In the fall of 2014, a wave of mass spice poisonings swept across the country. A significant portion of the victims were teenagers and young adults. It is at this age that a lack of life experience and unhealthy curiosity take their toll. So what is spice and why is it dangerous for the body?
Currently, spice is the name given to smoking mixtures with a narcotic effect. Initially, these were herbal and plant compositions, then they began to produce spices with chemical impregnation. The composition of smoking mixes is completely unpredictable, and the dosage is done by eye. Spice is sometimes called a “designer” drug because the composition of the mixture changes frequently. In this case, consumers of the product act as guinea pigs.
What is spice
This is the name of a smoking mixture represented by certain types of herbs that have been treated with a chemical composition. It is a strong narcotic drug with a psychoactive effect. When such mixtures appeared in European countries, they posed almost no threat to people. Spice was considered a natural drug with medicinal properties. But in the process of numerous studies it was established that the main component of the mixture is not a natural substance, but synthetic compounds. The conclusion was immediately drawn that such a substance poses a threat to the health of the smoker. Based on this, spice was added to the list of prohibited substances.
Not wanting to lose their profits, manufacturers of the drug began to mix previously unused chemical substances approved for use into natural formulations. This is how new formulas of the drug were created that could be traded without fear. As a result, instead of a harmless mixture, a real poison was obtained, which deprives one of his sanity from the first dose. It quickly penetrates the vascular system and cells of internal organs, remaining there almost forever. Returning a smoker to a normal life is quite problematic.
Spice destroys the body so much that it is superior to heroin as a stronger drug. The main danger lies in the fact that use does not involve injection. People believe that weed will not harm themselves, but almost instantly they become completely dependent.
Manifestation of withdrawal symptoms in spice addicts
The process is accompanied by nausea, gag reflex, pain in muscles and joints, irregular blood pressure readings, rapid pulse, convulsions, increased salivation and lacrimation, sweating and chills, lack of pupillary response to light, and loss of appetite.
In the absence of the required dosage of a potent drug, symptoms reach their apogee already on the third day. The body suffers from dehydration and intoxication, and the heart may suddenly stop.
Drug withdrawal can easily be confused with a cold or flu-like state; it is distinguished by alternating outbursts of anger and apathy. The withdrawal state is accompanied by disorientation in space and attacks of hallucinations.
The destructive scale of smoking synthetic chemicals is much greater than that of previously discovered drugs: marijuana, hashish, heroin, amphetamines. In a couple of months, a person loses his health, himself and connection with the world. The right to choose whether to try or not is in the hands of each individual; it is important to remember one thing: there is no turning back.
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What does spice contain?
Sellers of this mixture claim that it is absolutely harmless, since it contains components of natural origin. And yet it was banned all over the world. Many believe that herbs really do not pose a danger to the body, because they are often used in the preparation of medicinal compositions and infusions. To make spice, the following plants are used:
- dwarf skullcap;
- Hawaiian rose;
- lotus;
- sage;
- bark;
- roots.
Many ingredients are indeed not considered dangerous, but there are also those that can have a mental effect on the body. This group is called entheogens. Each herb individually has a narcotic effect, and when combined into one mixture, the most unexpected consequences can occur.
Somewhat later it was proven that synthetic compounds of unknown origin are added to such plant groups. It has been established that, in addition to plant materials, spices contain:
- oleamides;
- naphthoylindoles;
- dibenzopyrans;
- cyclohexylphenols;
- phenylacetylindoles.
Prevention
In the case of spice, prevention can be reduced to one rule: do not use. But since, unfortunately, there are not so few unconscious youth now, to implement this rule you need:
- both at school and at home, conduct detailed conversations with children about how terrible the symptoms and consequences of smoking spice are, and that the use of these mixtures is deadly;
- convince teenagers and children not to take anything from the hands of strangers (even if they offer to try something for free and guarantee safety from one-time use);
- try to protect children from bad and dubious companies.
The non-humans who invented and create spice do not care what happens in the future to those who use this mixture. Therefore, all hope lies only in the consciousness and efforts of adults who are interested in keeping children alive and healthy.
Types of spices
In addition to different levels of drug concentration in the package with grass, types of spice have different forms for consumption. These can be smoking mixtures or fertilizer-like salts, or bath powders. Salt can not only be smoked, but also injected into a vein or snorted. It affects the body much worse than natural narcotic compounds. The components contained in its composition are prohibited in the Russian Federation, but cunning drug dealers are coming up with different ways to continue selling dangerous mixtures.
Effect of taking
A person who smokes spice can lose touch with real events. Due to the effects of the drug, he can make uncontrolled and repetitive movements, walk, bump into objects, often fall, and experience seizures. The addict does not feel pain, his sense of self-preservation completely disappears.
