Morphine is a depressant that reduces the work rate of the nervous system. Most people use it with the claim that it relieves them from stress and give them a cool temperament.

It is important to mention that heroin was first processed in 1874 from morphine. Twenty four years later, a German pharmaceutical company manufactured it industrially using ‘heroin’ as a trademark. Then, it was manufactured as a cough relief by suppressing the respiratory tract. Although it was produced as a non-addictive morphine, unfortunately, it was later found that the processed drug, heroin, metabolizes into morphine.

With time, people started to cultivate opium poppies mainly for extraction of morphine. The extracted morphine would then be processed into heroin locally and sold. Among the areas where the opium tree is being cultivated for this purpose are Mexico, South America, Southwest Asia and Southeast Asia. Presently, heroin is now a widespread drug in the U.S.

When manufactured, heroin usually has a characteristic white color when pure. It is powdery in texture. When it is impure state, heroin has varying colors. Black tar is a form of impure heroin, which is refined locally.

It would also be beneficial to know that heroin is one of the most easily addictive drugs. There is always an urge for more heroin after the first intake. Although, it is a depressant, it is easy to get addicted. When it gets into the system, it immediately acts on the nervous system thereby slowing it down.

Another fact about heroin that is noteworthy is that it is referred to by different slag varying from one place to another. For example, it is usually called Black Tar in the U.S. In some other places, it is may be called Skag, Big H, Smack, Brown Sugar, etc.

Also, the ways heroin is being assimilated into the body system vary. Generally, it is taken as an injection. However, many other ways have now been suggested like snorting and smoking. It is wrongly believed that taking it through these other methods will not lead to addiction.

In addition, many harmful effects have been associated with heroin intake. The major effects are on the nervous system and the respiratory system. Since heroin is a depressant, it slows down the efficiency of both nervous system and the respiratory system. It causes sclerosis of the vein and infection of the lining covering the cardiac muscle. It also causes liver disease as well as pulmonary complications.

In recent times, knowing about meth is very important as a lot of people mistaken it for some other stimulants and so they take it. Others take the drug excessively, knowing what this drug is all about, and so it becomes an abused substance and the people taking it become addicts. Though, it is similar to a lot of other stimulants like the amphetamine derivatives, its effects when misused are lethal.

Most people take it into the body through snorting, smoking or through intravenous injections, and its deadly effects can rapidly be felt in very few minutes of overdose. Excessive excitement and euphoria are the heights of pleasure that it produces on the consumers, but this is just for some minutes. A few minutes after these ecstatic effects, severe depression and rapid loss of pleasure sets in.

A major sign which indicates an abuse of meth is the “meth mouth“. This is a condition in which the teeth enamels become corroded. Users with “meth mouth” have blackened, stained, or rotting teeth, which often can’t be saved, even among young or short-term users.

One of the most striking effects of meth is the change in the physical appearance of meth users. Because meth causes the blood vessels to constrict, it cuts off the steady flow of blood to all parts of the body. Heavy usage can weaken and destroy these vessels, causing tissues to become prone to damage and inhibiting the body’s ability to repair itself. Acne appears, sores take longer to heal, and the skin loses its luster and elasticity. Some users are covered in small sores, the result of obsessive skin-picking brought on by the hallucination of having bugs crawling beneath the skin, a disorder known as formication.

The hardest addiction to take care of or treated is that of meth dependence. Though some people opined that addiction to meth is incurable, there is a cure for it.

Do not leave a person addicted to meth without attending to him, he needs serious help, and you should try to help him out his predicament.

Crack is a cocaine type that is produced from the powdered form of cocaine. Its name was derived from the distinct cracking sound it makes when it is smoked. It is inexpensive to buy, and this accounts for its popularity among the rich, poor and the generality of people. It is the most dangerous and addicting form of cocaine with a lot of people addicted to its use. It is very pure and has a very strong effect when compared to other types of cocaine. A myriad of names is used to refer to crack on the street especially among those who make use of them. Some of these names are beat, sugar block, raw, candy, troop and so on.

