Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death was apparently from an overdose; but is heroin to blame, or was it a possible combination of drugs? Heroin was found in the actor’s New York City apartment, with a reported 50 bags found. In addition, addiction treatment medication, blood pressure medication and a muscle relaxant were also found.
The Monday autopsy will show what was in Hoffman’s system, but the possible combination of substances harkens back to Cory Monteith’s overdose last July. The young Glee star was found dead in his apartment with a mixture of both heroin and alcohol in his system. Reports on heroin and its increasing prevalence abounded in the wake of both deaths, but another hypothesis surfaced.
Discussions on drug criminalization and whether drug-related deaths are caused by the drugs themselves or another factor came to a head, especially in light of Monteith’s passing. InTheKnow, a drug education company, reports that 80 percent of deaths associated with heroin are due to a lethal mixture with alcohol or another substance. Is the heroin to blame, or alcohol?
To get to the bottom of the question, a few facts must be examined. How many people die due to alcohol? How many die from heroin overdose? How many die from a combination of both? In the case of Philip Seymour Hoffman, is heroin to blame for his death, or could his death be due to a combination of drugs? Although the last question will never be answered conclusively, even in light of the autopsy, a hypothesis can be made based on what is currently known.
Nearly 88,000 people die every year from overconsumption of alcohol, out of roughly 124.5 million over 18 who regularly drink alcohol. This equates to only .07 percent of people who have died from over drinking. Regular alcohol consumption is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as 12 or more drinks per year.
Data from Philadelphia, where heroin use has increased significantly, shows that between 2008 and 2011, the number of people who died with heroin in their system increased by 182 percent. Of all drug and alcohol-related deaths in Philadelphia, heroin was present more frequently than any other drug in cases where illicit drugs contributed to mortality.
Though this data is not exactly comparable, it seems that fewer people who drink alcohol die than those who use heroin. Hoffman had used both in the past, but it seems that heroin had more of a hand in his death. The total number of deaths from alcohol is greater than the total number of deaths due to all illegal drugs combined, but the percentage of people who use illicit drugs is far less, too. Only 669,000 people used heroin in 2012, and only 1.8 percent of people over the age of 12 reported ever using heroin in their lives.
Since alcohol is consumed orally, the liver and stomach process it before entering the bloodstream and reaching the brain. Heroin is dangerous because it is often injected, putting it directly into the bloodstream and allowing it to reach the brain in higher, more deadly, concentrations. Heroin, a derivative of morphine, is more effective than morphine at bypassing the body’s blood-brain barrier. Once in the brain, heroin is converted back into morphine, meaning that injecting heroin delivers more morphine to the brain.
Mixing drugs can cause unintended consequences and heighten side effects. Heroin overdose can cause people to stop breathing, and alcohol can cause dehydration. Common side effects of other illicit drugs include decreased blood pressure, dizziness and rapid heart rate. Heroin and alcohol are both depressants, which is why the two in combination are more likely to cause death.
While heroin is indisputably fatal, taking the time to examine the true cause of death facilitates understanding and has societal and policy implications. Whether Hoffman’s death was the direct result of heroin or a combination of drugs cannot be known, but if nothing else, it serves as a cautionary tale to be careful with any drug.
By Julia Waterhous
Sources:
LA Times
CDC
Justice.gov
US Census Bureau
Santa Clara University
Washington Post
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Hey, how’s it going?
Did you hear that the powers that run this world want to put a RFID microchip in our body? It will contain not only our bank accounts but our personal information, making us total slaves to the elite. This will cause us to lose even more of our privacy.
Did you know that this RFID microchip matches perfectly with the Mark of the Beast in the Bible, more specifically Revelation 13:16-18?
“He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name…”
Referring to the last days, this could only be speaking of a cashless society, which we have yet to see, but are heading towards. Otherwise, we could still buy or sell without the mark amongst others if physical money was still currency. It’s amazing that the Bible foretold a cashless society!
Did you also hear that the Jewish people are in the process of bringing about the Third Temple prophesied in the Bible by the prophet Daniel, Jesus, and Apostle Paul? They deny Jesus as their Messiah and say their Messiah will be revealed to rule the whole world under a one world religion. They are not even hiding this information, but are actually promoting it. You can view videos about this on YouTube.
When Donald Trump made Jerusalem captial of Israel in late December 2017, the Jewish people said this was a big step for them to build this Third Temple. They even printed a Temple coin with president Trump’s face on the front with king Cyrus'(the man who built the Second Temple in the Bible) face behind him. On the back of the coin is an image of the Third Temple. They are selling these coins to raise money to build the Temple.
People have been saying for many years that the end is near, but we needed not only the Third Temple, but also the technology for there to be a cashless society for the Mark of the Beast to be a reality.
There is much more to know, please visit http://WWW.BIBLEFREEDOM.COM to see all the proof!
GOD BLESS, JESUS LOVES YOU!
Hey, how’s it going?
Did you hear that the powers that run this world want to put a RFID microchip in our body? It will contain not only our bank accounts but our personal information, making us total slaves to the elite. This will cause us to lose even more of our privacy.
Did you know that this RFID microchip matches perfectly with the Mark of the Beast in the Bible, more specifically Revelation 13:16-18?
“He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name…”
Referring to the last days, this could only be speaking of a cashless society, which we have yet to see, but are heading towards. Otherwise, we could still buy or sell without the mark amongst others if physical money was still currency. It’s amazing that the Bible foretold a cashless society!
Did you also hear that the Jewish people are in the process of bringing about the Third Temple prophesied in the Bible by the prophet Daniel, Jesus, and Apostle Paul? They deny Jesus as their Messiah and say their Messiah will be revealed to rule the whole world under a one world religion. They are not even hiding this information, but are actually promoting it. You can view videos about this on YouTube.
When Donald Trump made Jerusalem captial of Israel in late December 2017, the Jewish people said this was a big step for them to build this Third Temple. They even printed a Temple coin with president Trump’s face on the front with king Cyrus'(the man who built the Second Temple in the Bible) face behind him. On the back of the coin is an image of the Third Temple. They are selling these coins to raise money to build the Temple.
People have been saying for many years that the end is near, but we needed not only the Third Temple, but also the technology for there to be a cashless society for the Mark of the Beast to be a reality.
There is much more to know, please visit http://WWW.BIBLEFREEDOM.COM to see all the proof!
GOD BLESS, JESUS LOVES YOU!