Last updated : December 23, 2024
Heroin is a highly addictive illegal drug that is derived from morphine, a substance that occurs naturally in poppy plants.
It primarily originates in South America and Southeast Asia.
In the form of a white or brown powder, the drug is commonly sold on the streets under various names including dope, horse, skag, smack, black tar, brown sugar, big H and China white. Black tar heroin refers to heroin made using crude processing methods; this form of the drug is a sticky or hard substance that contains impurities.
Methods of Heroin Use
The most common method of using diluted or impure heroin is injection under the skin or into veins or muscles, but to avoid the telltale signs of injection drug use, some users smoke or snort more purified forms of the drug.
How Heroin Addiction Begins
Heroin use often begins with abuse of prescription opioid pain medications such as Oxycontin, Demerol and Vicodin. According to surveys, almost half of young people who currently inject heroin report using prescription opioids first. In many cases, heroin is cheaper and easier to obtain than prescription drugs, which require a doctor’s approval and impose dosing limits.
Short- and Long-Term Physical Effects
After a single dose of heroin, users experience a feeling of euphoria or well-being, a warm, flushing sensation, dry mouth and a feeling of heaviness in the limbs. Soon after the initial effects take hold, users become alternately alert and sleepy, and their mental function, heart rate and respiration slows, sometimes dangerously. Many will experience itching, vomiting and constipation. Like other opioids, heroin blocks pain messages sent through the spinal nerves into the brain, so users can feel little or no pain.
Long-term use of heroin alters the brain and produces tolerance and profound physical dependence to the point that heroin becomes the singular focal point of the user’s life. Severe withdrawal symptoms occur if the drug use is suddenly stopped or reduced; these include muscle pain, bone pain, restlessness, agitation, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes, involuntary leg movements and goose bumps. Withdrawal symptoms may persist for months.
Long-term medical problems associated with continued heroin use include the following.
- Pneumonia and other lung disorders
- Depression and metal illness
- Sexual dysfunction
- Scarred and collapsed veins
- Bacterial infections
- Boils and abscesses
- Liver, kidney or brain damage due to clogged blood vessels
- Immune modulated rheumatologic problems
- HIV or hepatitis B and C infections
- Pregnancy complications
Heroin in America
Although heroin use is declining among teens, overall reported heroin use has been rising since 2007. The upward trend seems to be driven by young adults aged 18 to 25. The number of users in this age group who sought treatment for heroin abuse more than doubled between 2008 and 2012. A total of 156,000 people reported starting heroin use in 2012 compared to only 90,000 in 2006. The drug is no longer found predominantly in urban areas. Suburban and rural areas near Chicago and St. Louis are reporting increasing amounts of heroin recovered by officials and growing numbers of heroin-related overdose deaths. Heroin use has been identified as one of the most pressing drug abuse issues affecting multiple regions across the nation.
Heroin Overdose Symptoms
Symptoms of heroin overdose include slow, difficult or shallow breathing, dry mouth, small pupils, low blood pressure, weak pulse, blue lips or nails, intestinal spasms, drowsiness, delirium, confusion, muscle spasticity and coma. Timely administration of an opioid receptor antagonist can reverse the effects of heroin and potentially save a victim’s life.
Treating Heroin Addiction
Treatment for heroin dependence is most effective when it includes both behavioral and pharmacological approaches. Effective pharmacological agents include Methadone, Buprenorphine and Naltrexone. Inpatient and outpatient programs can help addicts recover through the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy.