Crack cocaine is a very harmful drugs that if inhaled, is easily absorbed into the lungs. The human body has a very distinct way of taking it into the body. When it gets into the lungs after inhaling it, it is transferred into the blood stream and from the blood stream it gets into the brain. This is where it injects its potent poison of addiction and danger into the body of the person who inhales it. Crack cocaine effects include mental, physical and psychological effects. Due to the fact that the hydrochloride that gives it its salt property has been removed and processed over heat and mixed with baking soda and ammonia, it becomes easy to be smoked and so it is mostly smoked than sniffed.

Cocaine in the body can bring nervous system disorders, sometimes coma and eventually death. Crack cocaine effects can be for a short and long term. Nausea, dilated pupils, anxiety, high blood pressure, increased heart rate are some of the short term crack cocaine effects. While severe depression, excessive sweating, severe tooth decay, mood disturbances, weight loss, liver damage, kidney problem, lung inaction and also breathing problems are some of the long term use effects.

Consuming crack cocaine does not give people a good life, just a few seconds of activity and hours of severe depression. Excessive consumption brings about addiction, and when addiction sets in, the problem becomes complicated because it is not easy to leave it. That’s why addicts do anything to get the drugs even if they have to steal. Yes, almost all illnesses have cures, but even with that, most crack cocaine effects are irreparable; with a lot of body functions disturbed and some organs damaged. In fact, most treatments have been reported to be abortive. So, why don’t you adhere to a simple life? Live a happy, long lasting life.

There are 3 common avenues used when administering cocaine to the body: 1) snorting 2) needle injection and 3) smoking.

Snorting is the process where the user inhales cocaine powder through his or her nose.  Normally  a user will put their nose to the line of cocaine and inhale the drug. Sometimes short straws or rolled up paper money, with a small opening is used to inhale it through.  When the drug gets in contact with the nasal tissues, it is absorbed and from there it gets in the bloodstream.

Getting a high via needle injection allows the cocaine to be introduced into the user’s  bloodstream faster. This is done by mixing the powder with a little bit of water.  This is a more direct avenue for a quick high. Because junkies tend to share their equipment without thinking twice, the chances of contracting AIDS from sharing a needle is extremely high.  Many knowingly spread sexually transmitted diseases due to their view of human worth being very low. Thus, when they share a needle, they have no regard of what they are spreading … they simply want to experience a high.

Smoking cocaine involves inhaling cocaine vapor or smoke into the lungs. This is done by crystallizing the powder, putting it into a type of pipe, then heating it in order to inhale the vapor straight into the bloodstream. This procedure causes as rapid a high as injecting the liquid and is equally as addicting and deadly.

It is a known fact that the high from using cocaine is more intense if the drug is quickly absorbed by the bloodstream and reaches the brain. This is why some of the methods to administer cocaine are more ‘effective’ – for example smoking and injecting deliver the drug quicker to the bloodstream than snorting. However, the quicker the drug is absorbed, the shorter time the effects from it last. Cocaine users report that after snorting, they have the euphoria sensation for quarter of an hour to one hour, while after smoking they feel the euphoria for just 10 minutes if that.

This can have very dangerous results, as the shorter the euphoria lasts, the sooner the addict will feel the need to have more from the drug. Taking higher and higher doses within short periods of time is called “bingeing” and is the cause of a high percentage of overdose deaths.

Most of the cocaine addicts that take their first hit are simply trying to escape their individual reality for a plethora of possible reasons: poor living conditions, bad environmental situations, being abused at home, loss of loved ones, not being accepted by peers at any given age, laid off from work and cannot get a job, etc.

Cocaine taken in any form causes the body to begin to depend upon the substance being present. Thus, tricking the body into thinking that it needs it in order to survive. Cocaine addiction is prominent in the urban lower class environment as well as the upper crust. It is not prejudice when it comes to who it effects.

Using the drug increases the body’s energy level, reduces the need for sleep, and increases mental alertness in most users.  The faster the drug hits the brain, the quicker the effect. However, the more direct the use (shooting up using a needle right into the blood stream), the more intense the high and the shorter the effect.

