Heroin, an opiate synthesized from morphine, is a seriously addictive drug that causes havoc on a person's health and life. Usually it appears as a white or brown powder and sometimes you'll find it as a black sticky substance. It can be injected, snorted or smoked and can lead to short-term and long-term serious health issues.
Addiction
Heroin is physically and emotionally addictive and a person's body can easily become dependent on this drug. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 23 percent of users become dependent on heroin. It's a drug that you have to use more and more to get the same high over time. Addicts begin to crave the drug about four to six hours after the last injection and will start to feel withdrawal symptoms eight to 12 hours without an injection. The symptoms include irritability, anxiety, excessive sweating, chills, fever and diarrhea and can last seven to 10 days. Many people who are addicted to this drug need medical help during withdrawal.
Short-Term Effects
When heroin is injected, users report feeling a rush or extreme feelings of happiness. However, if it's snorted or smoked, the initial rush may not occur. The rush is accompanied by a dry mouth, flushing of the skin and the feeling that one's extremities are heavy. After the initial feelings of happiness, the user then goes through periods of alertness and drowsiness.
Long-Term Effects
Using heroin can lead to serious medical issues. Repeated needle use, the most common form of heroin use, can lead to collapsed veins and infectious diseases such as hepatitis and HIV/AIDS. When someone shares a needle with another user, they are putting themselves at risk for infectious diseases. Heroin use can lead to heart and lung failure and liver disease. Use of heroin decreases a person's immune system and leads to poor health overall and users are susceptible to pneumonia due to poor health. According to Heroin Abuse, many times heroin contains fillers that drug dealers put in the drug to increase the quantity. These fillers can cause permanent damage to one's vital organs.
Overdose and Death
Heroin use can lead to death if consumed in too high of a quantity. Heroin works by attaching to opioid receptors and some of these receptors are located in the brain stem that controls basic functions such as breathing and blood pressure. Drinkanddrugs.net reports that most of the time when someone overdoses by using heroin, it's due to a suppression of respiration and occurs within two to three hours of after taking the drug.
