Nirvana and Heroin
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Introduction to Cobain and HeroinNirvana, one of the most famous alternative rock bands of the 21st century, was lead by known heroin addict Kurt Cobain. The band's success arose in the early 1990s after many of their songs were linked to drug use and abuse. It was recorded that Cobain’s experience with addictive drugs began at the young age of six when he was prescribed Ritalin for hyperactivity. Cobain’s trial and error with many pain medications to relieve chronic abdominal pain lead to his dependency on heroin. It appears that Cobain knew of heroin’s toxicity when he wrote in his journal “It served as a band-aid for a while but then the pain came back so I quit. It was a stupid thing to do and I'll never do it again and I feel real sorry for anyone who thinks they can use heroine as a medicine because um, duh, it don't work." Cobain’s toxin of choice had progressively gotten worse during the last years of this life and contributed to his suicide.
History of HeroinHeroin is an addictive illegal drug classified as a Schedule I substance that has not been proven to be safe or therapeutic. Heroin addiction makes “90% of the opiate abuse in the United State” (Missouri Department of Healh) and has been around since 1874. Back then, heroin was marketed as “safe, non-addictive substitute for morphine” (Narconon). Today, heroin holds a LD50 200-500mg for a person who has never used before and for those more tolerant of heroin have been shown survive after ingesting up to 1800 mg. Current studies suggest that those treated with substitutes like methadone can “normalize biochemistry in heroin-dependent individuals” (Verdejo-Garcia). Further studies have also suggested that adolescent rats were less sensitive to heroin exposure after abstinence than adults rats. (Doherty and Frantz).
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Adverse Effects of HeroinHeroin can be administered IV, IM, IN, or can be smoked. The mode of administration influences the bio-availability of the heroin within the body. IV administration is known to be the fastest way heroin uses experience the euphoria, as it quickly runs through ones circulation reaching the opiate receptors in the brain, liver, heart and kidneys (The Good Drugs Guide) . Heroin is bio-activated to 6-MAM which then is converted to morphine, tending to have longer effects on the body (Mescape). Once bound, the effects of the heroin can significantly decrease rate of breathing causing hypoxia and a mix of the following adverse effects.
Effects on Creativity
Kurt Cobain’s use of heroin was reflected in many of Nirvana's top hits. These included the songs Heart Shaped Box, Aneurysm, and Drain You. In Aneurysm the lyrics read: “Come on over shoot the shit, aah hah, like it so much it makes me sick.” Here we can understand his reference to shooting up heroin. Cobain’s struggle was also noted in the album Nirvana in their song Drain You as he depicts the touching of the needle full of heroin to the surface of his vein as he sings, “I travel through a tube and end in your infection…In a passionate kiss, from my mouth to yours...you’re my vitamins.”
Nirvana went on to sell 112,000,000 albums world wide including studio, live, compilation, and video albums. Even after Cobain's tragic end, the band continues to sell and people continue to connect with their representation of love and struggles of drug use. References Doherty, James M., and Kyle J. Frantz. "Heroin Self-administration and Reinstatement of Heroin-seeking in Adolescent vs. Adult Male Rats." Psychopharmacology 219.3 (2011): 763-73. UNM Libraries. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. "Fact Sheet - HEROIN." Fact Sheet - HEROIN. Missouri Department of Mental Health: Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, 2016. Web. 17 Apr. 2016. Habal, Rachel. "Heroin Toxicity Clinical Presentation." Heroin Toxicity Clinical Presentation: History, Physical, Causes. WebMD, 2016. Web. 19 Apr. 2016. "Heroin Effects of the High." Heroin Effects. The Good Drugs Guide, 2016. Web. 15 Apr. 2016. "Heroin Today." RSS. Narconon Drug Rehabilitation Program, 2016. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. "Inside Cobain's Heroin Letter Never Sent." Billboard. N.p., 21 Oct. 2002. Web. 16 Apr. 2016. "Kurt's Drug Problem." Kurt's Drug Problem. Bojac Inc., 2001. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. "Nirvana Album Sales Statistics." Statistic Brain. N.p., 2016. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. Verdejo-Garcia, A., D. I. Lubman, K. Roffel, R. Vilar-Lopez, E. Bora, T. Mackenzie, and M. Yucel. "Cingulate Biochemistry in Heroin Users on Substitution Pharmacotherapy." Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 47.3 (2012): 244-49. UNM Libraries. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. |