The result also may cause the brain to sense things that are not real and cause the user to hallucinate. In so doing, the user acts upon what he/she believes to be real. Hallucinations that have been reported are those that are phobic in nature (i.e. claustrophobia), while yet others see and feel things such as cockroaches and spiders crawling all over their body.  In the midst of thrashing around to get them off, they generally cause much physical damage to themselves and anyone around them during such an episode.

Cocaine serves as a strong stimuli directly effecting the nervous system. It increases the levels of dopamine, a chemical in the brain,  that serves as a neurotransmitter. It is associated with things that the body receives as pleasurable. This action causes the brain to believe the body has been rewarded something pleasing to the body.  Certain brain cells use dopamine to communicate. When the message is faulty, the body reacts as though it is reality when under the influence.

With repeated use, the tolerance level is built up so that more cocaine is needed to achieve the desired high of the addict. Many cocaine abusers report that they seek to reach the same high they initially had during the first use. The always fail. Thus, they become addicted to achieving that first time high. This is what pushers/dealers depend upon when they begin selling to users knowing that it will make them become a cocaine addict.

Once the dealer succeeds in their “clients” having a cocaine addiction, they are free to abuse them for their own gain however they see fit. The user is helpless.  Knowing the effect that cocaine has on the user, the majority of the pushers are rarely users themselves.  To do so would give cocaine power of them as well.

The Effects of Marijuana on the Heart

Marijuana can increase the heart rate from 20 to 100 percent shortly after smoking it. This side effect can last up to three hours and can be a major contributor to a heart attack later on in life. This increase in heart rate can be coupled with palpitations caused by the inhalation and effects of the drug. If you already have cardiac problems, smoking marijuana can only make your situation much worse.

The Effects of Marijuana on the Lungs

We know that cigarettes carry a large amount of carcinogens that cause tar and resin build up in the lungs. It’s that build up that can cause lung cancer. According to the U.S. NIDA info facts, marijuana has 50-70 percent more carcinogens than cigarettes. This isn’t necessarily because the plant itself has poisons built into it. It’s because the marijuana smoker will take deeper and longer hits off the drug than a cigarette. The drug user will usually hold in the hit, which all combined, does irreparable damage to your lungs.

Other effects on the lungs include, phlegm build up and more respiratory problems, with more sick days. Marijuana smokers, according to the U.S,. NIDA, miss more work days due to illness from smoking marijuana.

The Effects of Marijuana on Your Brain

Memory is directly effected by smoking marijuana. There is a specific type of memory function being displaced when you smoke marijuana, called recognition memory. Marijuana smokers often forget the information they were just shown, or even mistake it for information they really have never saw before. This short-term memory lapse is called memory intrusion. It can play havoc on a marijuana smoker’s sense of reality.

The Effects of Marijuana on Your Emotions

The two emotions that marijuana has a direct effect on is happiness and anxiety. A marijuana smoker can go from happy and giggles, to completely paranoid in an instant. That’s because the THC is woking away in the mind, affecting the limbic systems within the brain. The limbic systems in the mind is what controls our behavior and emotions. Many college students do find themselves smoking marijuana in the hopes of calming their nerves when they are overloaded by school work. When the drug wears off, the user may find themselves back in the same stressed out state of mind. It is not a long-term solution and can do serious harm to your heart, lungs, and mind.

It’s original uses were to lose weight, increase alertness, self-esteem, and sexual libido. It causes these reactions by inducing a psychological reward system that is a result from a flood of dopamine in the brain. There are many different effects of meth use, 99% of them are adverse effects that are detrimental to the individual user, their families, and their work on a daily basis.

Some of the physical effects of meth use are anorexia, or a lack of eating, hyperactivity that is usually displayed as a need to clean and make things perfect. Some other signs and effects are dilated pupils, dry mouth, constipation, dizziness, twitching, numbness, and even heart palpitations that can cause heart attacks or even kick off a stroke.

