Howard Becker 's The On Opium Addiction

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.

The word “opium” is utilized several times in this short story. An opium is an addictive, narcotic drug that relieves pain or brings ecstasy. In a figurative sense, it is a way to avoid reality. For some, alcohol allows for just that. For others, it could be music, sexual intercourse, gambling, and many more. In “The Gambler, the Nun, and the Radio,” the thin Mexican says, “Religion is the opium of the poor” (Hemingway 478). But, this statement is not necessarily true, which Mr. Frazer soon realizes. Several opiums, or escapes from reality, exists, as this story shows.

There is no cookie cutter heroin user. In fact, many of heroin’s newest addicts are in their teens or early 20s; many also come from middle- or upper-middle-class suburban families. Heroin is a dangerous drug that has many different “street names” such as Smack, Mud, Dope, Dragon, and Junk. The scientific names are diacetylmorphine or morphine diacetate, also known as diamorphine.

The movie industry has involved the use of drugs, sex, violence over the years to increase the thrill of movies. Realistic depictions or not, movies with any of these three categories have been frequently viewed and accepted in our culture. With movies creating false “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.

Society today has been clouded and somewhat overtaken by social drugs. Wherever you may look, a drug is being used, whether it is more commonly a cigarette being smoked on the street, or the covert teens smoking marijuana in secluded areas. In any case, there is not one person who can say drug use is not prevalent, since society has made it clear through news, music and everyday life. However, there are certain drugs that seem to be worse than others, and society once again has taught us that through our laws and restrictions. The worse the drug, the more you pay for having it. Basically, drugs have become a part of our life, and you never know when they can land on your doorstep.

Volunteering and participating in service projects are two of the most rewarding activities in my opinion. Some people may find it was a hassle or only do it because they have to meet the minimum requirement for school or work. Helping others, for me, has always been somewhat second nature to me. Over many years of volunteering I believe I have developed qualities that will stick with me for life and benefit me in my career. As early as freshman year, in high school, I found myself looking for ways to give back. I started by looking for opportunities within school, where I came across the A+ tutoring program, and so my journey of giving back began. While tutoring, my patience for others really evolved, partly by choice and partly because

Gore Vidal, An American writer acknowledge for writing plays, essays, and novels is also famously known for the essay “Drugs: Case for legalizing Marijuana.” In this essay, he talks about the effects of legalizing Marijuana. As he begins to talk about the possible ways of stopping addiction, he analyzes modern society while critiquing the flaws of preventative laws against illegal substances. Using himself as an approach to explain that addiction does not occur after one intake; however after various usage. Vidal testifies that he has experimented with almost all illegal substances and can attest that he has not became addicted to any of them (Vidal). Realizing that the solution to preventing drug addiction in America is a simple task, Vidal solution is to make all drugs available, while selling them at a cost. When putting all illegal substances on the market, a label detailing the affects, good or bad, when a person consumes such substances (Vidal). As people are entitle to their own actions, it is impossible to completely rid the world, much a country, of drug addiction. Vidal explains that everyone in this world is not sane and that there will be addicts and substance abusers. Similar to those who choose to end their life, the issue will remain persistent only just at a reduce minimum (Vidal). Realizing that due to a substances illegalization, people tend to crave more of the substance because it is not allowed. With all substances, including Marijuana, becomes legalized

During the 19th century, China transformed from a prosperous economic center to a weakened country in a system controlled by Great Britain, largely due to the opium trade. Prior to Europe’s industrial revolution in 1800, China had little need for products from other countries, and participated sparingly in world trade, while Europe borrowed China’s ideas and inventions to gain a financial foothold. But in the 19th century Britain introduced opium into the Chinese market, setting off a chain of events that lead to the Opium Wars, which along with the opium trade sapped China’s economic strength. Nevertheless, she persisted, and in 1907 China passed a law that blocked the opium trade once and for all and took out Britain’s system of power within

Introduction - Use of psychoactive substances for recreational purposes is not a radically new social issue. In fact, history tells us that almost every society had their own pharmacopeia of herbs, potions, and substances that not only contributed to healing, but also allowed the user to escape reality (Schules 1992, 4-5). However, it is the contemporary use of psychoactive drugs purchased through illicit or illegal channels and used by persons neither prescribed nor in quantities larger than necessary that defines modern drug abuse (Robins 2006). Prior to World War I, substances like morphine, heroin, and cocaine were available in the major American cities, particularly those with active international ports. For instance, when Chinese immigrants were first imported to work in the mines and railroads during the early 1800s, they brought opium to America. It was the leisure class, who began to experiment with this drug, and, as in Europe, many major U.S. cities had so-called opium dens. In addition, there were a substantial number of "society women" who ended up addicted because their doctor prescribed this drug to deal with female histrionics or to "cure" an excessive sexual appetite (Johnson 2002). Within major cities, this problem began to spill over into other groups: prostitutes, child laborers, orphans, and even men and women of lower social classes seeking to escape the harshness of their lives (Courtwright 2002, 3-19). Between the widespread use and general

Marijuana has been a debated issue for some time with many articles on the subject. The article being analyzed will be “The Truth About Medical Marijuana” by Carrie Shortsleeve, about her interview with Dr. Mahmoud ElSohly. This article will most likely piqué the interest of those who are seeking to use Marijuana as a source of treatment for their medical issues or even those that are just curious about the subject. The main focus is discussing the positive and adverse effects of the medical marijuana on society and medical patients, so Shortsleeve’s motivation of her article seems to try to give as much information as possible for her readers. So the question remains, does Shortsleeve do an adequate job of maintaining ethos, pathos, and logos

Heroin addicts have the psychological dependence on heroin that leads them into the state of self-destruction and the possibility of leading to death by the extreme use of heroin. Never estimate the poppy flower for its power that withholds the fiends to their mentality enduring the euphoria enslavement of the mind that contained for many centuries. The heroin addiction nation is a self numbing injection and dry approach to have the mind under the state of the greatest feeling of great happiness leaving the pain behind under the spell of heroin. Heroin comes in many forms for addicts to enjoy in their own way. They come in powder and rock like form that is combined with other narcotics. The snorting form for heroin is not

Becker attempts to uncover how the changes of attitudes and experiences affect the individual’s possibility of smoking marijuana. Becker’s point of view is more micro-level, looking at the individual’s history and how they think

Religion is said to be the opiate of the masses, and it is definitely a point of interest in George Orwell's famous novel Animal Farm. In it, Orwell pointedly attacks religion in general and Christianity in particular through the use of a well placed symbolic bird by the name of Moses. Orwell's stance is rather apparent as Moses darts about the farm scene conveying the duality of Christianity quite superbly.

The two-sided debate between embracing medical use of the drug through the therapeutic benefits and the link between cannabis and psychosis is explored. This issues also stems the question of the legitimacy of legalisation and criminalisation of cannabis and how key concepts are raised including ‘moral entrepreneur’ and ‘social locus’. In today’s society as cannabis is becoming increasingly ‘normalised’, the theory that cannabis is a ‘gateway drug’ also arises.

Opium- an addictive drug originally used as a painkiller. It is obtained from the unripe seeds of the opium poppy and can be made into substances that a person can smoke causing relaxation, alleviated anxiety, and a state of euphoria. Continued use of the drug also induces deterioration to the mind and body of a person eventually causing death. The substance was therefore stated illegal in China during the late 18th Century yet consistently smuggled into the country via British merchant ships. As the Chinese placed more restrictions on trade in an effort to abolish the importation of opium, the battle against the drug raged on until war was unavoidable between England and China. It is this war that lasted from 1839-1842