How much do you actually know about heroin? Are you curious about how this highly addictive drug came about? Here at Hope Centers of Central Florida, our team of heroin addiction professionals want to make sure you have an understanding of how this drug came about. We specialize in opioid treatment and want to make sure you get the help you are seeking for.
A Brief History
Although heroin itself wasn’t invented until 1874, the history of its predecessors — opium and morphine — go back about 5,400 years. Starting around 3400 B.C., opium poppies were grown by the Mesopotamians and Sumerians in what is now the Middle East. From there, it spread to many other cultures, including Egypt, Greece, and India. Western civilizations, including the British Empire, obtained much of their opium from India.
Around 1805, the French pharmacist Friedrich Sertürner discovered how to isolate one of the opium’s active ingredients: morphine. Morphine was used widely to treat pain and to cure opium addiction before its own addictive properties were known. Morphine saw use in the United States during the American Civil War when it was used to manage pain from battle wounds.
Discovered in 1874 and commercialized in 1898 by pharmaceutical giant Bayer, heroin was intended to be a less-addictive and less-toxic synthetic version of morphine. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out that way. Heroin is actually two to three times more potent than morphine and is highly addictive. Despite the fact that heroin could no longer be legally purchased after 1920, it became the most widely used opiate in the U.S. and worldwide by the late 1920s. Heroin is still considered the most addictive drug in the world with one of the highest overdose rates, and drug overdose is the leading cause of death for Americans under 50 years old according to the New York Times.
Heroin’s effects are similar to prescription opioid painkillers, reducing pain, and adding an initial euphoric high. However, the user begins experiencing the adverse effects soon after, and more drugs are needed to escape from long-term withdrawal symptoms.
This guide combines current research to provide you with a complete explanation of the dangers, effects, and trends of heroin use in today’s society by compiling information from 8 government and international agencies, 14 scientific studies, and eight news and print sources.
Are You or a Loved One Suffering From Heroin Addiction?
Sometimes having the will to succeed is not always enough to break the bond of an opioid addiction. Let our team of caring professionals partner with you on your journey to recovery. At Hope Centers of Central Florida, we offer a comprehensive approach to opioid addiction, making us one of the leaders in this niche for drug treatment centers. Our services include a Medication-Assisted Treatment program to diminish the physical effects of withdrawal and decrease cravings as well as one-on-one counseling services to prepare patients for success after treatment.
Call Us For Opioid Treatment Today!
We are experts in heroin addiction. With our trusted and experienced clinical team and state-of-the-art treatment facility, we can help you get started on the road to lasting recovery. We want to get rid of the effects of addiction. Let our team of caring professionals partner with you on your journey to recovery. Our trained professional’s ultimate goal is to get our patients on the track to the cure. Hope Centers of Central Florida is the best Orlando treatment center that features the best suboxone doctor. Call or visit us today to schedule an appointment or ask us about our services. We are a rehabilitation center specializing in opioid treatment.
