Heroin Addiction
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The Asian poppy plant seems innocuous enough.
Of course, once you find out that it can be cultivated for
a variety of medicinal purposes, including the addictive heroin,
the poppy plant takes on a certain sinister sheen.
Heroin is a highly dangerous and addictive
opiate that is processed from the naturally occurring morphine
that is found in the poppy. The result of this processing
is a brown or white powder that can be injected intravenously,
snorted or even smoked.
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Junk, Horse, Smack, these are just three of many street names given
to heroin. No one stops in the middle of their daily routine and
says, "I think I will become addicted to heroin today."
That first hit of the drug usually happens because the user needs
to escape from something in their life. Subtle peer pressure can
contribute to the user making the choice to try it the first time.
Heroin initially produces a euphoric feeling and an escape from
problems. The first "feel-good" experience leads the way
to another and then another. Before the user knows it (or definitely
recognizes it), a heroin addiction is born.
Heroin Addict |
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When heroin is taken on a regular basis, the body gradually builds
a tolerance to the drug. When this happens the user has to take
more and more of the drug to maintain that buzz. Soon, the body
craves the heroin and has developed an addiction. During the introduction
of the drug into the body, there is at first a euphoric feeling
known as a "rush," then a state of semi-consciousness
that the user weaves in and out of for a period of time. Next, heroin
starts to dull the senses, slowing down any messages that the body
sends to the brain and vice versa.
Long-term effects of heroin addiction are many. Collapsed
veins from over-popping heroin are common. The liver has a
harder time filtering the blood, so liver disease is another
problem. Infections of the heart, pulmonary problems, pneumonia,
weird abscesses and threat of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B &
C are just a few of a host of problems long time users of
heroin face.
Rehab is really the only thing that will save someone from
heroin addiction. There may be a rare few who can beat it
on their own, but it is doubtful because the withdrawal symptoms
are usually too tough for someone to get through alone without
help. Insomnia, vomiting, diarrhea, joint and muscle pain,
leg spasms, aching bones, cold sweat and goose bumps are some
of the major withdrawal symptoms. The severity of the symptoms
peaks at about two to three days and the worst of the ordeal
is over after a week or two. However, long-term, habitual
users can take months before the withdrawals symptoms shake
loose. A drug rehab clinic may use pharmaceutical approaches
such as Methadone, LAAM (levo-alpha-acetyl-methadol) or buprenorphine
to quell withdrawal symptoms and help the heroin addict stay
clean over the long haul.
Heroin addiction can be found anywhere, even though some
people take a common, yet inaccurate view of it being just
on the streets. The process starts as a distraction from the
daily pressures of life, but the great escape really happens
when the addict makes a decision to get clean and goes for
treatment to kick their drug habit.
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