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TABLE OF CONTENT
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What is Heroin?
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History of Heroin?
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How Does Heroin Work?
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Heroin’s Short-Term Effects
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Heroin’s Long-Term Effects
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Dependence, Tolerance
and Addiction
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Withdrawal Symptoms
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Treatment
HOW TO TREAT HEROIN ADDICTION
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A
lmost 1 million Americans (about 966,000 people)
struggle with heroin dependency, according to
statistics from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
More than 4.2 million Americans, or about 1.6 percent
of the population, have used heroin at least once in
their lives. Almost 25 percent of those who try the drug
experience dependency, making heroin the most widely
abused opiate in the country.
But heroin use isn’t just prevalent in the U.S.: Around
the world, more than 9.2 million people use heroin. In
Europe, four of every five drug-related deaths are linked
to heroin or other opiates. Read on to learn about this
drug’s history, its effects and treatment options.
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HOW TO TREAT HEROIN ADDICTION
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WHAT IS HEROIN?
Heroin is synthesized from the sap of the Asian opium poppy
(Papaver somniferum), a flowering plant that grows in dry,
warm climates in Asia, the Middle East and South America.
Poppies produce thick, white sap that dries to form a sticky,
dark substance known as opium, a narcotic substance with
analgesic properties that forms the base material used in the
synthesis of morphine, codeine and heroin.
Heroin may take the form of a dark, tarry substance or a
white to brown powder. The drug can be smoked through a
pipe, injected into veins or muscles, smoked with marijuana
or tobacco, or snorted. Heroin affects the pleasure and pain
centers in the brain, leading to euphoric highs and pain relief,
as well as a high risk of addiction.
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HOW TO TREAT HEROIN ADDICTION
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HISTORY OF HEROIN
The opium poppy has a long history of use as a medicinal
plant across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The first
known reference to the plant comes from 3,400 B.C.; the
ancient Sumerians who populated Mesopotamia cultivated
the flower, which they called hul gil or the joy plan, and
Early Greek and Roman physicians used opium as a sleep
aid and to relieve pain.
Traders carried the opium poppy through the region and
as cultivation of the flower increased, so did demand for
the opium it produced. Over centuries, poppy production
spread from the Mediterranean, into Europe, China
and Southeast Asia, where opium use – both medicinal
and recreation -- continued to grow over the next few
centuries.
In 1803, chemists discovered how to extract morphine from
opium, creating a painkiller that’s still considered among
the most effective analgesics available for severe pain. In
1874, a British researcher accidently left a combination of
morphine and the chemical acetic anhydride boiling for
a few hours, creating heroin. Five years later, the Bayer
pharmaceutical company synthesized heroin in the lab and
introduced it commercially for use as a painkiller in 1898.
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HOW TO TREAT HEROIN ADDICTION
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At this time, the medical community was unaware of
heroin’s highly addictive and potentially dangerous
properties, though opium smoking had been banned in San
Francisco for more than two decades. Physicians commonly
prescribed the drug for pain relief and, perhaps ironically,
as a treatment for morphine addiction, which was relatively
widespread at the time.
In 1903, the rates of heroin addiction had grown to levels the
Drug Enforcement Administration describes as “alarming.”
In 1924, federal law made all heroin use illegal. Today, heroin
is classified as a Schedule I substance, or a drug with “no
currently accepted medical use and a high potential for
abuse. Schedule I drugs are the most dangerous drugs of all
the drug schedules with potentially severe psychological or
physical dependence.”
Currently, most of the world’s poppy production is
concentrated in a 4,500-mile-long mountainous region
that stretches from Central Asia, through Pakistan, Turkey
and Afghanistan, and on to Laos and Myanmar/Burma. In
2013, more than 5,500 tons of raw opium were produced
in Afghanistan alone – the world’s largest producer -- an
amount worth $1 billion.
Much of that opium is synthesized into heroin and smuggled
into the U.S. Purity levels have increased in recent years,
with the national purity rate ranging from one to 98 percent,
with an average of 35 percent purity.
