Drug Abuse

Causes differ between each abuser. Reasons vary, but common ones are due to peer pressure, curiosity, attention, stress, fun, and sometimes even because of health class.

7 classes of Drugs

There are seven classes of drugs. Each class differ in its properties and drugs within each class often produce similar effects.

x. stimulants
x. depressants
x. hallucinogens
x. narcotics
x. tranquilizer
x. anabolic steroids
x. cannabis

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Stimulants excites, while depressants slow down the vital organs. Hallucinogens cause hallucinations, narcotics are pain relievers, tranquilizers calm the central nervous system, anabolic steroids promote tissue growth and repair, and cannabis are drugs that are made from the Indian plant, Cannabis sativa.

Addiction

Addiction is an intense craving that "hooks" you emotionally and psychologically. You would want to use it again and again, and when you stop, horrible physical reactions may be caused. Addiction involves also social, psychological and physical consequences. Certain drugs may be more addictive than others.

Heroin

Street Names

Street names are nicknames for drugs, sometimes used as code names to identify illegal drugs.

Heroin is called:

x. big H

x. blacktar

x. brown sugar

x. dope

x. horse

x. junk

x. mud

x. skag

x. smack

x. The Tragic Beginning of Heroin .x

Heroin was first formed by English chemist C.R. Alder Wright in 1874 by combining morphine with various acids. Anhydrous morphine alkaloid and acetic anhydride was boiled on a stove for hours to produce a more powerful, acetylated form of morphine, now called diacetylmorphine. The compound was then sent for analysis and turned out to be a failure.

23 years later, the diacetylmorphine was modified by Felix Hoffman, who was instructed to produce codeine by acetylating morphine. But instead of producting codeine, the experiment produced a compound 150 to 200% more powerful than morphine itself. The substance was later named "heroin", which came from the German word, heroisch, meaning heroic. This was because in field studies people using the medicine felt "heroic".

Heroin was thought to be a non-addictive morphine substitute and a cough medicine from 1898 to 1910. It was then discovered that "Heroin" was basically only a quicker acting form of morphine.

Various Ways of Taking the Drug

Heroin can be consumed in various ways. It can be eaten, smoked, sniffed and most commonly, injected into a bloodstream.