Prescription Opioid Abuse : A Mental Health Problem

The United States is facing a growing epidemic of prescription opioid (PO) abuse, which contributes to increasing mortality rates. Opioids are opium-like medications used to treat severe and chronic pain. Prescription opioid drug abuse is the intentional misuse of opioids without a prescription or use of the medication in a manner other than it was prescribed, mainly with the sole purpose for euphoria. Within the United States, the rising abuse of opioids contributed to 14,800 deaths in 2008 which is four times more than the number of deaths from PO abuse in 1999 (CDC, 2011). These deaths were marked mostly as unintentional as opposed to suicide or unknown causes and continue to rise each year (Chakravarthy, Shah, & Lotfipour, 2012).

Headlines such as ¨Heroin Addiction Sweeps Small Towns¨ and David Muir Reporting Breaking Point Heroin in America¨ (ABC 20/20 March 2016) are only two of hundreds of such headlines that give credence to this epidemic. This is taking a heartbreaking toll on communities across America. Heroin is a drug that does not discriminate based on sex, age or ethnic backgrounds. A user can be your neighbor, a family member and even someone who has affluence status. The fastest growing segment of society is teenagers and young adults in their early 20ś making up 57% of the total users.

Have you ever encountered a heroin user or even known one? If you did you probably knew very little about what the drug has become to them. No one sets out to be a heroin addict. Janice from New Jersey told reporters about her story, “I was a high-profile model and intravenous heroin addict. I copped on the street. Heroin doesn 't discriminate. It is unbearably wonderful for suppressing pain and generating a false sense of well-being. I loved heroin. Addicts who say "I hate heroin" are lying to themselves. We wouldn 't stick needles in our arms daily if we didn 't love the way it made us feel. But when it wears off, you 're in a hole so big it 's impossible to climb out. No one sets out to be a heroin addict. It 's not a lifestyle

Headlines such as ¨Heroin Addiction Sweeps Small Towns¨ and David Muir Reporting Breaking Point Heroin in America¨ (ABC 20/20 March 2016) are only two of hundreds of such headlines that gives credence to this epidemic. This is taking a heartbreaking toll on communities across America. Heroin is a drug that does not discriminate based on sex, age or ethnic backgrounds. A user can be your neighbor, a family member and even someone who has affluence status. The fastest growing segment of society is teenagers and young adults in their early 20ś making up 57% of the total users.

Mentally and socially people use heroin as an escape from life. They can shoot up some heroin and forget about all there issues for a few hours. Also repeated use can lead to what's know as a “Psychological Addiction”. This is when the user believes that they can't live without heroin and convince themselves repeatedly use. During a psychological addiction users have no actual addiction to the

…"When Pharma the manufacturer of OxyCotin rid the existence of the pill people turned to heroin."-Huffington Post (Berman, 2014). Most heroin addicts were addicted to narcotic pain medication first and then moved on to heroin. Heroin is filling the void that people are not getting from the pain medications and once people start doing heroin it is highly addictive and very hard to stop. Heroin is now being laced with painkillers and this is causing people to overdose a lot easier. The decrease in opioid supply, doctors not prescribing the narcotic pain pills and the opioid addiction boosting demand has caused people to turn to heroin. Not only has there been a heroin epidemic but due to the pills become more difficult for people to get, it started to cause more crimes. People addicted to these painkillers are to become rebellious. They become individuals who reject society's approved goals and means and replace society's goals and means with their own goals and means would be classified as rebels (Keirns et. al., 2015). This relates because addicts began robbing drug stores just to get their fix. Social disorganization theory asserts that crime is most likely to occur in communities with weak social ties and the absence of social control (Keirns et. al., 2015). This relates because violence has also played a huge role in this force to foster the increase in the use of illegal drugs. This

In the United States every year the percentage of deaths related to overdose increases drastically. Heroin is one of the top drugs in the United States used and cause of overdose. There are numerous types of heroin that is being sold on the streets because of different things however I’m talking about heroin in general. This drug has become a nationwide problem and is affecting many families and friendships who have loved addicted to or using heroin. Once addictions get too bad friends and family begin to distant themselves and the person more than likely start to feel alone and the drug is the only thing to comfort them. Abusers go for the drug that is easier to get ahold of rather going after the drug that is difficult to get their hands on. Heroin has become more prevalent in teenagers and young adults than any other drug, kills more people every year and was made to help those addicted to morphine.