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HOW TO TREAT HEROIN ADDICTION
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HOW DOES HEROIN WORK?
When a user snorts, smokes or injects heroin, the substance has an
immediate narcotic effect, acting to:
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Depressing the central nervous system
Relieving pain
Decreasing mental function
Slowing the rate of physical functions like breathing and heartbeat
Heroin creates a short-lived rush of euphoria that lasts for a few
minutes, followed by a warm, drowsy state that lasts up to several
hours.
Heroin’s structure mimics that of naturally occurring chemicals known
as endorphins. The brain produces endorphins in times of pain or
stress, helping the body to cope and leading to their nickname as the
“natural opiates of the body.”
Endorphins work by preventing certain neurons from firing, which
relieves pain and produces a warm, happy or even euphoric feeling
during intense physical exercise (think “runner’s high) or when
experiencing stress or pain. The molecules in morphine -- heroin’s
base substance -- affect the endorphin-receptor sites in much the
same way as actual endorphins, relieving pain and creating a rush of
euphoria.
However, unlike endorphins, humans can actually control the amount
of heroin they ingest; it’s very easy to begin craving more and more
of this feel-good chemical, which is why heroin is so addictive.
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HOW TO TREAT HEROIN ADDICTION
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HEROIN’S SHORT-TERM EFFECTS
After taking heroin, users feel effects within a few
seconds to a few minutes. These may include:
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Euphoric rush
Feelings of tension in the abdomen
Pain relief
Warm flush
Dry mouth
Heavy feeling in arms and legs
Dizziness
Sexual pleasure
Nausea
Vomiting
Itching
After these initial effects subside, users feel warm,
cozy, drowsy and mentally “cloudy.” Known as
“being on the nod,” these feelings generally last
for four to five hours.
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HOW TO TREAT HEROIN ADDICTION
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HEROIN’S LONG-TERM EFFECTS
With repeated use over time, heroin users are at risk for a host of medical
issues. These may include:
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Abscesses and tissue infections
Cellulite
Liver disease
Kidney disease
Infections of the cardiovascular system
Scarred and collapsed veins
Increased risk of pneumonia, tuberculosis and respiratory diseases
Severe constipation
Gastrointestinal cramping
Early onset arthritis and rheumatic diseases
Bacterial infections in the blood stream
Poor oral health
Coma
Sexual dysfunction
Depression
Memory loss
Permanent brain damage
Increased risk of contracting HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B and C
Dependence, tolerance and addiction
HOW TO TREAT HEROIN ADDICTION
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When pregnant women use heroin, the drug also affects
the fetus. Heroin use while pregnant may result in a greater
chance of miscarriage or premature delivery. Babies who
are born to heroin users have a higher risk of low birth
rate, cardiovascular and respiratory function issues, as
well as an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome
(SIDS). Babies may also be born dependent on heroin and
experience neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS.
In addition to these side effects, heroin users are also at risk
of experiencing serious medical issues related to ingesting
impure heroin. Manufacturers and dealers often cut the drug
with substances such as sugar, powdered milk, starch or even
strychnine or other hazardous substances.
These added substances are virtually impossible to detect
before using the heroin. When injected, many added
substances don’t dissolve inside the body. Over time, they
can build up in blood vessels, leading to clogs, infections and
cell death, all of which may result in the sudden death of the
user. When snorted or smoked, these additional substances
increase the user’s risk of respiratory damage and disease.
As each batch of heroin is different, it’s impossible for users
to always accurately judge the potency and purity of a dose,
which also leads to an increased risk of overdose and death.
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HOW TO TREAT HEROIN ADDICTION
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DEPENDENCE, TOLERANCE AND ADDICTION
Heroin use over time may lead to dependence and tolerance,
which may lead to addiction. The National Institute on Drug Abuse
estimates that about 23 percent of heroin users will experience
dependence or addiction.
