Heroin Addiction

31 de octubre de 2021

3 min de lectura

In 2016 approximately 948,000 Americans reported using heroin — a number that has rapidly increased over the years. Drug addiction has ravished millions for decades leaving behind victims that are not only the sufferers, but the loved ones surrounding them as well. But why is heroin so addictive?

What is heroin?

Heroin is an opioid drug that is highly addictive. It’s made from the seed pod of various opium poppy plants (natural substances) found in many areas including Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, Mexico, and Columbia.

Heroin can be found in a white or brown powder, or a black sticky substance commonly referred to as “black tar heroin”. Heroin is used in many different forms, including:

Intravenously by injecting the heroin
Sniffing and/or snorting the powder
Smoking the drug

Heroin users also commonly mix or “cut” heroin with crack cocaine to create a speedball.

Is heroin addictive?

Heroin is a highly addictive drug that is abused by hundreds of thousands of Americans each year. It is so addictive because of how rapidly it enters into the brain and binds to opioid receptors.

Heroin most commonly affects the areas of the brain that control sleep, breathing, heart rate, pain, and pleasure senses leaving the user unable to control and regulate their behavior.

Short-term effects of heroin use

Dry mouth
Warm, flushed skin
Nausea and vomiting
Itching
Clouded brain function

Long-term effects of heroin use

Insomnia
Infection of the heart lining and valves
Sexual dysfunction in men
Antisocial personality disorder

Heroin abusers that share needles with other abusers to inject the drug into the vein are at an increased risk of contracting or spreading HIV and Hepatitis.

Can you overdose on heroin?

Heroin users often use just enough to create a therapeutic effect to produce the desired effect. However, a tolerance to heroin is easily built within the brain. When tolerance is built up, the user resorts to increasing the amount of heroin used at one time, resulting in the potential of an overdose.

A heroin overdose is defined as using enough of the drug to produce life-threatening effects or even death. If caught in time, a heroin overdose can be reversed using a medication called Naloxone, or Narcan, which is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Narcan can either be injected intravenously, intramuscular, or intranasally with the use of a MAD device to create a mist.

Heroin withdrawals

Constant heroin use results in the creation of a physical dependence, meaning there is an altered physiological state within the body and brain leaving the body unable to function properly without the drug coursing through it.

Withdrawal symptoms include:

Restlessness
Severe muscle pain and bone pain
Sleep disturbances
Diarrhea
Nausea and vomiting
Cold flashes
Uncontrollable movement of the legs
Cravings for the drug

The timeframe in which heroin withdrawal symptoms occur is dependent upon how often the person is using, how much they are using, and how dependent their body has become on the drug. Users have reported feeling withdrawal symptoms within a few hours of using heroin up to 72 hours after using it.

How is heroin addiction treated?

Heroin addiction treatment consists of a combination of behavioral therapy and medications given by a licensed professional.

Medications used to treat heroin addiction include:

Lofexidine: An oral medication administered to combat the withdrawal symptoms of opioid use
Methadone and Buprenorphine: These drugs work by binding to the same opioid receptors that heroin binds to but produce a weaker effect than heroin. They reduce the cravings for heroin and withdrawal symptoms
Naltrexone: Blocks the opioid receptors within the brain, leaving opioid drugs unable to have an effect

Behavioral therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy: Is used to modify the behaviors, manage stress and triggers, and help the user work through their specific struggles
Contingency management: This is a motivational incentive-based therapy, most effective in combination with medication, to reward those in recovery with a tangible prize for staying drug-free

Heroin addiction is a deadly concern leaving those suffering feeling helpless and alone, but with the right support system, it can be overcome through treatment.

Resources for Help

SAMHSA’s National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

Drug Abuse Foundation

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Sources

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