Last updated : December 16, 2024
Certain drugs fall in and out of fashion as trends shift and availability changes. For years, prescription drugs have been a popular choice for addicts to abuse recreationally. Recently, however, the trend has turned back to heroin, a drug that’s fallen in and out of fashion several times over the past century.
Heroin was discovered in 1889 as an alternative to morphine. At first, it was marketed by pharmaceutical companies as a wonder drug. This quickly ended, however, when the drug’s euphoric and addictive properties were discovered. By 1910, heroin abuse had spread throughout the country, and laws were enacted to restrict access to the drug.
Since that time, heroin has fallen in and out of vogue as other drugs became popular and heroin’s availability faltered. During times that heroin was plentiful and affordable, it saw a substantial increase in popularity. The largest heroin use epidemics in recent history occurred in the 1950s and 1970s. In the case of the 1970s heroin epidemic, the Vietnam war played a heavy role: Underage soldiers could not drink alcohol but had easy access to opiates in Vietnam.
Risks of Heroin Use
Opiates like heroin and morphine work to alleviate pain by affecting neural pathways in the brain. When taken recreationally, these drugs provide strong feelings of euphoria followed by deep relaxation. Physiologically, the symptoms of heroin use are similar to those of other drugs:
- Dry mouth
- Constricted pupils
- Disorientation
- Drooping or sluggish appearance
- Cycles of nodding off following a period of heightened alertness
Death from overdose is common with opiates, which work to suppress the action of the lungs and heart. The result is coma followed by death. In the case of illegal heroin, overdose is particularly dangerous as the purity of the drug can vary substantially from one batch to another.
Other health risks associated with heroin include the transmission of blood-borne diseases like HIV and hepatitis. Because heroin is usually taken intravenously, drug users may share needles and spread disease among themselves.
Heroin is also well-known for its brutal withdrawal symptoms, which resemble severe flu. Some long-term heroin users may even die from the shock of being removed from the drug cold turkey, which is why a structured rehab program is so vital for these addicts.
Coming Full Circle
Drugs become popular for abuse when they’re readily available and cheaper than their alternatives. Although opiates of all kinds have remained a popular drug for addicts, prescription drug abuse has been the trend since the 90s. More recently, the rising cost of prescription drugs and tighter limitations on their distribution has driven more people back toward heroin.
Although it’s easy to think of heroin as a back alley drug associated with poverty and crime, the new heroin epidemic has hit the suburbs hard. In many cases, the gateway drug to heroin addiction is prescription pain medication, and these prescription pills are often taken for legitimate reasons, like surgery recovery. Once access to prescription pharmaceuticals is denied, users turn toward heroin as a substitute, and the results can be devastating.
Heroin overdoses killed 161 people in Cuyahoga County alone last year, a substantial increase from the 107 deaths the previous year. Over half of the victims were suburban dwellers, many of them teenagers from well-adjusted, middle-income homes. Overall, opiate overdoses have increased by a shocking 400 percent since 1999, and it seems that the trend continues to move upward.
Fortunately, as awareness builds, it’s possible to reverse the dangerous trend of drug use throughout Ohio. By restricting access to the drug and providing appropriate care to those who need it, state officials can begin undoing the damage of this budding epidemic.
