Latest Best Drug Rehabilitation Blog Looks at the History of Heroin
(PRWEB) March 12, 2014 -- Best Drug Rehabilitation, which offers addiction recovery geared to the personalized needs of each client, is focusing on the history of heroin in its latest blog post.
The history of heroin as we know it today dates back to 1895, when a German chemist attempted to change morphine chemically in order to reduce its side effects and addictive qualities. The resulting drug he produced on behalf of his employer Bayer was called “heroin,” and advertised as a painkiller 10 times as potent as morphine, yet with no addictive qualities whatsoever.
Word quickly spread around the world, and the Saint James Society in the US launched a campaign to supply free samples of this new wonder drug to morphine addicts. Even the Sears Roebuck company joined the cause, by offering heroin and needles in its well-known catalog.
Predictably, the optimism surrounding heroin soon turned into concern, and by 1902 physician groups lobbied to have it withdrawn. Congress followed suit by banning it in 1905; however, by that time, heroin addiction had risen to alarming levels.
While outlawing heroin temporarily put a dent in its use, it wasn’t long before criminal gangs filled the void and dramatically escalated heroin manufacturing, distribution and export. By 1925, an estimated 1.7% of the US population was addicted to heroin, and was first referred to as an epidemic around 1950. Heroin abuse was also one of the core issues that led to the creation of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 1973.
Today, heroin, morphine and opium addiction has skyrocketed, largely as a result of growing prescription drug abuse (e.g. Percocet, Vicodin, OxyContin, Opana, and many others). According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), nearly 11% of Americans between 18 and 25 abused opiates or prescription painkillers in 2012.
The full text of Best Drug Rehabilitation’s latest blog entitled “What is the History of Heroin?” is available at http://www.bestdrugrehabilitation.com/blog/addiction/what-is-the-history-of-heroin/.
For additional information or media inquiries, contact Amber Howe, Executive Director BDR, at (231) 887-4590 or ahowe (at) rehabadmin (dot) com.
About Best Drug Rehabilitation
Best Drug Rehabilitation offers treatment programs, and believes that having family close by during a stay in rehab can make a big difference in whether or not the process is successful. Led by CEO Per Wickstrom, Best Drug Rehabilitation also understands that recovering from an addiction is an intense emotional and physical challenge, and as such provides clients with a comfortable and private space that is safe and free of anxiety. Ultimately, Best Drug Rehabilitation offers recovery geared to the personalized needs of each client, which is an option that makes the chance for long-term success much more likely.
Learn more at http://www.bestdrugrehabilitation.com/.
Amber Howe, Best Drug Rehabilitation, http://www.bestdrugrehabilitation.com/, +1 (231) 887-4590, [email protected]
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