Heroin Addiction Help
Heroin is an illegal, highly addictive drug. It is both the most abused and the most rapidly acting of the opiates. It is processed from morphine, a naturally occurring substance extracted from the seed pod of certain varieties of poppy plants. It is typically sold as a white or brownish powder or as the black sticky substance known on the streets as "black tar heroin." Although purer heroin is becoming more common, most of the street variety is "cut" with other drugs or with substances such as sugar, starch, powdered milk, or quinine. Street heroin can also be cut with strychnine or other poisons.
Because chronic abusers do not know the actual strength of the drug or its true contents, they are at risk of overdose or death. It also poses special problems because of the transmission of HIV and other diseases that can occur from sharing needles or other injection equipment. Heroin is usually injected, sniffed/snorted, or smoked. Typically, an addict may inject up to four times a day. Intravenous injection provides the greatest intensity and most rapid onset of euphoria (7 to 8 seconds), while intramuscular injection produces a relatively slow onset of euphoria (5 to 8 minutes). When sniffed or smoked, peak effects are usually felt within 10 to 15 minutes. Although smoking and sniffing do not produce a “rush” as quickly or as intensely as intravenous injection, NIDA researchers have confirmed that all three forms of administration are addictive. |
How is Heroin Used?
Injection continues to be the predominant method of heroin use among addicted users seeking treatment; however, researchers have observed a shift in use patterns, from injection to sniffing and smoking.
In fact, sniffing /snorting heroin is now the most widely reported means of taking heroin among users admitted for drug treatment in Newark, Chicago, and New York.
With the shift in abuse patterns comes an even more diverse group of users. Older users (over 30) continue to be one of the largest user groups in most national data. However, the increase continues in new, young users across the country who are being lured by inexpensive, high purity heroin that can be sniffed or smoked instead of injected.
Heroin has also been appearing in more affluent communities.
Painkiller Addiction
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