Many people who have substance abuse problems are not aware of how these substances came about; the following is a briefing of the origin and ideas of the substances rampant among our society:

Heroin or diacetylmorphine or diamorphine is a natural opioid, synthesized directly from the extracts of the opium poppy.  It is the 3.6 – diacetyl derivatives of morphine and is synthesized from it by acetylation.  The opium poppy has been used since early Mesopotamian times, basically in the form of codeine and morphine.  Heroin was first synthesized in 1874 by C.R Alder Write, an English chemist who worked at St. Mary’s hospital and medical school in London England.  From 1898 to 1910 heroin was not illegal but became illegal in 1914.

Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant.  It was first concocted by the German chemist Friedrich Gaedeke in 1855.  In 1859, Albert Niemann, a PH.D student at the University of Gottingen in Germany developed an improved purification process and named the alkaloid cocaine.  In 1886 Coca-Cola was invented and its original formula included cocaine but it was eliminated in 1903 and became illegal in 1914.  Crack is a form of cocaine base that was created from the basuco formula “allegedly” by the CIA in Nicaragua in the 1980s.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

According to the British Red Cross, young people need to be educated about how to cope with drunk friends who could hurt themselves or others.

A survey was published this week that involved 2,500 young people between the ages of 11 and 16. The survey found that 10 per cent of them had found themselves with a friend who was at risk because of behaviour resulting from drinking.

This includes friends who had hurt themselves or become sick while drinking, or who had lost consciousness. The Red Cross has taken the position that it’s necessary for these young people to gain skills that would enable them to respond to such an emergency.

Official British figures indicate that between 2006 and 2009, there were in excess of 7,000 hospital visits that involved alcohol and people under 15 years old.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites