Abstract
The term "opiate" combines substance extracted from opium, the most important of which is morphine, codeine, papaverine, which is widely used as medicines and paramorphine - used mainly in medical industry to produce medications, as well as synthesized derivatives of morphine, which belong to the semi-synthetic opiates and among which the most famous for their narcotic properties is heroin. Substances, differ in structure from the structure of morphine but operating on a similar mechanism (through opioid receptors), are belonged to the opioids (Kuehn, 2007).
A rich lexicon of slang in relation to opiates (especially heroin) reflects not only the "fashion" for them among adolescents and young people, but also the propensity of opiomania to isolation from society and that the drug becomes the main interest of their lives.
At the same drugs are bought, kidnapped or passed through friends or relatives, whom they have been prescribed by doctors; or purchased, from drug dealers or strangers. Violations are most common among people without secondary education, the unemployed and people with depression and without health insurance.
With this tendency in the future, we can get a generation of junkies, if the health care system in conjunction with the government does not take strong measures to control prescription drugs.
If a person uses opiates continuously, their effects are somewhat different. Opioids cause tolerance, therefore, if you do not increase the dose, their effect is reduced, which often happens.
All opiates, especially heroin, is called "body", "hard", "heavy" drug that reflect their ability to cause physical dependence, unlike marijuana - "drug head", which, in the view of addicts that are able to determine only mental addiction.
This division of drugs into "body" and "head" more accurately reflects their actions than their official classification of the Federal Agency of the USA on struggle with addictions. In this taxonomy allocated to the class A - hard drugs (e.g. heroin), class B - less addictive drugs (e.g., codeine) and a class X - drugs, where drug comes in low dose in combination with other non-narcotic means (Kuehn, 2007).
When administered intravenously, the drug short initial autonomic response sounds like "come on" or "go up", "jolt ", the "rush". The expression "pins and needles" is used to determine feelings of tingling in the body at this point. Then comes the "high", followed by "kef" - literally "doing nothing", "lazy contentment" and finally, "retreat" (come down) - exit from the state of opium intoxication. Special condition reminiscent of this intoxication, which occurs when a teenager appears in the familiar company of drug addicts before taking the drug (obviously, because of conditioned reflex mechanisms), called "contact high".
A number of words mean the techniques and devices for administration of the drug. The entire set required for intravenous infusion, i.e. the syringe, needle, metal spoon, cloth, sometimes a bottle of Cologne (they not always wipe the skin prior to injection) called "fit", "factory", "artillery", etc., the syringe itself-"machine", the needle-"nail" or the "pike", disposable syringe with needle-" horse and buggy ". Metal spoon-"cooker" serves to make it powder drug, filled with water, heated on the fire, such as lighters, to dissolve. At the junction of the needle with the syringe enclose a piece of paper, often filter or a piece of absorbent cloth-"collar" to avoid missing a single drop of drug solution. These papers and scraps save the day, when not to get drug, boil.
After infusion the veins are creamed to the place of regular injections to not to arise corns. To avoid needle marks, it is done even in the sublingual region (to tongue). Likely to prolong the euphoria or to relieve discomfort during "the arrival", a drug injected into a vein pushing, retracting back into the syringe the blood, then blood again introducing the mixture into a vein.
Drug addicts wear sunglasses constantly, even in the evening in the room, not so much because of the photophobia, how to hide narrow as the point, the pupils.
Up to 50-ies of opium addiction found in adults. Then in the US after the spread among young people and adolescents in the abuse of amphetamine there were cases of opium addiction. In 60-ies began a youth-teenage epidemic of heroinomania (Daley, 1989). From the United States and spread to Canada, England, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Austria. Teenage addiction to heroin, as well as the abuse of marijuana, coincided with the emergence of the movement "hippie" and passive forms of protest of youth against the way of life and spiritual values of the older generation (Chapman, 2001).
In the US heroin as a medicine was completely disused, but was the subject of "black market". There was the mafia thrive on the drug trade. The merchants of "the black market" began to adulterate to the heroin lactose or quinine to increase the mass, which in appearance and bitter taste (quinine) similar to heroin. In England pharmacy the chemically pure heroin continues to be used, which is stronger than the American underground is about 5 times (Chapman, 2001). But "black market" takes its course, and in London: it appeared tasteless "Chinese" heroin coming from Asia.
The addiction to heroin (and to other drugs) depends not only on physical withdrawal and it is illustrated by the heroin epidemic, which failed to prevent. In the early 70s, when the Vietnam War came to an end, the number of drug addicts among American soldiers was greater than 21%. These soldiers mandatory detoxed before returning to the U.S., but because the relapse rate is 90%, it was expected that most of them would continue the use of heroin upon return. Thus, in the US it was expected the surge of the heroin epidemic. However, subsequent studies have shown that relapse happened very few (less than 15%).
This clearly showed that the development of dependence is mainly contributed to the environment and psychosocial factors associated with Vietnam. Returning to the US, the Vietnam War veterans found that heroin became less available. This circumstance, as well as changes in lifestyles and in social environment, reduced the pressure, which initially led them to addiction. However, the radical change of environment (from Vietnam to the United States) cannot be repeated in the usual treatment. This is one of the reasons for the difficulty of treatment of heroin addiction, despite having different methods of treatment (Daley, 1989).
The study of this type of drug shows that the discontinuation of the drug - the process is very slow and most patients do not complete treatment. Risk factors return to the abuse of opiates include: psychopathology (especially antisocial personality disorders), low socio-economic status, poor social support, and unsuccessful attempts to re-treatment. Although the methods of treatment for opiate addiction continue to evolve, it becomes clear that there is no single method that would be suitable for all patients with opioid dependence. Moreover, every patient should receive individualized treatment with a focus on educational and professional rehabilitation and the treatment of possible comorbid psychiatric conditions.
References
Chapman S. (2001). The effects of opioids on driving ability in patients with chronic pain. Arm Pain Soc. Bulletin, 11 (1): 1-5.
Daley D.C. (1989). Five perspectives on relapse in chemical dependency. Journal of Chemical Dependency Treatment, 2 (2): 3-26.
Kuehn B.M. (2007, Jan 17). Opioid prescriptions soar: increase in legitimate use as well as abuse. JAMA, 297(3):249–251.
