Heroin Use, Abuse And Addiction - 1876 Words

Heroin use, abuse and addiction has been a major issue in our society. Considered a worldwide social problem, heroin abuse has been on the rise and as of late has reached epidemic proportions. Locally, the city of Erie and neighboring counties have also been affected by this wide-ranging drug trend. Heroin abuse brings violent crime, economically compulsive and systemic violent crime to a community, along with homelessness, as well as diseases, such as HIV and Hepatitis C. Another problem impossible for the compassionate and humanitarians to ignore is the amount of deaths and struggles those addicted to heroin are experiencing. Because of these chronic social issues that are not being resolved well enough through treatments such as Methadone and Narcotics Anonymous, alternative treatments should be explored and could be incorporated into treatment plans for those addicted to heroin. For a person who is abusing heroin, two obstacles must be overcome for treatment to be a success. The short term effects of heroin treatment involve withdrawing from the drug. Because heroin creates such a strong physical dependence, an addict will often continue taking the drug in order to ward off the physical pain of withdrawal symptoms. The second obstruction is the ability to stay off the drug. â€Å"After detoxification, the long-term problem of drug dependence remains. The craving for heroin persists and the abuser most often has little choice but to return to a drug-orientatedShow MoreRelatedDrug Addiction : Drugs And Drug Abuse Essay1615 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction In our society Heroin, has become an overpowering epidemic around the world, this drug is extremely addictive and has been illegal in the United States for many years. Although many individuals seem to discover a way to obtain this very lethal drug. 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