Herba: Once in, there's no way out.
Page 12
It said “SATAN”.
Natas’s dad came into the room, laughing.
‘Hey Natas, there are two police officers at the door. They somehow think you are a drug lord’
He continued to laugh.
Was he still in a dream?
The Science
Cocaine
Formula
C17H21NO4
IUPAC
methyl (1R,2R,3S,5S)-3- (benzoyloxy)-8-methyl-8-azabicyclo[3.2.1] octane-2-carboxylate
Likeliness of addiction
HIGH
Onset of effect
Few seconds
Duration
Five to ninety minutes
Side effects of long term abuse:
Häggström, Mikael. "Medical gallery of Mikael Häggström 2014". Wikiversity Journal of Medicine 1 (2). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.008. ISSN 20018762.Public Domain.
Crystal Meth
Formula
C10H15N
IUPAC
(RS)-N-methyl-1-phenylpropan-2-amine
Likeliness of addiction
HIGH
Onset of effect
Immediate
Duration
10 to 20 hours
Side Effects
Physical
Neurological
Hyperactivity
Loss of appetite
Flushed skin
Extensive sweating
Teeth grinding
Irregular heart beat
Blurry vision
Diarrhoea
Constipation
Suicidal tendencies
Violent behaviour
Insomnia
Severe depression
Realistic and long term hallucinations
Irritability
Paranoia
Heroin
Formula
C21H23NO5
IUPAC
(5α,6α)-7,8-didehydro-4,5-epoxy-17-methylmorphinan-3,6-diol diacetate
Likeliness of addiction
VERY HIGH
Onset of effect
Few minutes
Duration
Up to four hours
Side effects of long term abuse
Häggström, Mikael. "Medical gallery of Mikael Häggström 2014". Wikiversity Journal of Medicine 1 (2). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.008. ISSN 20018762.Public Domain.
Withdrawal symptoms
The potency and the liability for addiction of a drug is more than often decided or judged based on the severity of its withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms are the physical and the mental symptoms that take form after the intake of drugs are stopped or even reduced. In most cases, a substance is termed an addictive substance primarily based on this parameter alone.
Therefore, the real horror of a drug addict is when steps are taken to cull the addiction. The addict goes through a real hellhole for weeks, if not even months. Either way, the addict has no easy way out, if at all there is a way out in the first place.
The hellish side effects of these drugs start appearing the moment it is abused for the first time.
Substance
Withdrawal symptoms
Cocaine
Depression
Anxiety
Inability to feel pleasure
Extremely unpleasant dreams
Crystal meth
More severe than Cocaine withdrawal
Extreme fatigue
Increased appetite
Paranoia
Psychosis
Hallucinations
Heroin
Impaired respiration
Hypertension
Tremors, chills and sweating
Insomnia
Depression
Severe itching
Rapid heart rate
What is a narcotic?
A drug (in low dosages) that dulls the human senses, soothes pain and induces sleep but in overdoses causes coma, convulsions, stupor and other bodily harm which includes death in many cases.
The street names
Substance
Slangs
Marijuana
Reefer
Weed
Pot
Mary Jane
Cocaine
Coke
Crack
Rock
Base
Flake
Snow
Yeyo
Charlie
LSD
Acid
Cubes
Blue heaven
Methamphetamine
Crystal
Crystal meth
Crank
Ice
Tick-tock
Glass
Chalk
Heroin
Smack
Junk
Dope
Brown sugar
Skag
H
Horse
China white
Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation is the process of empowering the patient to confront his/her dependence on the substance and to eliminate it completely. In the old times, this was done through medications alone. Advances in psychotherapy has led to the development of more effective treatment routines. Now, medication is administered along with psychotherapeutic treatment. This not only combats the patient’s dependence on the drug but also motivates and strengthens the mind to follow healthy practices. This two pronged treatment has proved to be the most effective in rehabilitating the patient. Medicines like Subutex are used to treat opioid addictions like Heroin. These medications reduce the cravings and hence the dependence of the body to the opioids, thereby slowly diminishing the addiction. Adding to this, a lot of alternatives are administered to the patient which offer the same euphoria but on a much lower and safer levels. The main aim of these programs are to keep the patient’s mind as distracted from the addiction as possible. To help in this, motivational counseling, cognitive therapy and incentive based sessions are strategically conducted to support the mind in the transition from an addict to a normal being. All the conditions and situations that might lead to a relapse are avoided at all costs. For example, a recovering alcoholic might relapse and start drinking once again when he finds himself in a highly stressful situation at work. These kinds of situations and triggers are identified and avoided during rehabilitation. Emotion regulation and behavioral therapy are also used to aid in the fight to stop addiction.