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Research and APA Citation 351166

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Research and APA Citation 351166

The use of heroin in the United States has increased across most teenagers. The statics

data compiled by the CDC for 2015 and 2016 opioid use indicates that heroin use is highest

among the young adults, individuals with less than $20000 annual household income and

males, Non-Hispanic whites. Other people who showed highest heroin use are those residing in

the Southern, Northeastern and Midwestern regions of the United States (Lizmarie, 2016).

Nevertheless, heroin use is now reaching into new teenagers in the nation. It is addicting more

teenagers and middle-class than any other user. Most new heroin users have also been

identified to teenagers with low incomes (Lizmarie, 2016).

Nowadays, in modern society, many teenagers are addicted to drugs. Drugs such

as heroin, cocaine and many more. Teenagers take drugs because they think that it can

help them release stress, pressure and can help them solve any problems. What they do not

know is that taking drugs can damage their health, body and their mind. So what cause these

situations to happen? The main source is of basic interest. Numerous teenagers have

found out about heroin, and they are interested to encounter them for themselves.

They have heard that heroin can be fun, or make an individual vibe and act unique.

Perhaps they have seen their companions or relatives carry on contrastingly while on

heroin, and they need to perceive how it truly feels (Waldhoer, 2015). We see

medicates on TV and films each day. Many youths experience them at school, at home

or in their neighborhood. It isn't unordinary to be interested in something you see

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and find out about so frequently, such a significant number of individuals first

attempt heroin since they are interested in them.

Heroin is an extremely addictive drug that is made from morphine, which is obtained

from the seedpod of the opium poppy plant commonly grown in Colombia, Asia, and Mexico.

The drug can be brown, white or black but it is a white powder in its purest form. Some

common street names for the drug include Smack, big H, Horse, Black tar, Dope, hell dust, and

brown sugar among many others. An estimated one in four teenage who try heroin for the first

time, become addicted. With time, a teenager becomes tolerant to the drug, and this leads to a

higher intake. If not, a teenage may decide to shoot or smoke heroin to achieve the intense

feeling of well-being more quickly (Waldhoer, 2015).

The drug is used by teenagers for various reasons. For instance, some teenagers admit

to using heroin to feel the pleasant sensation commonly known as the ‘rush.' The feeling is

accompanied by a warm and slackened feeling in the user's arms and legs (Strang et al., 2015).

Moreover, other users claim that use of heroin boosts one’s confidence and improves their

sense of well-being. According to findings from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA),

about 1.2% of teenagers admit to having used heroin at least once in their lifetime (Chatterjee

& Tishberg, 2018).

Additionally, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reports that the

scope of heroin use has been on the rise especially because of its low cost and high availability.

Such increased availability is due to the Colombian and Mexican heroin sources dominating the
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US markets. Technological advancements also play a major role in making communication

between sources and consumers easy. Availability is one of the main reasons why addicts

decided to start, as well as continue, using this drug. Heroin is an opiate processed from a

combination of opium, morphine, and poppy that targets the opioid receptors in the user's

brain, which inhibit pain, sensation, and anxiety (Johnson & North, 2016). Heroin users

experience a sense of extreme peacefulness that may last for hours after injecting, snorting, or

smoking the drug (Fotopoulou & Parkes, 2017). Although the same calmness is achieved

through exercise, the drug stimulates the brain’s reward systems. Though they all produce the

feel-good chemical on the brain, exercise makes the body stronger without the harmful effects

of heroin on the body (Hall et al., 2016).

Like any other drug, there is a wide range of disadvantages arising from the abuse of

heroin. First and foremost, the heroin that is easily accessible from the streets may contain

other additive components, such as starch or powdered milk, that may not dissolve thus

resulting in blockage of blood vessels (Srivastava & Gold, 2018). The clogging can lead to liver,

kidney, or heart infections, which could result in death. Also, heroin abuse exposes the user to

other serious risks such as overdose, rape, and high-risk infections like HIV/AIDS emerging from

sharing injection needles Bohnert, Bradshaw, & Latkin, 2009). Moreover, in a case where a

teenage uses injection as his or her means of administering the drug, the needle piercings leave

marks and bruises on the body part, which are likely to result in skin complications such as

abscesses (Zaaijer et al., 2016). The continued use of heroin makes the body dependent on the

drug to the extent that withdrawal symptoms may begin to show when the drug is not
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consumed. Besides, expectant women who use heroin are at risk of having miscarriages,

underweight births, or the possibility of getting a child who is dependent on the drug and who

is likely to endure withdrawal effects (Zhou et al., 2014).