There are cases when a spice smoker goes into a state of panic and, trying to get rid of it, commits suicide. The person sees hallucinations and experiences tactile sensations. Everything feels real. As soon as the effect of the drug wears off, the person becomes depressed and irritable, and becomes depressed. Quite often, he does not even remember what happened to him just recently.
How are spice addicts treated?
Despite the seeming harmlessness of smoking mixtures, treatment for spice addicts is difficult and can last several months. The ability of drugs included in the herbal mix to quickly cause persistent addiction affects the course of therapy.
Taking this into account, specialists at our drug treatment clinic recommend starting treatment even if a person has smoked the mixture only once. In this case, you can get by with outpatient therapy. It is imperative to undergo a course of detoxification of the body in order to completely remove remnants of cannabinoids from it and eliminate even the minimal risk of toxic effects on the central nervous system.
In advanced cases, you will have to use inpatient treatment.
Signs of Spice Use
It is difficult to detect them immediately, since this requires some time. The symptoms have not yet been fully studied, but the external signs are considered to be:
- redness of the eyes;
- “madness” in the look;
- rash on the skin;
- weight loss.
People who smoke spice behave in particular ways:
- there is no coherence in colloquial speech;
- inconsistency is observed in movements and actions, activity increases;
- often a person is not able to remember what happened to him under the influence of drugs;
- there is a high probability of visual and auditory hallucinations;
- the person becomes nervous and overly irritable.
Effective disposal options
Any attempt to cure a smoker of this disease is doomed to failure if he does not want it. It is pointless to rely on conventional therapeutic actions; mandatory hospitalization is required.
Medicine can boast of a certain progressive movement in the fight against types of drug addiction: many clinics, centers and methods confirm this.
In our country, the rehabilitation center “Vozrozhdenie” has opened its branches everywhere. You should not put off or delay visiting specialists in this profile.
Patients do not understand the consequences of using potent spices, so all responsibility lies with their loved ones.
It is important for relatives to realize that it is unrealistic to forcibly help an addict; everyone must decide for themselves whether they want to recover and move on with their lives or choose the path to oblivion.
Effect on the body
The effect of the mix on the body can be compared to the corroding of organs by chemical compounds. The feeling of a drug high is not worth such sacrifices, but teenagers continue to smoke spice. Meanwhile, the following changes occur in the body:
- Hallucinogenic herbs, impregnated with synthetics, the composition of which cannot be determined without special analysis, have a powerful effect reminiscent of heroin or amphetamine. Often, a smoker is overcome by panic, uncontrollable fear appears, breathing becomes disordered, and there is a possibility of muscle paralysis.
- The risk of unexpected cardiac arrest increases even when the person is not “high.”
- Cannabinoids included in the smoking mixture disrupt the functioning of the heart, respiratory system, and reproductive system. Strong effects occur on the brain, and even after the first use, irreversible changes can occur.
- Intelligence decreases sharply as spice begins to destroy brain cells.
- Men may experience problems with erections and impotence.
Harm
The main danger of using spice lies in the consequences it leads to. In addition, smoking the mixture reduces the activity of the immune response, which increases the risk of contracting an infectious disease and exacerbation of a chronic disease. In addition, for the same reason, the likelihood of developing neoplasms, including malignant ones, increases.
Also, the drug addict’s intelligence decreases, his range of interests and communication is limited. The desires of such a person are quite primitive, but they necessarily include the use of spice.
Consequences of eating spice
After the first use of this drug, addiction appears in the form of chemical and mental dependence. A teenager who has tried smoking spice is unable to return to normal life on his own. Over time, he switches to stronger drugs.
Irreversible changes in the body, weakened immunity, and impotence turn a person into a vegetable that no one needs anymore. Before you try spice, you should definitely think about the consequences.
Side effects
Spice is known to be highly addictive, like other psychotropic compounds. It poses a great danger for teenagers, whose bodies are not yet fully formed, and the use of spice can deform organs and affect the central nervous system, heart muscle and blood vessels. In addition, if you stop using smoking compounds, withdrawal symptoms begin, long-term food poisoning, heart problems, organ failure, and destruction of brain cells. We should not forget about psychological dependence, since spice is still a drug and brings a person a feeling of euphoria, relaxation, and joyful moments. After some time, the addict gets used to such emotions and wants to experience them more and more often. And if there is no constant access to a smoking mixture, then long-term depression may set in, nervousness, depression and even aggression will appear. A person who smokes spice irregularly sometimes does not even raise suspicions that he is using drugs. But soon his nervousness increases, insomnia begins, redness appears in his eyes, and disturbances in the expression of thoughts are observed. In addition, addiction can be accompanied by loss of appetite, vomiting, and pain in the body.
