Opiates and Opioids

English 2010
Joshua Perry
Information Effect

What are opiates and opioids?

Opiates are derived from opium, which is produced
from the sap of poppies, a plant that is largely grown
in the Middle East(“DEA Middle East”). Opioids on the
other hand are not derived from opium, but have
opiate like effects. Opium is considered to be the very
first pain medication to be used to treat pain, even
being referenced back in 2100 BC (Kruse).

Why do addicts use painkillers recreationally?

This is due to the effect that these medicines
have on the brain. Opiates are depressants,
meaning they slow you down and make you feel
all relaxed and cozy. This down relieves anxiety,
stress and relaxes the muscles. All the while that
person's brain releases an influx of dopamine,
which is the reward chemical in the brain. Over
time a person will develop a tolerance to this
drug and need to take more of it to feel the same
high(“Drug Use Changes the Brain Over Time”). The problem with this is that the brain can
become overstimulated with these chemicals and depending on the amount of the medicine
taken, your brain essentially forgets to make you breathe and you could very well perish (“Save a
Life from Prescription Opioid Overdose | Rx Awareness | CDC Injury Center”).
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Fentanyl
This drug is an opioid. It is 100 times stronger than
morphine and extremely toxic. The dose the size of a
grain of salt is able to kill an average adult (“Fentanyl
Facts”).

This drug is becoming more and more common in

Utah. In past years, overdose deaths with fentanyl were
credited at around 1% in 2000, then jumped to 8% in
2018, and in 2022 it was found to be the cause of 34%
of overdose deaths in Utah (KSL) .

What can I do to avoid these drugs

“The only real control in life is self control”(Jefferey
R Holland). You have to make the choice that you
aren’t going to use these drugs. They are dangerous
and put you at great risk of death, and then what
would your family and friends do or think if they
found out that their loved one had passed away
from a drug overdose? How heartbroken would they
be. Council with your doctor about pain medication
use in your care plan as it could mean the difference of getting off the meds or becoming
dependent (Holman, Stoddard, Horwitz, & Higgins, 2014).
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Works Cited

“Drug Use Changes the Brain Over Time.” Learn Genetics Utah,

https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/brainchange. Accessed 10 April 2024.

“Fentanyl Facts.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

https://www.cdc.gov/stopoverdose/fentanyl/index.html. Accessed 10 April 2024.

Kruse, Edith. “[History of opium poppy and morphine].” PubMed,

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17152761/. Accessed 10 April 2024.

KSL. “KSL.com.” What you don't know about illicit drugs in Utah could kill you, KSL News, 16

November 2023,

https://www.ksl.com/article/50790847/what-you-dont-Know-about-illicit-drugs-in-utah-c

ould-kill-you. Accessed 10 April 2024.

“Middle East.” DEA.gov, https://www.dea.gov/foreign-offices/middle-east. Accessed 10 April

2024.

“Save a Life from Prescription Opioid Overdose | Rx Awareness | CDC Injury Center.” Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/rxawareness/prevent/index.html.

Accessed 10 April 2024.

Holman, J. E., Stoddard, G. J., Horwitz, D. S., & Higgins, T. F. (2014). Journal of Orthopaedic

Trauma. The effect of preoperative counseling on duration of postoperative opiate use in

orthopedic trauma surgery: a surgeon-based comparative cohort study.