Heroin is one of the most addictive drugs on Earth, and it’s the fastest acting and most widely abused of all the opiates. Heroin is refined from morphine, which is extracted from the seed pods of some poppy plants. Heroin bought on the street is sold either as a white or brown powder, or as “black tar heroin”. The heroin of today is much more pure than it was just a few years ago, but most that’s readily available is cut with other things like quinine, powdered milk, or cornstarch. This is one of the things that makes heroin addiction so dangerous- the user doesn’t know exactly how much of the drug they are getting, so there’s always a chance of overdose. Also, heroin users that share needles are at risk for transmitting HIV, hepatitis, and other diseases.

People abuse heroin in three ways- smoking, snorting, and injection. A heroin addict may use up to four times a day. Injection into a vein provides a strong rush within ten seconds, and when it is snorted or smoked it will be about ten minutes for the effects to set in. While it may take longer to get the “rush” from smoking or snorting heroin, all three forms of ingestion are dangerous and addictive. Injection is the method of choice among those with a heroin addiction, but the pattern is gradually shifting toward more smoking and snorting. This shift brings along with it a change in the groups of people who abuse the drug- those who are over 30 are one of the largest segments of the population with a heroin problem.

As we said, heroin is very addictive, and it doesn’t take that much regular use for a person to develop an addiction. As the person uses more and more, they build up a tolerance and they must use more and more to get the same effect. Heroin addiction develops as the body adapts to the drug, and if use is stopped suddenly, withdrawal symptoms set in quickly (as soon as a few hours after the last hit). Withdrawals are painful and symptoms can include muscle pain, insomnia, cold flashes, nausea and vomiting, and restlessness. Thankfully, the worst of the withdrawal symptoms will usually pass within 48 hours, and they’ll be almost totally gone after a week. While they are never fatal to the otherwise healthy heroin addict, but if they are experienced by a pregnant woman, they can kill the fetus.

The treatment of a heroin addiction must always be medically supervised. Doctors have the training necessary to manage the debilitating withdrawal symptoms, but detoxification alone is not enough to prevent the addict from relapsing. Along with treatment, medicines like methadone or buprenorphine are used to wean the heroin addict off the drug. Currently, buprenorphine is more widely used because methadone itself can become addictive. In order to administer either drug, your chosen rehab program must be certified. If you are dealing with heroin addiction, don’t try to quit on your own, start with a visit to your doctor, who will refer you to an appropriate rehab program.

Drug Enforcement Agnecy (DEA) – http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/index.htm
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) – http://www.samhsa.gov/
National Institue of Health (NIH) – http://www.nih.gov/