Idea Post #2

Idea Post #2
September 9, 2010

Heroin

How to even get into this post.. hmm. Well in trying to relate a word to my concept, I figured I would start out with some broad topics that got me interested in my concept in the first place. Honestly, my knowledge of drug use in general is pretty limited, so if heroin was going to be my word this week, some research was definitely necessary. So, here are the facts: sometimes called "the perfect whatever drug," heroin is an opiate drug that is synthesized from morphine from Asian poppy plants. Regardless of the method (injection, snorting or smoking), heroin enters the brain where is is converted back to morphine and binds to the opioid receptors in the brain, causing a feeling of euphoria and relaxation. This rush of euphoria is followed by dry mouth, warm flushing of the skin, heaviness of the extremities, and clouded mental functioning. 23% of people who try heroin once become addicts.

My senior portfolio project is going to deal with the reasons that are standing between you and your dreams- the reasons you can't achieve your goals. The time I spent in Ireland this summer really inspired this project. Heroin is an appropriate starting point for this project considering the area I worked in in Dublin had 61% heroin use. The insanely high heroin use in this area alone affects the children, the families, and the area as a whole to an astonishing degree.


Quotes from heroin addict turned psychologist, Dr. Melinda Tyler:

• "It should be as easy to get into treatment as it is to buy a drug on the street—and that is the bottom line."
• "I strongly feel that many cases of addictions are genetically driven; therefore, I feel it is so important for parents who know of addiction in their immediate or extended family to talk about those dangers with their kids."

Source:
Sundene Nicole, Dr. "An Interview with a Heroin Addict turned Psychologist." Kitchen Table Medicine November 5, 2008: n. pag. Web. 8 Sep 2010. .


More Information?
Annotated Bibliography:

Sixx, Nikki and Ian Gittins. The Heroin Diaries. New York: VH1 Books, 2007.
This is a book you should look into if you want an unusual source. This book won't give you the medical facts about heroin, it will give you the painstaking details of a famous addict, Nikki Sixx. The book takes you through addiction, withdrawal, and more addiction first hand.