Heroin Addiction

Heroin addiction is a growing problem in the United States. Although use of heroin by injection has decreased due to the fear of transmitted diseases like AIDS and hepatitis, the drug is still a major money-maker on the street. Bags sell anywhere from $5 to $100, depending on the purity and amount of drug sold.

View a heroin use slideshow.

Besides the less popular injection form, addicts get their fix by smoking or snorting the fine, white to brown colored powder. It takes around 15 minutes to feel the effects of heroin through snorting and smoking. People choose to use heroin because it gives them a high, a rush of euphoria. At the same time, most experience heavy limbs, warm flushed skin, and dry mouth. These immediate effects are then followed by a user going “on the nod”—meaning they move from highly alert to drowsy states quickly.

Because tolerance develops, bigger and purer doses are needed for chronic users to get their rush. Impurities or additives, which make the heroin darker, can include things like sugar, starch, powdered milk, strychnine, other poisons and more drugs. These potentially dangerous additives can clog a person’s veins because they do not dissolve very easily. This can cause infection in organ cells.

Serious health complications can result after heroin addiction. These complications include:

• Fatal overdose
• Increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in newborns exposed to heroin
• Collapsed veins
• Infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS, or hepatitis in persons who inject the drug
• Infection of heart lining and valves
• Miscarriage
• Abscesses
• Cellulitis
• Liver disease
• Pulmonary complications like pneumonia or tuberculosis
• Soft tissue infections
• Neurochemical and molecular changes in the brain

Withdrawal from heroin addiction can happen within hours of the last dose. Although the most serious withdrawal symptoms are felt within the first 48-72 hours of last using, symptoms let up after 7-10 days. Withdrawal symptoms include:

• Drug cravings
• Restlessness
• Bone and muscle pain
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Cold flashes with goose bumps (“cold turkey”)
• Involuntary kicking movements
• Insomnia

In severe addicts where poor health is a consideration, sudden withdrawal can cause death. Any addict who wishes to withdraw from a long-term heroin addiction should seek help from a physician. With addiction, the temptation to return to using is always there.

Several treatment options are available for heroin addiction. One highly effective treatment is the methadone maintenance method. Methadone is a synthetic opiate that can block the “rush” from heroin for up to 24 hours. However, this method has become more controversial in recent years, due to the amount of time many patients require the maintenance to abstain from using.

Another drug that has been approved for treating heroin addiction is buprenorphine. Unfortunately, if pregnant women use this drug, babies may need to be treated for withdrawal symptoms.

Most medical treatments are most effective when combined with a form of psychological therapy. Contingency management therapy is a voucher-based system where addicts get “points” based on clean drug tests which they can then exchange for items to live a sober life. Cognitive-behavioral therapy teaches users to modify their thinking, expectations, and behaviors in order to stay away from drugs. Increased stress management skills are underscored.

To get started on finding a treatment program, check out these websites:

• Sober Recovery
• Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator (provided by the Department of Health and Human Services)
• Drug Rehab Locator

• Smoking Withdrawal Symptoms
• Caffeine Withdrawal
• Anti Depression Foods
• Depression Quiz
• Am I an Alcoholic

• Causes of Drug Addiction
• Drug Addiction Poems
• Compulsive Lying
• Treatment for Compulsive Lying
• Short Term Effects of Smoking Crystal Meth

• Addiction to Methadone
• Long Term Effects of Heroin
• What Are the Signs of a Heroin User
• Side Effects of Heroin
• Former Heroin Addict