Drug Addiction Has Become An Epidemic - 1352 Words

Throughout history, people have died from many different causes. Whether it be an accident, disease, murder or plain old age there is no stopping death, however according to the CDC, everyday 44 people in the U.S. die from overdose of prescription painkillers and many more become addicted (CDC). Opioid overdose covering a range of drugs – from morphine and heroin to painkillers such as oxycodone – claim nearly 70,000 lives each year ( UN health agency). With a constantly increasing rate, drug addiction has become an epidemic. Opiates are now the common choice of drug and is accumulating deaths by the thousands. Heroin, which is derived from the poppy plant and is the recreational form of morphine, is leading the statistics in deaths among opiates and has evolved from a drug choice of â€Å"bums† to the drug choice of CEO’s and soccer moms. The world is in the middle of a drug revolution and it is by no means bloodless. Heroin in extended use can cause seve re physical and psychological harm to the user which may include infectious disease (HIV, Hepatitis B and C), collapsed veins, liver and kidney disease, abscesses, and insomnia. Addiction is now worst among teenagers in high school than any other group of individuals. Every time an addict decides to cook up and inject heroin they are destroying a part of their life as well as the people around them. The process of becoming an addict is not difficult one, all it takes is one simple life mistake, it all starts with the personShow MoreRelatedPrescription Pain Medications Are Supposed To Improve The1225 Words   |  5 Pagesand well-being of an individual. Oxycontin, an opioid drug, is meant to help people manage their pain symptoms; however, many people are unaware that there is a danger of abuse of receiving drugs prescribed by their physicians. The essays â€Å"How to Create an Addiction† and â€Å"Erin Daly: OxyWatchdog† by Cynthia Andrzejczyk explore the problem of prescription drugs in the United States. Since 1999, prescription drug epidemic in the United States has been killing 15,000 people every year from overdosingRead MoreWhat Term Should be Used to Describe Alcholism?1465 Words   |  6 Pages The majority of people hearing the term addict or addiction drugs are probably the first thing that comes to their mind. Fewer may think of alcohol because, although people who chronically abuse alcohol are also addicts, the term alcoholic or alcoholism is used more often in reference to those people. 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AllRead MoreAddiction Changes The Way The Brain Processes Information964 Words   |  4 PagesAddiction changes the way the brain processes information. To understand addiction, you first must learn its language—how addiction develops and why addicts continue to use despite the harm it inevitably causes. Addiction is a mysterious illness because it seems to make such little sense to the onlooker and even to the addict. Addicts are prone to repeating their poor choices because they do not process information correctly. All addicts have poor insight and poor judgment when using. It is partRead MoreThe Addiction Epidemic Of Substance Abuse Essay1699 Words   |  7 PagesThe Addiction Epidemic The use of substances for physical, mind and social advantage has been around since the beginning of documented history. Contemporary use of prescription medication for these advantages has led to a national epidemic of substance abuse. 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To understand addiction, you first have to learn its language—how addiction develops and why addicts continue to use despite the harm it inevitably causes. Addiction is a mysterious illness because it seems to make such little sense to the onlooker and at times even to the addict. Addicts are prone to repeating their poor choices because they do not process information correctly. All addicts have poor insight and poor