| Among most people, morphine is often associated with | | | | learned that the drug was far more addictive than |
| extreme cases of pain and soothing pain relief, | | | | either of the targeted substances. An estimated |
| primarily because the drug is used as a pain killer. It has | | | | 400,000 soldiers in the American Civil War developed |
| found particular use in hospitals as an element of the | | | | an addiction to the drug. In 1874, another highly |
| post-surgery treatment process, helping patients take | | | | addictive but yet effective pain relief drug, heroin, was |
| their minds off the pain that comes after the | | | | derived from morphine. As of now, both drugs are still |
| procedure has been completed and the anesthetic | | | | being used for much the same purposes, though |
| wears off. | | | | doctors are understandably more likely to give a |
| Being one of the most potent pain relief drugs known | | | | patient a shot of morphine than heroin, with some |
| to medical science, something like morphine is naturally | | | | territories banning heroin use (even medical use) |
| not treated lightly and only used when the situation | | | | completely. However, that does not quite stop addicts |
| calls for it. Some experts that advocate non-narcotic | | | | from getting their hands on either one, though morphine |
| pain killers for post-surgery patients admit that there | | | | is often only used as a "second choice" drug among |
| are really no effective alternatives to morphine, due to | | | | heroin junkies. |
| the drug's sheer potency. However, for a few hundred | | | | While it is possible for an addict to eventually |
| to a few thousand addicts around the world, morphine | | | | overcome their physical addiction to either pain relief |
| is just another way to get a fix. | | | | drug, the psychological impact is not so easily worked |
| Morphine is a powerful drug, one that has been used | | | | off. Former addicts can spend the rest of their lives |
| for pain relief for many decades. Field medics during | | | | living under the shadow of the drug, never fully |
| the First and Second World Wars were known to | | | | adapting to performing tasks without the influence of |
| carry quantities of morphine on them, in the event that | | | | either drug. Some have noted that the severity of the |
| battlefield surgery was required. There are some | | | | symptoms increases as the substance becomes |
| records that indicate that the drug has been in use far | | | | more refined, with opium having the least visible impact |
| longer, with anecdotal evidence suggesting it was used | | | | and heroin doing the most visible damage. Across the |
| in conflicts as far back as the American Civil War, | | | | board, the drugs can cause things such as paranoia, |
| perhaps even earlier. In modern medicine, aside from | | | | depression, and a wide range of other psychological |
| post-surgical use, trauma and cancer patients have | | | | disorders. |
| also been prescribed doses of morphine to dull the | | | | Yet, despite the potent narcotic potential of the drug, |
| pain that they have to endure. It has also been used | | | | morphine, the derivative heroin, and the unrefined opium |
| for palliative care situations, fighting the pain without | | | | are all still in use. As previously stated, very few people |
| fighting the cause of it, generally because the cause is | | | | can argue that the three are easily among the popular |
| still unknown to the doctor. | | | | pain relief and pain killing medications available and, until |
| In the past, morphine had also been used to "cure" | | | | less narcotic alternatives are found, they are likely to |
| people of opium (mildly ironic, since morphine is derived | | | | remain as last-resort options for doctors. |
| from opium) and alcohol abuse, though it was quickly | | | | |