i realize this is late, but here we go. Our body doesnt release “natural opiates” our body releases neural transmitters called “endorphins”. Those endorphins tell the nerves that report pain that there is no pain, in order to maintain homeastatis(a balance in the body). Opiates cause our body to unnaturally release these endorphins in an unbelievably unnatural way.

Addiction to these drugs comes from upon using these drug periodically, our body no longer naturally releases these endorphins and waits for the drug to be administered. So, when the drug is not in your system, no endorphins are being released and paiin is uncontrollableand homeostasis does not exist. this means that a simple pinches pain can feel like your skin is being ripped off because your body cant control the pain.

Think about the cruise control on your car. Your car is set to 60, but when it drops to 58 it gives a little gas. Now inject your car with heroin. It accelerates to 90 and then goes to 55. you inject again to get to 60 but it puts you back up to 85. You now drop to 50 when the your car is sober. In this comparison, anything below 60 is pain and 90 is high. With every use, the speed while not using is lower and lower, while it is utterly inpossible to keep at a normal speed.

I am acollege student, btw, and i learned all about this in my anatomy class. unfortunately, my brother is also a herion addict and is homeless. I do not know where he is and i only occasionally hear that he is actually alive, i never speak to him directly. I’ve been researching ways that i can help him, but it seems that there is nothing i can do for him. im nineteen and have never touched a drug in my life so i do not KNOW what anyone is going through. I just know what im going through. And just the fact of not knowing whether my own brother is alive or dead is agonizing in itself.

Considering the risk of restarting the process of withdrawal and dramatically increased chance of relapse directly following the medical administration I would say it would be prefferable to use alternative means of treatment.

To Scott and Mountaindog, true it would stop them from being able to receive pain relief from other opiates, but I believe there are alternatives to opiates for pain cessation. I suppose people would have to choose if they want to remain a junkie, kill themselves slowly and live a miserable life or risk that under some uncertain circumstances they could not receive opiate painkillers. I know what I would choose, I would get rid of the pressing problem of being a heroin addict.

Let’s look at the odds:
Chance of dying in a car accident in your lifetime: 1 in ~18000
according to a quick google search

Chances of dying from heroin addiction greater than 51%

according to the study found on this page:
http://www.drugaddictiontreatment.com/types-of-addiction/heroin-types-of-addiction/heroin-addiction-the-long-road-home/
and 43% of the people who didn’t die were still addicted to heroin so only about 25% were able to quit.

Humans are far more intelligent than rats. Lust for cocaine and opiates is far more powerful than a simple vaccine. Are we going to tie human beings down and force them to accept substances that will not alleviate their craving?

Philosophers and realists through millennia know that men and women do not respond to the whip but to reward and cessation of pain.