2. PERSONAL STATEMENT
I chose to research this topic because the lives of many of my
friends have been significantly changed due to heroin
addiction. Therefore, it is a subject that I wanted to learn
more about. I was able to do so through my research about
heroin addiction and the interviews I conducted with a
heroin addict, the sister of a heroin addict, a former heroin
dealer, a mental health worker and a Massachusetts state
trooper.
3. HEROIN
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) describes
heroin as “an opiate drug that is synthesized from morphine,
a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed pod
of the Asian opium poppy plant.”
Heroin typically appears in the form of a brown or white
powder. It can be smoked, snorted or injected.
4. A GROWING PROBLEM
In 2008, the Drug Abuse
Warning Network reported,
“Over 51% of all accidental
deaths that occurred as a result
of drug abuse involved heroin
use.”
5. HIGH ON HEROIN
Pinned pupils and
glossy eyes are an
easy way to know
that someone is
high on heroin.
6. OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS
Alan I. Leshner of the NIDA believes that heroin
addiction should be considered a disease. He
supports his opinion by making parallels between
addiction and other diseases. Leshner also says that
addiction, like other diseases, cannot be cured
without proper treatment.
7. OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS
Jeffrey Schaler of Johns Hopkins University argues
that addiction is an intended behavior. He supports
this by saying that the best available treatment for
addiction is to attend faith based meetings such as AA
or NA. He emphasizes that diseases should be treated
medically, not religiously. Schaler also states that
research does not support that addiction is a disease.
8. HEROIN AS AN ESCAPE
Kyle Keegan, author of Chasing the High, says “Heroin
seemed like a romantic conquest of the ultimate experience
with the dark side of life.”
The first time Keegan used heroin, he felt like he was
“enveloped in a shower of medicinal bliss.”
9. OXYCONTIN
Many heroin users start their opiate use by abusing
Oxycontin. The NIDA reports that, in some areas of
the country, Oxycontin abuse rates are higher than
those of heroin abuse.
Many Oxycontin users graduate to using heroin
because it is less expensive and provides a better
high.
10. PAUL CLARKE
Paul is a 23 year old male who says that all of his sadness and
pain disappear as soon as the heroin enters his system.
He describes his withdrawals in saying, “They are horrible.
Every single thing that I use the drug to escape from comes back
ten times worse and I am very sick at the same time. When I take
the drug again, I feel better instantly until it wears off. It’s a
vicious cycle.”
Many addicts describe heroin withdrawals as a sickness that is
“ten times worse than the flu” for which the only cure is heroin.
11. SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES
Heroin.net states, “Becoming dependent on the drug quickly
changes how the addict spends their time, and has
enormous social implications.”
Paul Clarke agrees with this statement. He says, “I get high
all the time, I would even get messed up at work. I lost good
friends that were replaced with awful people who use.”
Because of Paul’s addiction, he has lost his job, his true
friends, his credibility, and thus the trust of his family
members.
12. PAUL’S OPINION
Paul believes that addiction should be considered a disease.
He states, “The second you get that feeling of being high, you
always want to get it back. No matter how bad life gets, you
will always want to feel like you did the first time you got
high.”
Paul believes that recovery is possible, although it is very
difficult. He says that the best way for an addict to maintain
long term sobriety is to completely change their life, and to
avoid people who use heroin at all costs.
13. MEDICAL CONSEQUENCES
According to the NIDA, users who take too much heroin can
die from overdosing. Other consequences include significant
weight loss, infection of the heart valves and liver or kidney
disease. Those who inject the drug can develop HIV, AIDS
and Hepatitis C. (HCV)
According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy,
“Approximately 70-80% of the new HCV infections in the
US each year are among injection drug users.”
15. MEDICAL BENEFITS
There are medical benefits of opiates. Heroin is one opiate,
as are medications such as Oxycontin, Percocet and
Vidcodin. Such prescription medications are used for pain
management.
Timothy Moynihan, M.D. states, “Adequate management of
cancer pain with opioids doesn’t usually lead to ‘drug
seeking’ behavior and addiction. The benefits of treating
cancer pain with opioids usually far exceeds the negative
effects.”
16. ISABELLE CLARKE
Paul Clarke’s sister, Isabelle, is a 22 year old who is
completely sober. Isabelle says that since Paul has started
using, “He has become less trustworthy, he does not have
the same sense of humor and he lacks accountability.”
She also notes that Paul is unable to live a normal life
because the drug controls him.
17. ISABELLE’S OPINION
Isabelle believes that addiction begins with an intended
behavior, but turns into a disease when the user is no longer
able to control the drug use.
Isabelle believes that recovery is possible. She states, “With
the proper treatment and the will to recover, there is always
a chance. However, it is a team effort. A drug addict cannot
get sober on their own.”
18. AMY SANDERS
According to the National Office of Drug Control
Policy, “Heroin admissions represented 13.6% of the
total drug and alcohol admissions to treatment in
2007.”
She talks about these patients in saying, “It’s almost
like they become the drug. Once you lose yourself it’s
so hard to get back, which makes it that much harder
to quit.”
19. AMY’S OPINION
Amy believes that addiction should be considered a disease.
She emphasizes that there are both physical and
psychological aspects of addiction.
She says that an addict can cleanse their body of the drug in
detox, but will often relapse without proper therapy because
their mind still needs the drug. She adds, “Recovery without
therapy is like putting a band-aid on an infected wound. It
just doesn’t work.”
20. ZACH ROBERTS
Roberts is a 36 year old male who formerly sold heroin. He
chose to sell heroin because it is highly addictive and less
expensive than other drugs on the market.
He states, “Looking back, it was a selfish act because I made
money off of other peoples’ problems. It never hit home
until I lost an uncle to the drug. After that, I realized that I
had been contributing to the problem while I was dealing.”
21. CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
Roberts spent 5 1/2 years in county and state prisons for
dealing heroin. He is currently on probation and will remain
on probation for the next three years.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy states that in
2008, “There were 1,476 Federal offenders sentenced for
heroin related charges in US courts. Approximately 97.3% of
these cases involved trafficking.”
22. ZACH’S OPINION
Zach believes that addiction should be considered an
intended behavior, not a disease. He stated, “Each user
made the choice to come to me and buy the drug, and it was
their decision every time.”
23. CHRISTOPHER MERKIN
Christopher Merkin is a Massachusetts state trooper who
says that he is not looking to arrest addicts, but to help
them.
One way Merkin or other law enforcement officials can help
addicts is to “section” them. According to Massachusetts
General Laws, “Section 35 permits the courts to
involuntarily commit someone whose alcohol or drug use
puts themselves or others at risk. Such a commitment can
lead to an inpatient substance abuse treatment for a period
of up to 30 days.”
24. CHRISTOPHER’S OPINION
Merkin believes that addiction should be considered a
disease because of the drastic changes a person undergoes
while using the drug.
He believes that recovery is possible. He says that in order to
maintain sobriety, it is important to find another way to feel
the euphoria felt while being high on heroin. For example,
Merkin has known a few addicts who have replaced getting
high off heroin with running marathons. They are able to
live healthy lifestyles without the drug.
25. TREATMENT OPTIONS
Regardless of the way that society classifies heroin addiction, it
is still a growing problem that produces many medical and social
consequences which need to be addressed.
According to the NIDA, heroin addiction treatment options
include behavioral therapy, inpatient detoxification programs or
methadone.
Methadone is a medically safe alternative to opiates that relieves
cravings and enables patients to live stable and productive lives.
