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    Get Smart About Heroin
    Get Smart About Heroin
    Get Smart About Heroin
    Ebook79 pages59 minutes

    Get Smart About Heroin

    By Publishing Hazelden

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    About this ebook

    Learn the basic facts behind the dangers of heroin abuse, including the history of heroin and other opiates, its legitimate medical uses, signs of addiction and dependence, addiction treatment options, prevention tools for parents, and much more.With heroin abuse on the rise as prescription painkillers become more tightly regulated, what are the basic facts we need to know about this dangerous and highly addictive drug? In this Get Smart Quick Guide, expert resources and information come together in an engaging and accessible e-book short. Topics include:What heroin is and where the entire class of opiates comes fromThe history of heroin’s use and abuseChanging cultural, social, and legal factorsDefinitions of normal use, abuse, and dependence, with information on prevention and advice for parentsHow heroin works, including its health effects and what makes it so addictiveIntervention and effective treatment methodsRelapse prevention tools for recovering dependents and addicts
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHazelden Publishing
    Release dateDec 30, 2013
    ISBN9781616495206
    Get Smart About Heroin

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      Book preview

      Get Smart About Heroin - Publishing Hazelden

      Get Smart About Heroin

      A Hazelden Quick Guide

      Hazelden Publishing

      Center City, Minnesota 55012

      800-328-9000

      hazelden.org/bookstore

      © 2013 by Hazelden Foundation

      All rights reserved. Published 2013.

      No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the express written permission of the publisher. Failure to comply with these terms may expose you to legal action and damages for copyright infringement.

      eISBN : 978-1-61649-520-6

      Editor’s notes:

      The names, details, and circumstances may have been changed to protect the privacy of those mentioned in this publication.

      This publication is not intended as a substitute for the advice of health care professionals.

      Alcoholics Anonymous is a registered trademark of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

      17 16 15 14 13        1 2 3 4 5 6

      Cover design by Theresa Jaeger Gedig

      Interior design and typesetting by BookMobile Design & Digital Publisher Services

      Developmental editor: Peter Schletty

      Production editor: Mindy Keskinen

      About Hazelden Quick Guides

      Hazelden Quick Guides are short, accessible e-books that draw on the original work and best practices of leading experts to help readers address common addiction recovery and emotional health issues. The Get Smart collection describes each of the major drugs its historical, cultural, and legal context, its addictive qualities, and information on prevention and treatment.

      Contents

      Introduction

      History

      Heroin Basics

      How Heroin Is Produced

      How Heroin Is Used

      Addicted to Heroin

      Heroin and the Brain

      Effects of Heroin Use

      Ben’s Story

      Heroin Overdose

      Costs to Society

      Treatment for Heroin Addiction

      Treatment Options

      Principles of Effective Treatment

      Treatment Programs

      Ben’s Story, Continued

      Relapse Prevention

      Support for Family Members

      Prevention Practices

      Comprehensive Prevention Programs

      Education and Awareness

      Tips for Parents

      Notes

      Introduction

      Heroin. Fast-acting, powerful, and stronger than ever, it is considered a societal problem of epidemic proportions, as use of the drug has seeped into every conceivable corner of society—with deadly results. Whatever your preconceptions or prejudices about this illegal drug may be, it is difficult and dangerous to ignore reality as more and more people cross a once-unthinkable threshold and become heroin users. Many of these accidental drug users began with prescription painkillers, whether legitimately prescribed or not. In time, when these pills became too expensive or more difficult to procure, heroin served as a substitute. As one addict puts it, No one chooses to use heroin. Everyone who uses it uses it out of desperation.

      That same young man, now in recovery, advises loved ones to become informed about heroin, to pull up the shades of denial and seek help before it’s too late. He says, If you’re a parent with a kid who has drug problems, become educated about addiction. If you’re going to be a help to your kid, then you have a lot to learn. This e-booklet will provide an overview of heroin, including the drug’s history (beginning with the cultivation of the first opium poppy plant), how it works on the body and brain to produce a high, and why users become dependent on it. We’ll explain how recent restrictions and formulary changes in prescription painkillers has led to an increase in heroin use and describe the most common methods of use today.

      The routes to recovery from heroin addiction are varied and numerous; in this guide, we’ll also explore treatment options and discuss prevention measures.

      Heroin Addiction or Disorder?

      In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association released the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5). Behavioral health professionals, such as psychiatrists and psychologists, use this manual as a guide to diagnose people with substance use and mental health disorders. In the latest edition, the terminology used for addiction disorders has changed. Instead of separating such problems into categories such as substance abuse, chemical dependency, or addiction, the guide now uses one term—substance use disorder—to include the full range of problematic drug use. To be officially diagnosed with a heroin problem, someone would be classified as having an opioid use disorder. Opioids include any natural or pharmacological substance derived from the opium poppy, such as heroin, but also drugs that synthetically re-create the effects of these drugs. The diagnostic manual includes a list of criteria to help behavioral health professionals determine whether a person has a mild, moderate, or severe form of the disorder. In this book, we have continued to use the terms abuse, dependence, and addiction as a convenience to readers, since these are the terms

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