Intravenous administration of heroine, according to the text “Drugs and Human Behavior,” causes a “rush” of orgasmic pleasure that can last for five minutes or more, followed by a period of supreme tranquility. Heroin addiction is usually caused by social and psychological factors, the euphoric “rush” and severe withdrawal symptoms. The National Institute for Drug Addiction, or NIDA, estimates that approximately 23 percent of individuals who use heroin become dependent on it.
Social and Psychological Factors
The heroin addict may be part of a social substratum that encourages drug use, other illegal activities and antisocial behaviors. Heroin addicts have often moved along a continuum of other drug use, seeking a better fix. In addition, family and cultural beliefs, as well as drug availability, influence the likelihood of an individual experimenting with heroin. Educational deficits also predispose individuals to drug addiction, according to the American Association for the Treatment of Opiate Dependence. Many psychological theories propose that drug addicts self-medicate to avoid unpleasant feelings, circumstances, pressures, stresses and/or to feel better/high, notes the AATOD. In addition, repeated heroin use dwarfs the brain’s pleasure circuit, normally stimulated by things like sex and eating. The result is that people dependent on heroin feel flat, depressed, lifeless and cannot enjoy things that used to bring them pleasure, according to NIDA.
The Euphoric “Rush”
The intense euphoria that follows a heroin injection is described as a concentrated blast of pleasure in sexual, ecstatic terms as an orgasm for the whole body. This “rush” lasts for up to five minutes and is followed by a tranquil period of complete serenity. Repeated drug use can alter the brain and result in long-lasting changes that are in large part responsible for the drug cravings and compulsion to use that make heroin addiction so powerful. Heroin tolerance develops rapidly, NIDA explains, which means that more heroin is required to achieve the same effect. It is cravings for this euphoric rush followed by extreme peacefulness that contribute to heroin addiction, in addition to the avoidance of withdrawal symptoms.
Withdrawal Symptoms
Once withdrawal symptoms are present, they are unpleasant enough—combined with the loss of euphoria—to cause drug-seeking behavior. The withdrawal symptoms are at their worst 48 to 72 hours after the last heroin dose and disappear within seven to 10 days, although a long-term "abstinence syndrome" follows, which is characterized by cravings and general malaise, according to NIDA. Unmedicated withdrawal is not unlike having the worst flu imaginable, which includes hot and cold flashes, excessively runny nose, teary eyes and profuse sweating, notes “Drugs and Human Behavior.” Sneezing and yawning fits are not uncommon. Twitching limbs, muscle tremors and achy joints make movement uncomfortable. At the same time, restlessness, insomnia and anxiety keep the sufferer from stillness and sleep. If sleep is achieved, nightmares are often present. Explosive diarrhea, stomach cramps and vomiting are often present, as well as rapid breathing and irritability. The avoidance of these symptoms plays a key role in maintaining heroin addiction.
References
- The National Institute on Drug Addiction
- The American Association for the Treatment of Opiate Dependence
- "Drugs and Human Behavior"; Tibor Palfai and Henry Jankiewicz; 1997
