Opium
Opium is a very addictive
narcotic that comes from the seedpods of an opium poppy. The opium poppies are grown in countries all over the world and the plant itself has flowers that come in assorted colors. The opium is collected by making incisions in the immature seed pods, extracting the milky liquid, then letting it dry. The dried material is then used to make different kinds of drugs. Derivatives of opium, also called opiates, include, but are not limited to:
The opium plant has been used world-wide for thousands of years, both recreationally and medicinally. Medicinally, it has been considered one of the most important plants in history. It is used to help relieve pain and anxiety, suppress cough, promote sleep and help alleviate diarrhea. However, as with many drugs, opiates are also used and abused recreationally. Pure opium was smoked in a pipe. Centuries ago, people would gather in rooms called “opium dens” where they would prepare and smoke the drug. It was an elaborate procedure, involving many steps, which provided an opportunity for “slaves” to help prepare the opium. Due to the state of euphoria and increased sex drive that smoking opium creates; these slaves would also become prostitutes for the men smoking the opium. Opium was also given to soldiers during the Civil War as a pain reliever in the form of morphine. Many people became very addicted to the drug during this time. In this century, opiates are commonly injected as heroin, which is an extremely addictive drug.
Some of the effects of opiates are the following:
- Absence of pain
- Euphoria
- Altered mood
- Sleepiness
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting
- Inability to concentrate
Side effects can be:
- Addiction
- Moodiness
- Low blood pressure
- Weight loss
- Decreased sex drive
- Constipation
- Liver, kidney, lung or brain damage
- Coma
- Death
Addiction is the leading side effect that opiates have. You can become addicted very quickly, within weeks. Unfortunately, many times, you may become addicted to opiates because you had a toothache, or surgery and you were given a narcotic pain reliever, which you then became addicted to. You may have initially been prescribed a certain amount of medication to relieve pain, but after some time, you found you needed more medication to achieve the same level of relief. After the prescription expired, you may have found yourself in a situation where your body was craving the drug, and you couldn’t think about anything else. You may be buying drugs on the street, or if you don’t have the money, you may be putting yourself in risky situations in order to get the drugs. This is the point where you need to take action and get some help. If you are reading this article, there is still hope. There are
therapists, 12-step groups and
treatment centers that specifically deal with this kind of addiction. There are also people, just like you, who know how you feel and have been able to change the behavior, with the help of others.