I abused narcotics and barbiturates for the better part of 15 years. I initially liked the way the drugs made me feel. Toward the end of my use, however, everything had changed. I was hopelessly addicted. I lived in terror of being caught, thinking that I was maybe one of two or three doctors in the entire country with such a shameful problem. I went to bed every night vowing not to use tomorrow, but I always did. I despised myself for my lack of willpower and for not being able to control my drug use. Friends, family, and colleagues commented upon my unpredictable mood swings, bizarre behavior, and fits of anger..Finally, the day came when I reached bottom. I had been removed from my job, my family life was in shambles, and I felt that my
I said well ok looks like we should get a divorce I was so messed up off of pills I was just numb looking back at it and talking to Tanya if I would have just fought for her, for my marriage I would still have her but, I chose my mistress instead because I felt all my wife did was bitch and complain, as for my mistress (Pills) liked me just how I was and never said a word. But, I can look back now and I know I was the one who messed up my marriage with my addiction as much as I blamed Tanya and wanted it to be her fault. I knew inside it was mine maybe I was too high or proud to tell her at that time. So after getting back to Fort Leonard Wood I started using way more than before but it wasn’t like the old days when I would run out I couldn’t get another prescription. So, I met some people that knew where I could buy them I felt if my bills were getting paid what was the big deal I isn’t hurting anyone but I was killing myself inside. Even after having to buy pills I still felt I had everything under control, until I got completely cut off from my doctor. Then I started using Heroin I knew once I put a needle in my arm I had hit rock bottom but I couldn’t stop. I mean after I would pay my bills I would spend the rest on Heroin so about 500-700 every paycheck I would borrow money from friends and family in between pay periods and have to pay it back next pay period. So by the time I got paid I was usually broke between 3-5 days later. So the big
“De aqui soy,” is the name of the group that I visited last week. This group is located on pacific coast high way in Wilmington, CA. The duration of the meeting is 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm. Last Thursday round 8:00 pm, I decided to attend NA meeting. (Narcotics Anonymous) I thought that the time was the same like AA meetings. (Alcoholics Anonymous) However, when I arrived to NA, the meeting was on. With respect, I set myself in one of the empty sits in the back of the room. There were 11 people in the meeting. All of them were Latinos or Spanish speakers. The ages were mix from 21 to 60, I think. The history of substance was variable depending the person. They talked about cocaine, crystal, marijuana, crack, etc…
Prescription drug abuse has become an epidemic in the United States especially among the youth of our country. The Partnership for a Drug Free America says that 2,500 teens a day abuse prescription drugs. Abuse of these narcotics can lead to serious mental and physical consequences. Why is this such a problem, what can we do to solve it, and how is it affecting our social lives?
Addiction is a disease that I will battle for the rest of my life. After being sexually assaulted at the age of twelve, I started to self-destruct. Lack of parental support, less than pristine living conditions, and an addictive personality paved an expressway to a life of addiction. I chose to hang with undesirable people, and was introduced to Marijuana, LSD, Ecstasy, PCP, Cocaine, Heroin and eventually what became the love of my life, the prescription painkiller Morphine. Never did I think that trying pot would have a domino effect. It led me to try harder and more addictive substances ultimately turning my life upside down. Often publicly
Methadone is a synthetic opioid drug which was first used in World War II for the treatment of pain. Since then, methadone has become a popular choice for treating those addicted to other opioid drugs such as heroin, oxycodone, morphine, and hydrocodone. It is used to reduce dependency and the treatment should help them become clean. Even though, the policy of giving methadone to drug addicts is not a cure, it is a good one. Fortunately, the Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) is a reliable way for those with an opioid addiction to stop and not restart the use of opioids. For many, methadone treatment provides an opportunity to regain balance in both lifestyle and priorities. (“Opiate Addiction and Treatment Resource”). Everyone deserves
Methadone is a synthetic (man-made) narcotic. There is a chemical in methadone known as opioid. Methadone is a depressant and can cause symptoms as such as sweating, itchy skin, and sleepiness. “When the use of this drug is stopped it causes withdrawal symptoms as such as anxiety, muscle tremors, abdominal cramps” and etc (dea.gov).