When used regularly, the body adapts to the presences of the drug,
thus building up tolerance. Users have to ingest more amounts
of heroin to get the desired effects. Higher doses, in turn, lead to
greater tolerance and greater dependence. Over time, this leads to
addiction.
Dependence occurs because the brain adapts to a regular supply of
heroin by adjusting its circuits. When the drug stops coming in, the
brain adapts by allowing the neurotransmitters that were inhibited
by heroin to start flowing again, creating a chemical imbalance that
results in physical symptoms known as withdrawal.
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HOW TO TREAT HEROIN ADDICTION
About
23%
of those who try heroin
experience dependency,
making heroin the most
widely abused opiate in
the country.
Talk to a Councelor Today. (877) 605-3107
WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS
Heroin users that build up tolerance and dependence experience
withdrawal symptoms when they reduce the amount of the drug they
ingest or stop using altogether. Withdrawal symptoms can start within
a few hours of the last usage, but generally begin from eight to 12 hours
after the last dose. Withdrawal symptoms may include:
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Tearing of the eyes
Sneezing
Feelings of weakness
Pain in muscles and bones
Insomnia
Restlessness
Fever
Anxiety
Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Cold flashes and goose bumps – the
term “going cold turkey” stems from
these symptoms
• Spasms and uncontrollable movements,
such as twitching and kicking – as in
“kicking the habit”
• Strong cravings for the drug
Withdrawal can last anywhere from just a few days up to a month. On average,
withdrawal symptoms last for about a week and peak from 24 to 72 hours after
ingestion of the last dose of heroin.
In unhealthy users, withdrawal may occasionally lead to death. Pregnant heroin
users who go through withdrawal may experience spontaneous abortion.
Although heroin withdrawal is rarely fatal in most healthy adults, the process
can be debilitating.
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HOW TO TREAT HEROIN ADDICTION
Talk to a Councelor Today. (877) 605-3107
TREATMENT
There are a number of available treatments for heroin addiction,
including detoxification, behavioral modification and medical programs.
The most effective treatment method differs from person to person, but
all tend to work best when the addiction is addressed sooner than later.
DETOXIFICATION IS A FIRST STEP IN MANY TREATMENT PROGRAMS.
Detoxification helps ease withdrawal symptoms while users transition
back to a heroin-free state. While detoxification isn’t a treatment in and
of itself, it helps bridge the gap between heroin addiction and long-term
treatment plans.
Sometimes, detoxification is combined with medical treatments. The
synthetic narcotic methadone, one of the most common medical
treatments for heroin addiction, has been used for more than three
decades. Methadone works by weakly mimicking the effects of heroin in
the brain, helping users ease off the drug while reducing cravings.
When properly prescribed and used, methadone doesn’t result in
intoxication or sedation -- users can drive, feel pain and experience
emotions. Each dose reduces withdrawal for up to 36 hours; while taking
methadone, using heroin doesn’t result in the feelings of euphoria that
tend to exacerbate addiction.
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HOW TO TREAT HEROIN ADDICTION
Talk to a Councelor Today. (877) 605-3107
A newer treatment option, buprenorphine, works like methadone
but has a lower chance of overdose and weaker opiate effects.
Buprenorphine also lowers rates of physical dependence and can
be administered privately in a doctor’s office, rather than in a clinic.
Other medical treatments include:
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Clonidine – may cause sedation
Lofexidine – designed for those undergoing opiate withdrawal
Naloxone – used to counteract overdose
Naltrexone – blocks the effects of opiate and lasts from one to
three days
Many treatment programs also utilize cognitive behavioral therapy
or contingency management therapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy
helps users learn how to change their behavior and thoughts in
order to overcome addictions for the long term, while contingency
management therapy uses a point system based on behavioral
choices.
Treatment programs may use a combination of methods to guide
users through the withdrawal process. Successful completion of a
treatment program can help heroin users overcome their addiction
and go on to enjoy life without opiates.
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HOW TO TREAT HEROIN ADDICTION