Chemically processed product
There are many products similar to spice. The main active ingredient in it is the synthetic cannabinoid JWH-018 in high concentration. Cannabinoids of natural origin are 5 times weaker in their hallucinogenic effect, and the use of a synthetic product leads to addiction several times faster.
Signs of using spices and smoking mixtures:
- paleness of the skin;
- hyperemia of the whites of the eyes, dilated pupils;
- anxiety;
- lethargy;
- inability to focus your gaze;
- slurred speech;
- appetite and sleep disturbances.
It is useful for adults to know what signs can be used to suspect that a child has begun to become addicted to drugs. Smoking spice is accompanied by an extremely unpleasant odor. This may be a good tip for parents. Dry mucous membranes lead to increased thirst. Frequent coughing is a consequence of irritation and damage to the larynx. The effect of a psychotropic drug can manifest itself as “freezing” - a long stay in one position without movement. Speech becomes slurred, incoherent, and difficulties arise in choosing the right word or constructing a phrase.
Overdose of smoking mixture
This condition threatens severe mental disorders. A person who has used the drug experiences a feeling of euphoria, observes hallucinations, becoming dangerous not only for himself, but also for others. With a decrease in the dose taken by the body, the smoker’s well-being worsens and aggression begins. He is capable of easily killing or jumping out of the window of a multi-story building.
An overdose causes severe lethargy, and the smoker may experience nausea and vomiting. Blood pressure rises, blood vessels constrict, the likelihood of loss of consciousness and even clinical death increases.
Symptoms of poisoning
The first symptoms of spice poisoning may appear after just a few puffs:
- inadequacy in the form of violence, panic, hysteria or, conversely, a cheerful state, euphoria, etc.;
- slurred and confused speech;
- sudden “blackout” (a person suddenly falls asleep in any position);
- dilated pupils;
- the poisoned person does not think well;
- tachycardia.
If the dose of spice has been exceeded, this can be understood by more severe symptoms:
- nausea, vomiting;
- dizziness;
- loss of consciousness;
- convulsions;
- tachycardia.
As a result of an overdose of cannabinoids, death occurs in most cases. But sometimes you can manage to help someone who has been poisoned, provided that the person nearby acts quickly and correctly, recognizing the symptoms of an overdose in time.
“Otkhodnyak” from spice
An addiction to this drug, like any other, is formed on the basis of psychodependence, which appears after the sensations of euphoria experienced by the smoker, which the smoker wants to repeat again.
How long does it last
As soon as the effect of the drug wears off, the person becomes depressed. It is very important at this moment not to allow him to commit unconscious actions. It is recommended to call a doctor. Before the specialist arrives, the smoker’s pulse and breathing should be monitored.
How it proceeds
Strong addiction occurs after just six months of smoking spice. If at this stage the use of the intoxicating composition is stopped, then the person begins to experience real withdrawal symptoms.
How to speed up drug elimination
A person admitted to the hospital with signs of an overdose is fixed on the bed with special bandages, and his blood is washed. If necessary, connect to artificial respiration equipment. In addition, symptomatic therapy is required to normalize blood pressure and brain function. It is possible to wean a person off the use of spice only in special clinical conditions. You will definitely need the help of a psychotherapist if your addiction has reached a severe stage. Individual psychotherapy sessions, conversations with the patient about the dangers of drugs, and taking medicinal compounds that can neutralize the effects of a dangerous smoking mixture help relieve symptoms and completely get rid of the consequences of smoking.
Treatment
First aid consists of preventive measures aimed at preventing suicide attempts and harm to oneself and others. The drug acts for 2-3 hours, after which the person is released, but subsequently panic attacks may occur. There is no antidote for using spice. Patients are monitored, and emergency care is provided in case of complications.
It is required when convulsions occur, psychomotor agitation occurs, and airway patency is monitored during coma. Often, when refusing a product, withdrawal syndrome is observed, accompanied by vomiting and pain. If they appear, you should seek medical help.
At the initial stage, treatment can be carried out at home, but this must be done in any case under the supervision of a specialist and following all his recommendations.
In severe cases, hospitalization will be required. You need to understand that a violation of mental processes will require long and serious treatment. In contact with
Spice addiction
This mixture does not create instant addiction, just like cannabis. First, a mental attachment arises. When smoking, a person feels euphoria, his mood improves, and the possibilities seem almost limitless. If there are long breaks between doses, depression and nervousness may occur. There are cases of physical dependence in which a person experiences withdrawal symptoms. These kinds of consequences allow us to consider spice as serious drugs. Getting rid of addiction to them is very difficult, it takes a lot of time. You need to know that a teenager develops addiction much faster than an adult smoker.
