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OPOIDS.   Term Paper ID:28152 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Opium derivative used as recreational drug. Dangers of abuse. Effect on body & immune system. Treatment approaches.... More...

4 Pages / 900 Words 1 sources, 9 Citations, APA Format $16.00 Return to List of Papers

Paper Abstract: Opium derivative used as recreational drug. Dangers of abuse. Effect on body & immune system. Treatment approaches. Paper Introduction: Opioids are among the drugs commonly used recreationally. Opiates are opium extracts and they, along with opium derivatives and a number of synthetic opiate-like drugs are known collectively as opioids. Opium, heroin, morphine, methadone and codeine are prominent opioids and are also referred to as narcotics. The drugs are considered desirable by recreational users because they are analgesic (pain-relieving) and induce a state of euphoria. The dangers of opioid abuse are primarily incidental and relatively few pharmacological dangers seem to exist. Morphine, opium, and heroin are taken recreationally by some people over a period of years and they are able to stop without difficulty. Opium can be taken without building up a tolerance to its euphoriant effects, but other opioid addicts must constantly Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. Leavitt also cites the narcoticantagonist naloxone as productive of increased sexual activity. In terms of creativity the opioids have a legendary enhancing effecton writers. 144). No deterrent drugs are used in the treatment of opioid addiction buttwo antagonists, naloxone and naltrexone, are employed. The most common substitutefor an opiate is the synthetic opioid methadone which is used in thetreatment of heroin addiction. As with any drugs, responses toopioids vary and while their euphoric effects are experienced by unhappypeople or those in pain, a happy, pain-free individual is likely toexperience mild anxiety and fear if s/he uses one of these drugs. Opium can be taken without building up atolerance to its euphoriant effects, but other opioid addicts mustconstantly increase their doses. Opioids are among the drugs commonly used recreationally. Themost serious dangers of this group of drugs, however, are connected to thefact that some diluents used in street heroin can cause tissue injury andsevere skin lesions while others may be poorly soluble and "intravenousinjection of incompletely dissolved substances may cause a fatal reaction"(Leavitt, p. The former, which has both heroin agonist andantagonist effects, reduces heroin self-administration and cocaine self-administration for those with dual addictions. Opiatesare opium extracts and they, along with opium derivatives and a number ofsynthetic opiate-like drugs are known collectively as opioids. 399). Opium,heroin, morphine, methadone and codeine are prominent opioids and are alsoreferred to as narcotics. The dangers of opioid abuse are primarily incidental and relativelyfew pharmacological dangers seem to exist. According to Leavitt even"eminent research workers [and] officials of the United Nations Commissionon Narcotic Drugs [were not] able to cite a single study or offer any dataon harmful effects" (1995, p. Pharmacological treatment, "the appealingly simple strategy of usinga drug to cure a drug addiction," has been quite controversial in dealingwith opioid abuse (Leavitt, 1995, p. The analgesic qualities of opiatesmay also enable users to ignore pain that warns of various diseases. (1995). Leavitt cites no adverse effects of opioids on memory. 374). Morphine, opium, and heroin aretaken recreationally by some people over a period of years and they areable to stop without difficulty. Heroin addicts refer to the acute effects of the drug as "being onthe nod" and the name morphine is derived from the god of sleep, Morpheus.Single doses of heroin, morphine, and methadone are, however, "stimulatingand decrease REM activity" (Leavitt, 1995, p. Naloxone is ashort-acting antagonist, used in treating heroin overdoses, which quicklyreverses the drug's effects. 365). On the one hand the stimuli often develop into reinforcersand need to be avoided. Drugs and behavior. ReferenceLeavitt, F. Like all illegal drugs the opioids may be associated with violencealong the lines of the "economic compulsive model" in which violent crimesare undertaken to secure money to support addicts' habits (Leavitt, 1995,p. Naltrexone is longer-acting and, whenadministered daily to heroin users, prevents experiencing the drug'spositive effects. And, on the other hand, "environments in whichdesired commodities are sparsely rationed lead to various excessivebehaviors including drug ingestion" (Leavitt, 1995, p. Behavioral approaches seem more promising.Relapse prevention skills training and counterconditioning do not producelong-term positive effects. Other factors such as the lack of nonviolent means of settlingdisputes, the presence of violence-prone people in the drug business,association with "people whose behavior precipitates violence," and thefact that antisocial personality disorder (which includes a tendency toviolence) is a high risk factor among drug abusers also contribute to anincidental connection of opioid addiction and violence (p. 144). There is, however, little reliable researchon opioids and creativity. 