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A Brief History of Opioids and the Evolution of Concepts Associated with Substance Use Disorders

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Opioids

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Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the history of opioids and people’s different relationships with them across time and geography. It begins with the origins of the poppy flower, the recreational and medical use of opium in ancient cultures and Asia, and its pathway to European users. This chapter also reviews the different medicinal opium preparations (e.g., beverages, syrups, concoctions) used until the nineteenth century and the Opium Wars between England and China. Another section describes the discovery of morphine, the development of semisynthetic and synthetic opioids, the identification of endogenous opioid peptides, and the pharmacological characterization of opioid receptor subtypes. Finally, this chapter provides a brief description of the role of opioids in modern societies and reviews how basic concepts related to opioids and opioid use disorders (OUDs) have evolved through time.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacobiology, Cinvestav, Mexico City, Mexico

    Silvia L. Cruz

  2. Opioids Working Group, Global Studies Seminar, Faculty of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico

    Silvia L. Cruz & Claudia Rafful

  3. Faculty of Psychology, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico

    Claudia Rafful

  4. Center for Global Mental Health Research, National Institute of Psychiatry Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz (INPRM), Mexico City, Mexico

    Claudia Rafful

Authors
  1. Silvia L. Cruz
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Correspondence to Silvia L. Cruz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacobiology, Cinvestav, Mexico City, Mexico

    Silvia L. Cruz

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Cruz, S.L., Rafful, C. (2022). A Brief History of Opioids and the Evolution of Concepts Associated with Substance Use Disorders. In: Cruz, S.L. (eds) Opioids. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-09936-6_1

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