WHAT IS HEROIN?
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What is Heroin?
Teen Heroin Use
Statistics
Teen Heroin Use
Although heroin use by teens is much
less than their misuse of prescription drugs
and alcohol use, it is still important to be
aware of. This article discusses statistics on
teen heroin use, as well as effects, warning
signs, and treatment for teen heroin use.
Heroin - What It Is
Heroin is an illegal (Schedule 1) narcotic, meaning it has no currently accepted
use in medical treatment, is illegal, and
has a high risk of abuse. It is related the
prescription medications called codeine,
morphine, Oxycontin, and Vicodin. Heroin
is a morphine derivative, stronger than its
source, and is semisynthetic. If heroin is
not available, a user may substitute one of
the other related drugs. Heroin is physically
addictive.
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The Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) reported in February 2011
that in 1999 through 2007, unintentional death from heroin use
was almost flat (although deaths
from cocaine use and opioid analgesics were rising overall, which
seemed to indicate heroin use
that was not increasing. In addition, the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior
Surveillance Survey (YRBS) from
the CDC report shows that lifetime
heroin use (at least 1 time) was at 1.7
percent for girls and 3.2 percent for boys,
less than meth use (3.3/4.7 for boys and
girls respectively), cocaine use (5.3/7.3),
notably less than prescription drug abuse
(19.8/20.4) or marijuana use (34.3/39.0),
and dramatically less than alcohol use
(74.2/70.8).
But CBS reported in 2009 that heroin
abuse among teens is on the rise. The CBS
report points to its relative cheapness as a
factor in its increased use and its greater
purity (which makes it more powerful) as
a factor in the deaths it causes. They also
point to a trend towards younger users,
stating that in an unidentified survey, more
8th graders than 12 graders had tried heroin
within the past 12 months.
The CBS report may be supported by
the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and
Health from SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services, Administration),
which states that significantly more people
tried heroin for the first time in 2009 than
from 2002 to 2008 (without identifying their
age). However, the SAMHSA data shows that
heroin is highly unlikely to be the first illicit
drug used by those over age 12 who have
used illicit drugs, accounting for less than a
tenth of a percent of first time uses (marijuana accounted for 59.1%).
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Teen Heroin Use Effects
Especially because of the increased
purity, overdose is not uncommon, and can
be fatal. For those who live to go on using,
heroin is addictive, and any method of use
may lead to addiction in nearly a quarter
of users, but other effects of heroin partly
depend on how it is used. Heroin may be
injected, smoked, or inhaled through the
nose. Injecting heroin can lead to Hepatitis
C or HIV and - among chronic users - lead
to collapsed veins, heart infections, and
problems with the kidneys and liver. For
the chronic user, withdrawal may be severe
and the accompanying cravings may be dramatic. While for most people withdrawal
takes days, for some, the symptoms may
last for months, and cravings may persist
for years.
Source: www.troubledteen101.com/articles63.html