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January 28th, 2003
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Study Shows One Hit Of Heroin A Day Is Good For You |
Junk Not As Junky As Once Thought, But Experts Stress Moderation
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Science - Contrary to conventional wisdom, moderate, daily use of heroin can be good for your health, according to a new study published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Possible benefits include reduced risk of heart disease and some types of cancer, the study shows. Subjects who took one dose of heroin a day through the course of the five-year study showed a significantly reduced incidence of such illnesses. (Those who took more than one dose a day generally died before the study was completed.)
"We were all surprised by these results," said Dr. Mark Renton, who led the team conducting the study. "We had previously thought of smack as a deadly narcotic and the enemy of a healthy body. I mean, it is, but only in excess."
Renton emphasized the importance of moderation when incorporating heroin into your diet. "Remember, limit yourself to one hit a day," he says. "I know, it's very easy to begin a downward spiral of dependency culminating in a six-week non-stop heroin binge, but don't! Just use some willpower and common sense."
Although acknowledging the health benefits of junk, doctors say that there are risks involved as well. For example, some consider heroin to be 'habit-forming,' or 'addictive,' or even 'powerful enough to make you kill your own mother rather than go one more hour without a fix.' These factors need to be taken into account when deciding how much heroin is right for you.
According to medical experts, here are some signs that you may be getting more heroin than your body needs:
- Sunlight hurts.
- You haven't eaten in eight days, but didn't notice.
- You can't remember where your teeth went.
- Life seems like a roller coaster of soaring eight-second highs followed by crushing twelve-hour lows.
- You stare with jealousy at people with large, prominent veins.
- You've lost your job, spouse, car, and most of your clothing.
- Forced to go a day without the drug, you've chewed off your own tongue.
- You've been placed in a wooden box and driven away in a hearse.
The study did not distinguish between the effects of different types of heroin. Dr. Renton hopes to conduct future trials to compare the benefits of popular varieties such as China White, Mexican Mud and Red Chicken.
Although there is still much to be learned, it is clear that moderate amounts of heroin can help everyone live healthier lives. "We are all faced with a choice," Renton says. "Choose life. Choose your future. Choose to eat sensibly, exercise, and take one hit of heroin a day - for your health. If you don't, then you must not care about your health, and if you don't care about your health, then you must be smoking crack."
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