The problem of substance abuse, especially heroin and morphine addiction, affects not only the United States of America, but the rest of the world as more and more teenagers and adults are willing to try what euphoria looks like. Federal and local programs aimed at reducing addiction rates offer new findings and new techniques of heroin and methadone addiction treatment. In “Welcome to Methadonia: A Social Worker’s Candid Account of Life in a Methadone Clinic” Rachel Baldidno describes cognitive-behavioral therapy and methadone treatment as affective ways to reduce substance addiction.
There are three moments in the paper I want to discuss: effects of heroin addiction, benefits of cognitive-behavioral therapy and benefits of methadone treatment. Firstly, the author defines heroine as a natural substance derived from the seeds of poppies. The danger of purchasing heroine is the unpredictably high purity level. And it is true because heroine is known to be highly addictive drug, a depressant that affects brain’s pleasure system and interferes with brain’s ability to perceive the pain.
Statistics show that since 1992 the number of heroin users has dramatically increased, as well as the number of first-time heroin users. Baldidno writes that the short-term effects of heroine use include initial rush of euphoria and clouded mental functioning. I agree with the author because recent researches state that heroine usage is followed by warm flushing of the skin, heavy extremities, dry mouth, vomiting and depressed respiration. When euphoria ends, the user goes on an alternatively weak and drowsy state.
Central nervous system is depressed, speech is slow and slur, eyelids are droopy, etc. The author stresses the long-term effects are really devastating for health, psychological and social functioning. I know that in some heavy cases, heroin addiction leads to lethal outcomes because of overdosing. Poor health conditions, depression, clogging the blood vessels, death of cells – all these are known effects of heroine addiction. The question is whether euphoria is really worthy of the effects?
Secondly, Rachel Baldidni underlines the importance of cognitive-behavioral therapy in heroine addiction treatment. She writes that cognitive-behavioral therapy teaches the patient to identify the problem, to develop coping skills and to continue on the road to sobriety. I agree with the author because friendly relations between the therapist and the patient are the key to successful treatment. In some cases positive relations are crucial in explaining why people are getting better. Therefore, the author’s claim that cognitive-behavioral therapy is important for trusting relations is valid.
During the therapy many patients change simply because they learn how to think differently as many patients who seek therapy don’t want to feel the way they have been feeling. Finally, the author stresses the importance of methadone treatment of heroine addiction. She writes that methadone treatment has saved thousands of lives. Methadone treatment is argued to decrease heroin addiction rates, to increase self-esteem and to decrease the chance of recession. The key benefit is that methadone treatment addresses both physical and mental health of the patient.
I agree that methadone treatment reduces the use of heroine and patients are allowed, thus, to improve their health and social productivity, but I think that more extensive research is needed to reveal both the positive and negative consequences of methadone treatment. Baldidno stresses only the positive effects of methadone treatment, but the negative are also present as methadone may become a dependency, similar to heroine. Nevertheless, methadone treatment is argued to reduce the transmission of HIV, to suppress the abstinence syndrome, and to block euphoric effects.
Methadone gives freedom from active addiction and allows the patients to seek for psychological and psychiatric help. Methadone treatment reduces the motivation of the patients to use heroine, but may the patients be motivated to use methadone instead? I don’t think methadone will become real treatment as it simply replaces one problem with another instead of eliminating it.
References
Baldino, Rachel G. (2000). Welcome to Methadonia: A Social Worker’s Candid Account of Life in a Methadone Clinic. White hat Communications, pp. 21-51.