Papaver somniferum, otherwise known as the opium poppy, has been in medical use for centuries. The sap can be extracted from the poppy to make drugs to treat a variety of problems. There’s evidence that as far back in history as the ancient Sumerians and Greeks used the plant to treat illnesses in their day. Today, we still use products of the opium poppy. Drugs like morphine and codeine are useful for treating severe pain and suppressing a nagging cough. We will all probably benefit from an opium drug at least once in our lifetimes.
Sap from the opium poppy
However, it is more well-known today that these drugs have harmful side effects. Some opium drugs produce a strong euphoric rush, which can make them very addicting. Heroin in particular is a drug that causes a very strong euphoric sensation, and is currently illegal to use because of that reason. If these drugs just produced euphoria, they probably wouldn’t be so much of a problem. But the fact is that if you take these drugs over a period of time, it can have a negative effect on your body, including mood changes and confusion, slowing down of the heart and the lungs, and digestion problems.
So why do people abuse opium drugs?
Many people get into using these drugs to experience the “high” and the euphoric rush that results from the action of the drug. This sensation can keep them coming back for more. But for many other people who experience severe pain or mental illness, using opiate drugs is a way of treating their own problems. These drugs are very useful at treating pain, depression, anxiety, and other mental problems.
Over time as a person gets used to the drug, they need more of it to relieve their pain or anxiety. This causes them to increase the dosage to avoid getting back their symptoms as well as drug withdrawal symptoms—including cramps, pain, nausea, vomiting, chills, diarrhea, and weakness, to name a few. Unfortunately, increasing the dosage increases the likelihood of damage to the body. People have died from opiate overdoses that have caused their hearts to malfunction or lungs to stop working (suffocation).
However, to people addicted to these drugs, the risk is worth it to them if it makes them feel normal, even good for a time. This brings them back to the drug repeatedly and makes it so difficult to stop.
How do opiates work in the brain?
Dopamine is a chemical in the brain that is released whenever we feel good. It produces the sensation of reward and pleasure, as well as the motivation to keep seeking that sensation. Rewarding experiences like food, sex, and drug use can become associated with the “pleasure chemical,” dopamine. This causes people to repeat these experiences and sometimes seek them more strongly, as in the case of drug abuse.
Neurons release chemicals like dopamine in the brain
When people take opium drugs, the levels of dopamine in their brains increase. They experience a very strong “rush” of pleasure from the drug, which can cause them to continue using it. Over time, opium addicts will increase the dosage to keep getting that “rush” and feeling of pleasure and reward.
Drug treatment for opiate addiction
Stopping opium use is very difficult because the drug is so addicting. People who use it for pain relief or to treat mental illness particularly have a tough time coming off of it. However, it is necessary if the drug is threatening the life of the user. Additionally, pregnant women who are addicted to drugs like morphine and heroin have the life of their unborn baby to worry about as well.
People coming off of opium drugs experience intense physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms. Even if addicts make it through the worst of the withdrawal, they often experience intense cravings and depression for years afterward. This puts them at a high risk of relapsing back into drug abuse. Detoxification from the drug is usually not enough to “cure” an opium addict. What addicts really need is long-term care that will diminish their drug-seeking behavior.
Opiate replacement therapy has been a successful way to help addicts get their health back, their jobs back, and become productive members of society again. Clinics that use this kind of therapy give opium addicts a man-made version of opium, usually a substance called methadone. This drug blocks the usual euphoric “high” that results from opium, yet prevents the development of withdrawal symptoms. People on this drug lose the motivation and drive to get opium drugs, but at the same time they physically rely on it to keep away their negative symptoms. Additionally, pregnant women can use this drug, which greatly decreases the effects of opium on their unborn babies.
This methadone treatment is called methadone maintenance. People can be maintained on methadone for years at a time. While the goal is to eventually come off of the drug all together, progress can be very slow, and some never come off it. For this reason, some people criticize this therapy and suggest that methadone maintenance merely “substitutes one drug for another.”
However, this is not true. Methadone essentially “un-motivates” an addict from ever seeking the drug again. Counseling and therapy are used in addition to the drug to help the addict deal with the problem of addiction and get their feet under them again. This long-term therapeutic and drug treatment program has been very successful for treating opium addiction. “Some people say methadone is just switching one addiction for another,” Scott, a former heroin addict says. “They couldn’t be farther from the truth. When I was using heroin, I was a drug addict. Now that I’m in a methadone program, I’m a guy with a job, a family and a future.” Michael adds, “Because of my methadone program, I can transition to a drug-free life and a normal routine without being constantly tempted to start using again.”
Opiate replacement therapy like methadone maintenance programs help regular people get their lives back again.