The physical effects aren’t the only noticeable problems with meth use. There are multiple psychological problems that are associated with the effects of meth. These effects can include total confusion, increased energy, aggression, severe anxiety, paranoia of those around you, a feeling of invincibility, obsessive behaviors and even full blown hallucinations.

The long-term effects can include high rates of depression and suicide. Serious heart problems have also been recorded. Mental psychosis, continued anxiety and violent reactions have all been recorded in heavy users, even when not on meth. Constant use can cause permanent memory loss, impaired attention span, and a lack of overall brain function. Many heavy users are often referred to as a “burn-out” due to their lack of mental acuteness.

One of the most obvious signs of long-term use is often called “meth-mouth.” This is when the insistent use of meth over a long period of time destroys the teeth, especially the front uppers and lowers, giving them the classic meth-mouth look. The back teeth are destroyed through meth use by clenching the jaw and grinding the molars. Doing this, over time, will wear down the strength of your teeth, until it finally cracks the teeth being clenched and pressurized from the tension that is delivered through the meth high.

The effects of meth just don’t stop at the individual user or abuser. It effects the public health as well. The fumes that result from the creation of meth can potentially explode, destroying the home that it is in and the surrounding properties as well. The escaping fumes from a meth lab can cause severe illness, lung problems, and even death.

Seizures from breathing in fumes are not uncommon, and makes the first responders to a meth lab some of the most at risk for these potential adverse effects. If the meth lab is never discovered, it can still cause severe health problems for future occupants of the property, due to the residues that are left behind on the counters, walls, and ceiling.

The Effects of Crack Use on the Mind

Crack use directly effects brain chemistry within 10 seconds after it’s smoked. It causes the user to have extreme confidence, no appetite, long-lasting insomnia, increased energy, paranoia while high, and a craving for, or mental dependence on, crack.

Crack use may be one of the most popular drugs in America, but that’s not because it lasts for a long time. The crack high usually only lasts 10 to 15 minutes. The reason for that is, crack directly raises the dopamine levels in the brain. After that 10 minutes period of time, those dopamine levels plummet, making that high and euphoric feeling quickly fade away.

This high of highs is wanted again and again, but since the dopamine levels in a persons brain can take a very long time to replenish, the high is never anywhere as good as it was the first time. This act is called chasing the dragon. It describes the constant chase to feel that euphoric effect that’s had the first time crack is used. The constant use of crack can lead to one of the strangest types of mental illnesses, called delusional parasitosis.

This, simply put, is the delusion that parasites are living throughout the body, from the skin to the vital organs. This often referred to as “cocaine bugs,” where extended users feel as if there are bugs crawling under their skin. Many of the victims of this delusion have sores and scars from constantly itching their skin, trying to get the bugs out. These same types of behavior can be experienced through meth abuse and even alcohol abuse.

The Effects of Crack on the Body

The effects of crack on the body have a direct physical role to play in the health of any crack user. Starting from the head down, the pupils will become dilated, the loss of balance and even vertigo has been known to set in, the blood vessels constrict, causing an increased heart rate and raised blood pressure. While high on crack, the heart is under immense stress and can easily lead to a heart attack or a stroke.

The lungs are also adversely effected from crack use, the risk of respiratory arrest are very real and happen in fairly large percentile of long-term users. On top of all this, the body temperature rises, making the crack user sweat and shake from unexpected hot and cold flashes.

These are the main effects for crack use on the mind and body. By being educated and aware of the consequences, you can choose to make the right decision for yourself and your family. By knowing what signs to look for, you can know when a family member or a friend needs help overcoming a crack addiction.

In the mid-1900′s the use of morphine was huge, it was overtaken by heroin almost over night. Oxycontin is typically referred to as “hillbilly heroin”, that’s because it delivers nearly the same effects as heroin, without the need to liquify the drug to be injected. Since it is prescribed by doctors and readily available, as compared to more illegal substances like heroin, it has become a hit with novice drug users, youths, and even those who would never use heroin because of the needles involved.

