After one has decided to seek professional help (this usually occurs when the addict hits rock bottom) there are many resources available to help achieve long-term abstinence. OxyContin is an opioid painkiller. It is a slow-released medication that over an eight to twelve hour period releases oxycodone hydrochloride to relieve or alleviate pain. They are prescribed by a doctor with instructions to be taken whole and orally. If the pill has been broken or crushed, it would no longer work slowly over a period of time.
In America, more than 15 million people have abused prescription drugs and abuse is on an incline. {Foundation for a drug free world,The Truth About Pain Killers 2005-2007} People are becoming addicted and are abusing prescription painkillers. There seems to be no prejudice to this problem. Women, men, young adults, children, wealthy, middle class, and lower class, all seem to have this problem within their community. Many people do not put themselves I the same category as drug abusers.
Effects of Heroin and Naloxone in a Chemical Reaction Nicole Plante Chemistry 090 Professor Pelletier Spring 2014 Introduction Prescription and illicit opiate abuse is prevalent and over dose-related are becoming an increasingly common occurrence (Bailey, 2014). This addiction touches the lives of great many American individuals and families regardless of age, social class, ethnicity or gender (Leavitt, 2010). This is a nationwide problem, not just a state issue. Naloxone is a medication that has been proven to help save these lives. Naloxone was FDA approved in 1971 and has been used for decades by emergency medical services for reversing opioid overdose and reviving victims who otherwise would have died (Leavitt, 2010).
Cocaine's immediate effects wear off in 30 minutes to two hours. Smoking or injecting cocaine results in a faster and shorter high, compared to snorting coke. Cocaine is responsible for more U.S. emergency room visits than any other illegal drug. Cocaine harms the brain, heart, blood vessels, and lungs and can even cause sudden death (Holstege, 2011). REFERENCE PAGE
Talking more specifically about painkillers, Opiod painkillers, like Vicodin, OxyContin, and Demerol cause more drug overdoses than heroin and cocaine combined. The abuse of painkillers represents 3/4of all prescription drug abuse. 5. About one quarter of all drug-related hospital visits were caused by overdoses on prescription drugs. 6.
They are used as a step toward the recovery process. Although both medications are used to treat addiction and withdrawal, they produce similar effects. Methadone is a synthetic opiate, while suboxone contains only low levels of opiates. Therefore, methadone has more of a potential for addiction with higher risk factors if abused. Some of these factors include, respiratory problems, stomach problems, impaired judgment, and overdose that could potentially lead to death.
The addiction for “prescription” drugs is as strong as classic street drugs such as heroin or cocaine. Conditions like depression are faked so people can get their hands on the drugs. How can doctors tell the difference between the ill and the fakers? Should doctors use a stricter test for diagnosis? Should the power to prescribe these drugs even exist?
Marijuana has also been called weed, reefer and hemp. Marijuana has been around for thousands of years. It was only made illegal in many countries during the 20th century. In the past 20 years in the United States, the legalization pros and cons of Medical Marijuana have been intensely debated as it has become legal to use it in 15 states and the District of Columbia. (Dryden-Edwards) Proponents of medical marijuana argue that it can be a safe and effective treatment for the symptoms of cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, pain, glaucoma, epilepsy, and other conditions.
Tobacco Addiction In the 1964 Surgeon General’s report, smoking was described as a habituation. In 1988, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services identified tobacco use for the first time as nicotine addiction, concluding that “cigarettes and other forms of tobacco are addictive. Nicotine is the drug in tobacco that causes addiction. Moreover, the processes that determine nicotine addiction are similar to those that determine addiction to drugs such as heroin and cocaine”. Drug dependence involves the repeated administration of a substance that contains a psychoactive chemical.
It has been proven that nicotine can cause addiction that is similar to cocaine and heroin. Upon nicotine entering the lungs it then travels to the bloodstream and then the brain. Once entered the brain nicotine immediately stimulates the adrenal glands to release the hormone adrenaline, this causes increased blood pressure, respiration and heart rate (National). When an addicted user tries to quit he or she will experience withdrawal symptoms including irritability, sleep disturbance, increased appetite and powerful cravings for tobacco (National). It is a known-fact that smoking has many health risks.