The Role of Euphoric Effects in the Opiate Addictions of Heroin Addicts, Medical Patients and Impaired Health Professionals

Abstract

Although the importance of euphoria-seeking in opiate addiction has been debated by leading drug abuse theorists including Lindesmith, Wikler, Brill, Bejerot and others, few researchers have heretofore collected systematic data on the issue. Statistical and case study data obtained over the past few years show that euphoria-seeking is a major cause of opiate addiction for most nontherapeutic addicts but for only a few therapeutic addicts. Theoretical analysis and empirical data indicate that euphoria-seeking is also a key component in the causation of many of the secondary problems of nontherapeutic addiction, including crime, unemployment, death, and disease. In the absence of euphoria-seeking, opiate addiction would be a much less severe public health and social problem.