Methadone has been used since the late 1960s to treat heroin addictions. Methadone is a synthetic opioid that is highly addictive and is harder to withdraw from than heroin. Despite 50 years of experience and widespread acceptance by addiction specialists and health agencies, Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) has sometimes been publicly controversial in the U.S. and other countries. MMT is a program in which addicted individuals receive daily doses of methadone as part of a broad, multicomponent treatment plan (Methadone Maintence Treatment, 2002). Critics argue that methadone doesn’t actually help heroin addicts, but just replaces heroin with an equally addictive methadone (Mason, 2013). From my perspective, methadone should not be given to heroin addicts because it does not
It has a greater treatment retention than detoxification, 439 days for methadone treatment vs 174 days for detoxification method (Sees, Delucchi, Masson, Rosen, Clark, Robillard et al., 2000).
Methadone is one of the most common medications used to treat opioid addiction. It decreases the symptoms of opioid withdrawal and inhibits the euphoric effects caused by abusing heroin and prescription opioids such as oxycodone. When used as prescribed and under the supervision of a trained physician, methadone is an effective complement to treatment. SAMHSA also recommends patients remain on methadone treatment for at least 12 months. Many people require multiple years of treatment. When discontinuing methadone treatment, patients should slowly taper off of it under doctor supervision. Buprenorphine decreases the potential for opioid abuse, reduces withdrawal symptoms and cravings and decreases the risks of overdose. Because buprenorphine
A few years passed, and I did not touch a narcotic, until one day I met this person of who I felt was a good friend. I thought I was on a very positive road to success since I was in school, had a great job, and a wonderful family, until a trip to his family’s house where I was introduced to a more powerful long acting drug. It provided the best euphoric feeling in the world, better than chocolate, better than adrenaline even better than sex: Heroin! The demon was back, and this time it stayed for 6 years.
The social problem I chose to do something about is opiate abuse/addiction. Opiates are naturally occurring narcotics, such as opium and opium derivatives, including morphine, codeine, and heroin. Prescription painkillers are opioid analgesics. Opiates are highly addictive and dangerous when misused. This social problem matters to me because I am a recovering opiate addict. I have been clean for four months and my new found passion is educating people about the dangers of opiates. People assume because doctors prescribe opioid analgesics, they must be safe. Opiate abuse matters to society because when opiates are misused, lives are taken. People die from overdose, abusers’ worlds fall apart because of their addiction, and loved ones of the abusers are left grieving and feeling helpless.
Opiate withdrawal can be scary to experience or witness—and is best handled with certain measures of care. Kū Aloha Ola Mau has offered alcohol and substance abuse treatments in Hawaii’s communities since 1976. The treatment center’s compassionate and holistic approach to recovery is supported by a belief in educating communities and removing stigma around these issues.
Cannabis otherwise known as marihuana is a plant that has been on the earth for millions of years. History examines its use in many old traditional practices of medicine. However, over the last century society has placed a stigma on those who use marihuana for recreational use. This stigma is associated with criminal and deviant behaviour. As marihuana becomes further researched, the normalcy of the drug has become more popular within the medical community. Although marihuana is being used for medicinal purposes the stigma still exists due to the legal status of this drug. To understand the current state of marihuana, this paper will examine an understanding of what cannabis (marihuana) is, the history behind it, the usage and societal attitudes towards
-Depressants(Alcohol): They help people relax and relieve their inhibitions. They also impair memory and judgment. When a person is depressed by something in his or her life( divorcement, losing jobs,...), they can help that person feel relaxed. Or another example is if a person has to do something that he or she daren’t do when he or she is conscious, by the use of depressants, that person will have more couragement to do it.
The drug trade industry is one of the biggest and most profitable industries in the world, despite the high risk of death or incarceration, the opportunity to gain mega profit and the hopes of living a luxurious lifestyle lures people to continue to take part in this market. Most people view drug dealers as nothing more than low class scum that are uneducated and lazy felons who enthusiastically push their drug of choice on whomever they happen to stumble upon. There are many types of drug dealers, from the behind the scene Caucasian white collar type and overexposed black street corner thugs. The life of a drug dealer is a complex and difficult life to understand. The media often glorifies selling drugs through movies and music often given