Addiction to pain killers is running rampant in the state of New York and has resulted in the recent explosion of Staten Island heroin abuse. Heroin importation has dramatically increased over the past decade. Heroin is cheaper than prescription opioids and has similar physical effects on the user. Many patients who are no longer able to obtain prescription pain killers from a legitimate medical practitioner will simply turn to heroin to avoid withdrawal symptoms and relieve pain.
Heroin In Staten Island, NY
Heroin is a drug that is both extremely illegal and very very addictive. It comes from opium from the poppy plant before it is refined to morphine, then further changed chemically to become heroin. Despite its extremely bad reputation for an easy overdose, heroin continues to be a commonly abused drug in Staten Island, NY.
Heroin is sold and used in a number of forms including white or brown powder, a black sticky substance (tar heroin), and solid black chunks. These different forms of heroin can be smoked, snorted, or injected under the skin, into muscle, or directly into the veins.
Either way the addict is using heroin in Staten Island, the drug delivers its potent effects extremely quickly. As the strength of any street drug, especially in New York, is hard to gauge from batch to batch, the potential to overdose on heroin is always a very real reality.
Staten Island Heroin Abuse
It is imperative that training be provided to healthcare practitioners throughout the country so legitimate and well intentioned doctors can keep their medical practices compliant from a DEA Regulatory standpoint. Unfortunately, it seems that the majority of physicians do not receive adequate training in medical school on DEA Policy as it pertains to legitimate prescribing of controlled substances. As a result, some patients are becoming addicted, while others are not getting the treatment they need and are turning to street drugs. Staten Island heroin abuse has crossed over to all segments of society because of the explosion of opioids (pain killers) prescribed in our country, turning millions of people into drug addicts. Did you know that enough opioids were prescribed last year in the United States of America to medicate every single American adult for a month?
A large portion of this medication is being diverted to the black market for substantial illegal profit. To illustrate: the most notoriously abused opioid medication is Oxycontin, which sells for a dollar a milligram on the street, making an 80 milligram pill worth $80. One dose of heroin can cost an average of $20. In addition to legitimate pain patients in Staten Island, NY turning to heroin because their physicians will not prescribe their medications, we have also witnessed legitimate pain patients turn to heroin because it is cheaper and they see an opportunity to sell their pain medications for illegal financial gain.
Staten Island doctors who receive training can learn how to identify doctor-shoppers, as well as methods to combat diversion that start within their offices. Additionally, physicians can learn how to identify if a legitimate patient is taking prescribed medications or diverting them, abusing illicit drugs, or should be referred to an agency such as Addiction Angel. This is vital to the life of the patient as well as the practitioners’ medical practice.
Signs and Symptoms of Heroin Use
If you’re concerned about yourself, or someone you love, who seems to be abusing heroin in Staten Island, the problem is that the drug user is seldom honest about the substances they are using and abusing.
You may have to play “detective” and investigate and figure out what drug your loved one is abusing by tracking down the signs and symptoms of heroin abuse. If you’re trying to help someone you suspect is using heroin in Staten Island, you have come to the right place to find out the ways to tell.
Heroin is a fast-acting opiate. When it’s injected, there is a surge of euphoria that arrives within seconds. Those using the drug other ways may not feel this surge as sharply.
The user will get a dry mouth and his or her skin will flush. The user’s pupils will be constricted. He will feel heavy and dopey and may fade in and out of wakefulness. Heroin users may nod off suddenly. Breathing will be slowed, which is how an overdose kills.
When awake, the person’s thinking will be unclear. They will tend to lose some of their memory. Their decision-making and self-control are likely to deteriorate.
Other signs of heroin use are itching, nausea and vomiting. Another sign of heroin use is the constipation often suffered by opiate abusers. The regular user of this drug may look for laxatives. They may experience skin infections, or other kinds of infections, and a lowered immunity to illness.
The user’s pain will be suppressed, which is not surprising because opiates are used for pain relief. Heroin use can also include spontaneous abortion in a pregnant woman.
To sum it all up, heroin abuse in Staten Island has become a major epidemic. Be on the lookout for your friends and loved ones and watch out for signs and symptoms. Together, we can make a change in the Staten Island Heroin Abuse situation!
