as a pain killer around 1810. The people of the time called heroin a wonder drug because it stopped severe pain that came with medical operations or traumatic injuries. Morphine left the user high in a completely numb dream state. During the Civil War, the numbers of people
It is said that they had many different uses for it. Uses ranged from relaxing to calming a young child (History of Drug Abuse). It is also believed that Opium was not only used for medical purposes, but also for rituals. When used in rituals, it was used by magicians, priests, warriors and shamans (About Opiate Addiction). It was not until much later that people began using opiates recreationally. This occurred around the fourteenth century in the Middle East, fifteenth century in China and late in the 1800’s for the United States. Once the Chinese began immigrating to the United States, they brought Opium with them and introduced the Americans to abusing and depending on it (About Opiate Addiction). Another take on where opium came from originally is from London. It is also believed that opium was big in London, and introduced to America when it would be shipped overseas to settlers here in the United States (The history of drug). It seems safe to say that no one truly knows exactly where the use of opiates originated or when it did. History in this matter is just not clearly stated
While most drugs are a combination of substances derived and created in varying circumstances, morphine is unique in the fact that it is one of twenty parts of the drug called opium that is derived from the opium poppy plant (Arbog, 2005, p. 1 ). Instead of being created through the mixing of substances, a usable form of morphine can simply be filtered out of the opium plant. Therefore to understand the history of morphine it is important to understand how the opium plant came into the spectrum of medical use in the first place.
Heroin can be smoked, snorted, or injected. Some abusers even mix it with food or make heroin brownies. Just like how people make marijuana brownies. They use that same method for heroin.
Drug use and abuse is as old as mankind itself. Human beings have always had a desire to eat or drink substances that make them feel relaxed, stimulated, or euphoric. Humans have used drugs of one sort or another for thousands of years. Wine was used at least from the time of the early Egyptians; narcotics from 4000 B.C.; and medicinal use of marijuana has been dated to 2737 BC in China.
Opium has negative and positive affects on the brain and this dynamic of affects can also be seen with its behavioral and health effects depending on length and frequency of the usage. At the start of opium usage users experience positive effects including a sense of euphoria, relaxation and a decrease pain which stems from its analgesic properties. Then shortly thereafter individuals begin to feel lethargic. Unfortunately, extended usage of opium comes with negative behavioral changes. These range from changes in libido, which is often inhibited as well as increases in anxiety or in mood disturbances. Opium usage has also been shown to increase the risky behaviors of users. These risky behaviors will usually stop upon cessation of opium usage
The Journal of Neuroscience Dobler-Mikola, A. Gschwed, P. Gutzwiller, F. Steffen, T. Rehm, J. Uch engagen, A. Feasibility, Safety, and Efficacy of Injectable Heroin Prescription for Refractory Opioid Addicts: a follow-up study. The Lancet, volume 358, pg. 1417-1420. Everitt, B. Robbins, T. (1999) Drug addiction: bad habits add up. Macmillian Magazines, volume 389, pg.
4. Cocaine is either snorted or dissolved in water and injected directly into the blood stream and Crack is smoked.