




Facts
Hydrocodone is an effective antitussive (anti-cough) agent, and as an opiate it is also an effective analgesic for mild to moderate pain control. Five mg of hydrocodone is equivalent to 30 mg of codeine when administered orally. Early comparisons concluded that hydrocodone and morphine were equipotent for pain control in humans. However, it is now considered that a dose of 15 mg (1/4 gr) of hydrocodone is equivalent to 10 mg (1/6 gr) of morphine. Hydrocodone is considered to be morphine-like in all respects. Heroin is prepared in unsupervised labs, then sold and resold by several different retailers. Each seller dilutes or "cuts" the drug to increase their profits. Any white powder can be used to dilute the original batch. Dry milk, talc, starch, and sugar work well, as well as poisons like strychnine. Strychnine causes the heart rate to increase, a response that naive purchasers may attribute to the heroin. Any contaminant poses problems when dissolved with the heroin and injected into the body. Some clog blood vessels while others damage vital organs like the liver or kidneys. Contaminants in heroin that damage the body are referred to as "bad dope." On Monday, a customer may buy a packet of heroin that is only 10 percent heroin; 90 percent of it is starch. However, on Tuesday the same customer might purchase heroin that is 30 percent pure. Simply by snorting the same quantity on these two occasions, the user unwittingly gets a much stronger dose on Tuesday than on Monday. Large doses of heroin cause the respiratory sys- tem to stop; as a result, the user quits breathing. About 1 percent of heroin addicts die each year from accidental overdose. During 1999 4.3% (9.4 million people) of the U.S. population reported trying methamphetamine at least once in their lifetime. The highest rate of meth use was among the 18-25 age group with 5.2% of them reporting lifetime meth use during 1999. The rising methadone death rate is, in part, the result of more doctors prescribing it to help patients with pain, the report found. The study also noted increases in thefts of methadone as it is being shipped from manufacturers to pharmacies and other retailers. Additionally, methadone intended for distribution by hospitals, doctors and other health care providers is increasingly showing up at businesses that sell the drug, the study showed. That "may being occurring more frequently than law enforcement reporting indicates," it found. Most methadone-related deaths occurred when it was used with alcohol or other drugs, the study found. Some were the result of overdoses or misuse of legitimately prescribed methadone by patients who failed to get proper counseling from doctors on how to safely take it. |
Drug Side Effects
Drug addiction and abuse comes with a heavy price. There are drastic drug side effects associated with drug misuse and abuse. Drug side effects from legal and illegal drugs can range from mild itching to comas and death. In addition to the physical drug side effects mentioned, there are many psychological drug side effects of drug abuse; the most serious being drug addiction and overdose.
Intervention
An intervention is when a group of loved ones and/or a trained intervention counselor meets with the person in need of help for the purpose of breaking down their denial and motivating them to immediately seek drug addiction treatment. Often, individuals in the midst of drug addiction engage in a variety of self destructive behaviors. Although baffling to friends and family members such people generally either aren't aware on a conscious level that they have a drug addiction problem, or even when they know they have a problem they may cling to the false belief that the problem will somehow go away without any outside help. When an intervention is held a moment of clarity is created
for the addict. Most people struggling with the problem of drug or alcohol
addiction will accept help the very day of the intervention.
Abstinence
Abstinence is the act or practice of refraining from indulging a desire. The type of abstinence we are referring to here is abstinence from drugs and alcohol. This term has two connotations when it comes to abstaining from drugs. The first refers to drug or alcohol treatment programs that aim to help an individual stop using drugs or alcohol for the rest of their lives. The time abstinence is also used in drug education and prevention. It refers to trying to stop children from ever using drugs.
Drug Addiction
Drug addiction is a pattern of repeated drug taking that usually results in tolerance (the need for greater amounts of the drug to achieve the same effect), withdrawal (physical and cognitive effects when drug use declines or stops), and compulsive drug taking behavior (drug taking that persists despite efforts to reduce intake and despite problems with family, friends, and work). Drug addiction encompasses a diverse range of drugs (such as alcohol, cannabis, amphetamines, and cocaine) and is caused by many different factors.
Relapse
Relapse is a term used to describe when an individual who has quit using drugs starts using once again. A relapse can mean just a one time use, a long term continues period of using or anything in between after a period of sobriety has taken place. An individual begins to experience a psychological relapse long before their first use after
quitting. Some things that can lead to relapse both physically or psychologically include: 1. Being in the presence of drugs or alcohol, drug or alcohol users, or places where you used or bought chemicals. 2. Feelings we perceive as negative, particularly anger; also sadness, loneliness, guilt, fear, and anxiety. 3. Positive feelings that make you want to celebrate by using. 4. Listening to others past drug use stories and just dwelling on getting high. 5. Believing that you no longer have to worry (complacent). That is, that you are no longer stimulated to crave drugs/alcohol by any of the above situations or by anything else – and therefore maybe it’s safe for you to use occasionally.
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