User:Infernal.magnet/Heroin Withdrawl

Heroin Withdrawl is a condition that occurs after the sudden cessation of use of heroin or other opiates once someone has become physically dependant on them.

This page could be titled opitate withdrawl, except that I want to try and focus on practical things that people can do to help themselves if they are stuck in a state of withdrawl without medical personel to help them, as frequently happens to users of prohibited drugs.

History

The actual realisation that morphine is addictive was made by various people as more potent forms of opium were invented. The first major breakthrough was in the 16th Century, when the alchemist Paracelsus mixed opium and alcohol and created laudanum. Since morphine is soluble in alcohol, it was possible to make a stronger per unit dose. However, this also meant more detrimental effects when the patient stopped taking it.

• For hundreds of years, this was not a problem, many many people were addicted to opium, which was in practically every patent medicine sold, since it was the only drug that really worked.

However, it wasnt really that much of a problem because raw opium was not that strong and most people could get it easily, which meant it had no adverse effects.

• Morphine was refined from opium in Germany in 1803, which increased the popularity of narcotics, as it was thought that morphine was medically acceptable and safe. At this time in history, geopolitics were beginning to mingle with the medical treatment of pain. In 1839, the Chinese tried keeping opium out of their country. They were met with British warships enforcing the importation of opium into China, thereby beginning the First Opium War which ended with the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842. This forced China to hand over Hong Kong to the British. A year later in 1843, Dr. Alexander Wood demonstrated the efficacy of intravenous morphine. It was believed that intravenous morphine was not addictive and therefore beneficial.

Hence opium smoking was outlawed in the commonwealth, but IV morphine was not.

The shift in starting to punish people for being addicted to opiates started with the harrison tax act in 1910, then went further with the creation of the league of nations, who organised a world opium cartel, which was the fore-runner of todays UNCDP

Preperation

• Before you do a heroin detox, it is very important to examine your motives for doing so. If you are merely quitting because of someone elses wish, then you are doomed to failure. This becomes even more difficult of the person is in a situation where they are made to feel bad about thier urge to do drugs. Be very wary of people who have never done drugs tell you to stop using them immediately. Often they have no idea what they are talking about, and are merely following the logic that 'anyone must be better off drugs' this is not necessarily true.
• Consider your reasons for using heroin. If you are suicidal without heroin, then you may be better off with an addiction. I realise that this is probably heresy to some people, but the fact of the matter is that heroin allows many people to keep thier sanity until they can find the right moment to deal with whatever issues are tormenting them.

• Heroin has saved me from suicide on a number of occassions where i would have otherwise been overwhelmed by anguish. This is a very unpopular point to make at rehab.

The severity of the withdrawl is obviously related to the amount of heroin you have been using and for how long. If you have been usuing continually for more than a year, i would strongly advice maintance therapy with another opoid instead of withdrawl. Be also very careful of rapid detox centres that sedate you and flush your body with naltrexone, not only are the side effects often worse than the drug habit, but a number of addicts have relapsed after using naltrexone and died from overdose, since it makes you much more sensitive to heroin.

Find a quiet place with a bed, and something to occupy you that does not take up much energy (movies are good, so are books). If you have to be locked away in a facility to withdraw, be aware that the people running such places are not your friends. They are often religious and believe that an addict should suffer as much as possible during withdrawl so they will learn not to do it again.

• I cannot state this strongly enough. This kind of treatment makes re-lapse much, much more likely.

If you are caring for someone going through withdrawl, be supportive, help them out of a spirit of kindness because they are in pain, not just because they are getting off heroin. Demanding that someone promise that they will never use drugs again is a sure fire way to wreck thier self esteem. If you are a very good friend, you may get some heroin, take your friend to a secluded place and stay there for a few weeks, giving them smaller and smaller doses of heroin so that when they cease using, it will not be so bad.

However, it is often after the withdrawl is over that the real struggle begns. Post withdrawl depression is crushing and can lead to suicide and of course, more heroin. The _only_ drug i have personally found that counters this effect is buprenorphine