Chat Let's Talk: Click To Chat Call Now: 24Hr Addiction Hotline 888-959-0638 Who Answers?

Opium Abuse

Opium comes from the poppy plant and is the crudest form of an opiate.  Opium is actually the milky latex fluid that comes from the unripened seed pod of the opium poppy.  When this fluid is exposed to the air, the substance will harden and turn black.  This black substance is then scraped from the plant and smoked or eaten to produce euphoric effects similar to heroin.

According to the DEA, Opium is actually the basis for the production of morphine, heroin and many prescription painkillers known as opiates.  Unfortunately, opiates like Oxycodone, Oxycontin and Morphine are some of the most widely abused opiates causing thousands of drug related deaths nationwide each year.  The epidemic of painkiller abuse that has swept the nation in recent years is also a cause for an increase in the level of opium abuse in the United States.

Opium Abuse

Opium abuse is a growing problem in the United States.

Many turn to opium because the drug is cheap and easy to come by.  Those who are addicted to heroin or prescription painkillers enjoy the effects that opium produces.  Opium abuse seems to be spreading for a number of reasons including:

  • the highly addictive nature of the drug
  • the consistency of the drug, it cannot be laced or mixed with other drugs the way cocaine and heroin can be
  • availability of the drug

The most widespread use of opium is actually not of the black tar-like substance itself but of the painkillers.  These prescription painkillers, known as opiates, are provided to patients for pain but over the years, many patients have faked pain in an effort to get the drugs.  Millions of pills have made their way to the streets and fallen into the wrong hands which has lead to many cases of addiction, overdose and even death.

Opiate abuse can quickly lead to addiction and this addiction is difficult to treat.  Over the years, the widespread use of prescription painkillers has lead to reformed control in pharmacies, doctor’s offices and on the streets in an effort to reduce this terrible epidemic and prevent future deaths from occurring.

  • Use This Format Only: (###) ###-####
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
I NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE NOWI NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE NOW888-959-0638Response time about 1 min | Response rate 100%
Who Answers?

Where do calls go?

Calls to numbers on a specific treatment center listing will be routed to that treatment center. Calls to any general helpline will be answered or returned by one of the treatment providers listed, each of which is a paid advertiser.

By calling the helpline you agree to the terms of use. We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. There is no obligation to enter treatment.