Why do we use drugs? There are many different opinions as to why people use drugs. Some of the most widely used drugs today are heroine, cocaine, nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana. These drugs each have there own history, and they all have addictive qualities.
Heroine comes from the opium poppy. Opium's calming, painkilling, and sleep-inducing properties were first recognized more than 4,000 years ago.(Heroine, Fred Zackon, M.Ed., 1986) Heroine was first synthesized from morphine. Its first use was to help with morphine addiction. However, this caused people to become addicted to heroine.
Heroine is a very addictive substance. When heroine enters the bloodstream the liver converts it to morphine. This produces powerful pain reduction. However the most appealing aspect of heroine to its users is the feeling of euphoria. Prolonged use of heroine or any opiate causes the user to build a tolerance to the drug. This leads to more and more use to produce the same effect.
Treating a person addicted to heroine is very difficult. People who stop using heroine very abruptly usually suffer from withdrawals. Heroine withdrawals usually cause flu like symptoms. Chills, goose bumps, runny nose, aching limbs, abdominal cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea are all common symptoms for heroine withdrawals. These symptoms start between eight and twelve hours after use, and peak within two days. The symptoms soon decrease and are usually gone within three to five days.
Although tobacco is legal, it is still a drug. Society today doesn't consider nicotine to be a drug, but simply because something is legal does not mean it is not a drug. In the sixteenth century, British sea captains brought three Indians to England. On the voyage, many sailors tried the tobacco brought by the Indians and later found it hard to stop. To help the need for tobacco in Europe, many explorers began keeping fields in Africa, Europe, and America.