Apart from health risks, the effects of heroin abuse can be extended to family members,

neighbors, and even workmates. The immediate family members may undergo feelings of

embarrassment, abandonment, fear, guilt, or anger. In extreme situations where violence may

be involved, family members may feel the urge and need for legal protection against the

teenage abusing the drug (Amlani et al., 2015). In some instances, the Good Samaritan laws

protect teenagers who report an overdose, form certain charges associated with drug use and

possession. Though they vary from state to state, they are more obliged to save lives than

charging teenagers with drug crimes (Chatterjee, Yu & Tishberg, 2018). At work, heroin abuse

may paint a negative image of the organization and may degrade the growth of the business

due to the user’s failure in terms of reliability, trust, and work ethic. Similarly, heroin abuse

could lead to other undesired social effects such as financial constraints, loss of jobs, broken

families and relationships (Wooten & Guthrie, 2012).

When the use of heroin is discontinued, the user may experience a range of withdrawal

symptoms which peak between 48 and 72 hours since the time the last dose was administered.

Some common withdrawal symptoms include severe heroin cravings, vomiting, muscle pain,

insomnia, diarrhea, and restlessness (Lyndon et al., 2017). The signs often make the users

uncomfortable thus prompting them to resume using the drug to avoid that extreme pain

(Cicero, 2012). As a result, an addict needs to have controlled detoxification to enable him or
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her to maneuver through the initial stages of recovery (Compton, Jones, & Baldwin, 2016). The

medical detox program is supervised and works by letting the addict enter early withdrawal

stages. Signs may include feeling slightly sweaty or having cold flashes. As symptoms begin to

build, medical professions suggest carefully monitored drugs for management. Medication-free

options are also available, and include quiet rooms, healing foods, cold baths or warm blankets

or talk therapy. To treat for heroin addiction, one may combine medical treatment with some

other supportive services and behavioral therapies like residential and outpatient care. Some of

the medical treatments for heroin addiction include Buprenorphine, which assists in minimizing

the risk of addition, Naloxone and Naltrexone to treat cases of overdose, and Methadone,

which is used in maintenance therapy and for chronic pain (Amlani et al., 2015). Using

Methadone to detox can be used rapidly in a month or less, or over a long period of six months

to inhibit the effects of heroin (Millar et al., 2001).

Heroin addiction is complex, and therefore the journey towards recovery may be faced

with many challenges some of which include relapse and overdose. According to recent

research, the relapse rate is currently at 40-60 percent (Boyer, 2015). Also, there are reports of

increased overdose deaths resulting from the use of heroin since 2016 (Hassamal et al., 2016).

Causes for relapse may include the inability to deal with stress, the misconception of ‘one more

time may not be harmful,' a deliberate overdose to commit suicide, or during events like

gatherings and parties. Fortunately, studies show that the number of teenagers seeking

treatment for heroin has commendably increased with most of them being between 18-25

years. As these are the youths who are mostly affected, wanting to live a more productive life
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as well as managing money for better use are among the main reason why the numbers have

increased (Drug Use Among Homeless Youths). Notwithstanding, most may miss their previous

lives, want to work on a relationship seriously or might want to get and maintain a job (Barman-

Adhikari et al., 2018).

In conclusion, all sorts of adverse effects ranging from physical, mental, and health risks

accompany heroin abuse. Heroin abuse not only affects the individual consuming it but also his

or her family, neighbors, workmates and all the teenagers associated with the victim. Heroin

abuse also has a degrading impact on a teenager's finances and performance at work. When

one is abusing any drug, there is very little development in his or her life, and it is tough to plan

for the future. Despite the effects of drug abuse, there are other issues as heroin being the

fastest rising cause of death due to overdose. It has overtaken deaths caused by HIV and

accidents, with close to 12 million teenagers using opioids without a doctor’s consent.

Moreover, a drug addict is at risk of being arrested for drug possession which can be

accompanied by hefty fines and living in the future with a criminal record. Interventions to stop

drug use and abuse should be put in place to develop new and improved methods of dealing

with heroin use and its adverse consequences.

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