Katy Lewis

Mr. Lytle
RHET 1312
March 30, 2016
Opiate Reign
Addiction is a huge problem that affects an enormous amount of
people all over the world. People can become prescribed to opiate
medication for a variety of reasons such as a severe injury, postsurgery, and painful health conditions. Opiates are extremely addictive
and can take control of people lives if abused. When people are
addicted to opiate medication (Vicodin, hydrocodone, morphine, etc.)
they tend to do things completely out of character and hurt the ones
closest to them. There is no stereotypical opiate addict; people from all
kinds of different backgrounds and lifestyles are vulnerable to opiate
addiction. The production of opiate medication has been known to
cause thousands of people to ruin connections with their families and
for some has been fatal because opiates are highly addictive.
People who suffer from an opiate addiction dont usually see
themselves as addicts. This is because a lot of people who are addicts
can still function in society although their addiction is slowly tearing
them apart inside. According to The National Survey on Drug and
Health use, of the 21 million illicit drug users ages 18 or older, nearly
70 percent were working a full-or part-time job (James-Johnson). Some

people can easily cover up their addiction depending on what kind of

opiate they are using, because their outer appearance will hardly
change. People who have an opiate addiction tend to take advantage
of the ones closest to them and do things completely out of character.
James-Johnson tells a story about a successful businessman whose
opiate addiction came very close to ruining his life. She claims that,
He began to manipulate friends and family members to feed his
addiction, and it took a big toll on his relationship with his now fiance.
She gave him an ultimatum, and thats when he decided to change
(James-Johnson). Some people arent as strong as him and arent able
to overcome their addiction. Causing their life to be on a constant
downward spiral fueling their addiction. Lindesmith claims that opiate
addicts are, Far from being freed from his problems, he is actually
one of the most obviously worried and miserable creatures in our
society (Lindesmith). Addicts often feel trapped as if there is no way
out of their addiction leading them to constantly relapse and feed their
addiction.
Opiate addicts cannot only ruin their relationships with the ones
closest to them, but they also destroy their sanity and health. There is
an enormous amount of people whose opiate addiction has been fatal
and caused them their life. Waterman talks about man named Bill who
is a heroin addict. He says that, he has overdosed twice and taken
three friends to the hospital when they overdosed in his presence. His

forays in the drug underworld have led to him contracting hepatitis C,

staph infection and skin disease like folliculitis and cellulitis
(Waterman). Bills addiction has lead to having numerous health issues
and contraction of hepatitis C that can lead to more serious health
issues, like liver disease. There are many people who dont get the
chance to live another day after a drug overdose; Bill and friends were
very lucky. Opiate addicts build up a tolerance to the drug they are
using leading them to use more and more. This almost always leads to
overdose and unfortunately for some leads to death. Bill claims that,
Over confidence in ones own tolerance coupled with underestimating
the dope they bought can lead to a deadly combination (Waterman).
Opiate addiction is a constant battle for an addicts life and is
something that should be taken very seriously. Most people value
being connected with their families and living a quality life free from
addiction, but many people fall behind.
Addiction is something that isnt just going to go away or fix
itself. Breaking free from addiction is hard and a very courageous thing
to overcome. People should look at addiction as a disease and should
help people to overcome their addiction. People should help addicts
seek treatment rather than turn a blind eye. A lot of changes need to
be made to the way we look at addiction, so we can start helping
addicts and give them another chance at living.

Work Cited
JamesJohnson,Alva."RedRibbonWeek:BusinessmanSaysAddictionNearlyRuined
Relationship."Ledgerenquirer.22Oct.2013.Web.27Mar.2016.

Waterman,Cole."'I'veLiterallyRuinedMyLife':BayCityHeroinAddictSharesHisStory
amidOverdoseEpidemic."Mlive.26July2015.Web.27Mar.2016.

Lindesmith, Alfred R.. A Sociological Theory of Drug Addiction. American Journal of

Sociology 43.4 (1938): 593613. Web. 27 Mar. 2016.