The other quality that makes oxycontin so attractive is the exact amount of drug that is being taken. When heroin or morphine in bought on the street the qualities and strength of the drug is completely unknown. When using pills made by pharmaceutical companies, the user knows exactly what the strength is and how much they are taking in a single dose.

The popularity of the drug hasn’t slowed since it’s approval by the United States, if anything it has increased worldwide. For example, in Australia, 51% of all heroin users admitted to injecting Oxycontin, and half of those had tried injecting it within the last 6 months. In Canada, from 1991 till 2004, the death toll resulting from oxycontin abuse doubled from 13.7 deaths per million citizens to 27.2 deaths per million.

After oxycontin has been ingested in pill form, it takes roughly one hour for the maximum effects to be achieved. If it is crushed, snorted, or injected, then the results are much quicker and much stronger, since the drug is evaporating into the system all at once.

Some of the short-term effects of oxycontin use are:

• respiratory depression
• dizziness and seizures
• tiredness
• cold and/or clammy skin
• shrunken pupils
• nausea and vomiting
• changing the mental state, so thinking is cloudy and confused

One of the worst long-term effects of oxycontin is falling into a coma. Overdosing on the drug is somewhat hard to do, since the measurements are exact and the strength is clearly shown. But, it can be done. Mixing oxycontin and alcohol, or other drugs, is the biggest problem with abuse. Most users also drink, smoke, or even do heroin while on oxycontin. These behaviors can cause a permanent comatose state, ending in the users death.

The withdraw symptoms of oxycontin abuse includes, hot and cold flashes, heart palpitations which can cause heart attacks, joint and muscle pain, a frequent and uncontrollable cough, diarrhea, and even full blown depression. Withdraw has been documented as occurring as soon as six hours after the last dose was ingested.

The history of oxycontin has been one of abuse in nearly every climate it has been taken in, from the warmth of Australia to the cold of Canada. The effects of oxycontin have killed more people in Canada than any other. Canada’s consumption is second to only one other nation… the United States.

No one intends on having an uncontrollable addiction to any drug, especially one as destructive as heroin. Many user’s utilize heroin as a pain killer after a horrible accident. Even after the pain has subsided and they no longer need the drug, many find it extremely difficult to pull away from it.

Heroin addiction can be so powerful because it can fight off even the most intense pain. It causes a sense of profound euphoria and total relaxation. Many users go to sleep shortly after injecting themselves. Heroin withdraw can set in after only 6 hours after the last dose, and occurs in people who have used the drug for as few as three days, making it very powerful and very addicting. The drug is overpowering because it attaches to opiate receptors in the brain, the intestinal system, and even the spinal cord.

Overdosing due to heroin addiction is very common among heavy users. It has been used time and time again to commit suicide and even commit murder. Some countries, such as those in Southeast Asia, carry a death sentence for trafficking the drug.

One of the most dangerous parts of quitting heroin is the withdraw that follows after only a few hours from the last dose. This withdraw can effect the body’s ability to function properly, causing heavy sweats, anger, heart attacks, and even lead the person picking up other addictions to try and soothe the withdraw of heroin, such as alcohol or barbiturates.

For every heroin user, the overdose is an inevitability. Overdosing on heroin doesn’t always mean you’re dying. Overdosing on heroin can mean falling into a coma, becoming completely disorientated, having muscle spasms, and constrictions, that effect the body movements and even speech patterns.

Heroin addiction can have adverse effects on your blood pressure as well, causing a weak pulse and/or heart problems, in some cases after only a few uses. That isn’t the end of the side effects of heroin addiction though, there are also digestive problems that occur for a heroin addict. These are stomach spasms, pains, and severe constipation. The overall effect of heroin addiction also has a terrible effect on your body’s ability to fight off disease, making infections of the ears, nose, and throat very common. Heroin addicts also end up placing their addiction before work, friends, and even their own family family.

These are just a few of the side effects of heroin addiction that have destroyed the lives of countless addicts. It is a reversible problem that can be handled with a determined will and plan of action.