How do addicts use opium?
Opium addicts use their drug in the same way other drug addicts do: for effect. Although opium and its subsequent opioid byproducts have enormous capacity to relieve pain and suffering, addicts use the drug for its euphoric effects. By smoking, sniffing, eating or injecting the drug, they achieve a “high” that can last from minutes to hours (depending on the method of use). When users begin to “chase” the euphoric feeling, they find themselves using more of the drug, more often. This sensation becomes their new “norm,” and life without the drug begins to seem less and less appealing.