256). LAAM, however, can no longer be patented andpharmaceutical companies seldom produce it. This effectwas quite common among heroin users in the Vietnam war and residence changehas been reported by a number of researchers as having a profound positiveeffect on abstention from drug use. Leavittcites no effects on violence or aggressive behavior stemming from the abuseof the opioids themselves. Despite lowered drives, however, addicted couples oftendevelop close physical relationships. Among the advantages of methadone are thefact that it can be given orally, while heroin must be injected, and it iseffective in preventing opiate cravings and withdrawal symptoms for 24 to36 hours, while heroin must be taken several times per day. Other pharmacological treatments include buprenorphine and levo-alphaacetylmethadol (LAAM). Dropout rates are high in both but the communitiesproduce "dramatic personality changes" for those who remain and, as Leavittnotes, "people motivated enough to attend self-help groups probably derivemany benefits" (p. 247). 239). The literatureis divided on the effectiveness of methadone maintenance with someresearchers claiming that it aids most heroin addicts in managing theirlives and reducing opioid use while others hold that it can be as deadly asthe other opioids. Addicts, andmethadone users, are less likely than the average person to haveintercourse, masturbate, or achieve orgasm. Withdrawal is a painful and lengthyprocess. The reputation of heroin and morphine as extremely dangerousdrugs appears, however, to be unfounded. In any case of pharmacologicaltreatment experts hold that the administration of a substitute must beaccompanied by psychotherapy or counseling. Since women in methadone programs also gain access to greaterprenatal medical care and counseling some researchers support methadonemaintenance for pregnant addicts. Heroin addiction decreases sexual drive and potency. In addition, methadone has not been shown to producemany cures and its administration by drug recovery programs is an extremelycumbersome process which discourages many recovering addicts. Male addicts experience arebound effect when withdrawing from opioids in which "ejaculations mayoccur during sleep or in response to minimal genital stimulation" (Leavitt,1995, p. But extinction procedures, in which cues thatinduce drug cravings are repeated in trials with abstinence, tends todeprive such conditioned cues of their power to trigger drug cravings.This technique has been shown to produce positive effects with heroinusers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. The most effective may, however, be those that involve changes inenvironment. LAAM also reduces symptoms,may assist with addiction recovery, and has a longer-lasting effect thanmethadone (which means that daily clinic attendance is not necessary forrecovering addicts). Among nonpharmacological treatment approaches treatment communitiesand self-help support groups (such as Narcotics Anonymous) may producepositive results. Recent studies do, however, indicate that opioids depress thefunctioning of the immune system, which leads to greater susceptibility toinfections and diseases such as AIDS. The drugs are considered desirable byrecreational users because they are analgesic (pain-relieving) and induce astate of euphoria. Needle sharing among addicts also leads to hepatitisand, frequently, to HIV infection. The term heroin derives fromthe word "hero" and it was so called because it was first developed as a"heroic" cure for morphine and opium addiction. This is exemplified by the careers of Poe and De Quincey andthe story of Coleridge's composition of his poem Kubla Khan, supposedlyretrieved from an opium dream. Babies born to heroin-addicted women have small heads and display intellectual impairment.Pregnant women on methadone maintenance bear children with lower birthweight, but overall, these babies have fewer problems than those of heroinaddicts. 3rd ed. Scientists have speculated that opioids, and other drug groups, maybe causes of so-called Fetal Alcohol syndrome. 374). 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