NCJ Number
185041
Date Published
1998
Length
334 pages
Annotation
This book presents an overview of heroin addiction that covers historical, psychological, physiological, and pharmacological dimensions of heroin addiction.
Abstract
Celebrity drug overdose deaths involving heroin have raised the visibility of heroin. Although heroin has been eclipsed in the media by crack cocaine and methamphetamines, the need for the treatment of heroin addiction has continued to be a prominent feature of the American drug scene. One aspect of the rise in heroin use by young people involves the appearance of the "heroin chic" in which heroin use is glamorized in films and ads appearing in fashion magazines. Tolerance builds rapidly to heroin, and users need more and more of the drug to achieve the desired effects. Variations in the tolerance to and the purity of the drug contribute to potentially fatal overdoses. In providing an overview of heroin addiction, the author presents a detailed historical background to the current situation. He also discusses psychological, physiological, and pharmacological aspects of heroin addiction. Moving on from these basics, the author examines a variety of treatment approaches; presents case histories of addicts; and places heroin in a detailed social context that includes public health, organized crime, the criminal justice system, popular culture, and the media. Notes, figures, and photographs