Heroin and its subsequent misuse has been a contentious issue plaguing society for decades. With the advent of the internet, it is becoming more difficult to curtail many of the illegal activities individuals engage in regards to drug use. Heroin in particular is very pervasive in the United States as it is a drug that is highly addictive. In America, drugs are becoming a very serious issue as immigrants enter into the country illegally carrying the drug with them. Heroin, although mainly created in Afghanistan and China, is often brought to the United States illegally from Latin countries. By entering into the country these individuals provide drugs and other narcotics to disseminate among the masses. Even more troublesome, it seems that little is being done to help prevent the influence of drugs within American society (Eric, 2008). According to the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use, the number of current heroin users increased from 153,000 in 2007 to 213,000 in 2008. One issue that is especially interesting is substance abuse among many young individuals and how that affects HIV rates within the American population. Many individuals are not concerned with drug use among the young population. It is my contention however, that drug use among the young has a profound impact on the society in which we live in.

Heroin use in urban areas has significantly increased between 2002 and 2012. In 2002, there were 214,000 people diagnosed as opioid dependent, according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th Edition (DSM-IV). By 2012, the diagnosis had increased to 467,000. Over fifty percent of intravenous heroin users between the ages of 18-25 reported they originally started using prescription opioids before resorting to heroin. Some reported heroin was a cheaper and easier drug to access compared to prescription opioids (National Institute of Drug Abuse & Addiction (NIDA), Research Report Series, 2014). Prescription opioids are administered orally, sublingually, or by transdermal patch. Heroin is often snorted, inhaled by smoking, or by intravenous methods.

Most addictive personalities concentrate on one main drug, heroin. Heroin first began as the drug of choice in ancient China through lighting and smoking opium. This was commonly referred to as “chasing the dragon.” In the United States demographic differences in substance abuse patterns can relate to the environmental surroundings. One misconception is that heroin is an urban drug centered around crime; however, the majority of heroin addicts tend to reside in the suburbs away from the inner city and its problems. Heroin addiction is the result of an addictive personality disorder. People are arrested and charged by the day with heroin use and possession. Heroin possession and use should

Young individuals resort to heroin because it’s a secretive drug until it began to take over a person’s life once their addicted. It is hard to identify unless the signs and symptoms becomes noticeable. Another reason they turn to heroin is for the rush sensation it permits them to experience as an indescribable feeling or mission which encourage a repeat of the drug. The signs are unable to sustain healthy relationships, commit theft, countless legal ramification, financial issues, and manipulation to those around them. The physical indicators may also display neglected appearance, track marks, and weight issues. In addition, to item the individual may carry with them like straps or belt buckles, balloons, or baggies, glass or metal pipes,

Arielle Duhaime-Ross (2015) concludes, “ [In today’s world] those who are most at-risk for heroin dependence are non-Hispanic whites, people between the ages of 18 and 25, Medicaid recipients, men, people who don 't have health insurance, and people who make less than $20,000 a year” (p.1). Though these are the typical stereotypes for heroin users, heroin addiction can affect any human being no matter their age, wealth, or gender. Straight-A students, millionaires, and people with no history of drug abuse ever before, are all potential candidates for drug addiction. Heroin does not care if your friends miss you being sober, or if your family loses sleep each night wondering where you are. People do not think that one time does anything detrimental, but it can and it will.

The method of heroin intake changed in the 1990’s from a method of injection which was use back in the 1970’s to a method of smoking or snorting. Furthermore, the heroin was made purer and cheaper as compared to the prior years. Nowadays, the rate of heroin consumption is highly increased among men and women. The CDC states that the use of heroin is doubled among the ages of 18 to 25 and there has also been an increase in the rate of heroin-related overdose deaths which have nearly quadrupled between 2002 and 2013 (CDC, 2015). People who are addicted to opioid painkillers might be able to become addicted to heroin which is also used as a depressant. Contributing factors to heroin use that lead among young adults are struggles with behavior,

It is no secret that addiction has become a problem all over the world. Not only do drugs cause mental and health issues, but they can have devastating financial and social complications as well. One of the drugs that has been increasingly on the rise is heroin. In the last 10 years, heroin use among people aged 18-25 has more than doubled (Statistics). As of 2014, there were an estimated 20 million opiate users around the world. Of all the known illicit drugs, heroin has the highest association with death and other criminal activity (Schlosburg). With over a 25% addiction rate for those who experiment with heroin, it is a constant drain on community resources to help those that become addicted (Statistics). There are many drugs available that

All to often heroin users are misjudged, when assessing the core of a their drug use. It is easy to assume that a drug user is trying to escape a psychological or emotional situation, yet many times that is not the case at all. Drug users are looked at as being lazy, or as a junkie, and their drug use gives them the opportunity check out of society. However, there is a complex framework in which drug users work within, with complex norms, rules, and expectations. Similar to having a job, heroin users have to maintain busy, productive lives in order to reach their final goal. These lives are within the deviant narrative, yet similarities to the 9 to 5 careers of their non-heroin user counterparts is very similar.