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Heroin

Heroin

What is heroin?

Heroin is a type of opioid drug made from the resin of poppy plants. It can be injected, smoked or snorted. It is a highly addictive drug – even a single dose of heroin can start someone on the road to addiction. Heroin also has a very painful withdrawal.

Heroin’s color and look depend on how it is made and what else it is mixed with. In its purest form, heroin is a fine white powder. But the additives often used to dilute it cause the heroin to appear gray, black or brown in color.

Heroin use is on the rise in areas where lots of people abuse prescription opioid painkillers, like OxyContin and Vicodin. Heroin may become the drug of choice for these people since it produces a similar high but is cheaper and easier to get. Nearly half of teens and young adults who inject heroin surveyed in recent studies reported abusing prescription opioids before starting to use heroin.

Heroin use is on the rise

  • 1,800 people overdosed on heroin and died in 2001. More than 10,000 people overdosed on heroin and died in 2014.

  • 212 people ages 15-24 died from a heroin overdose in 2001. More than 1,300 people ages 15-24 died from a heroin overdose in 2014. 

Teens and heroin

Between 1995 and 2002 the number of teenagers in America, ages 12 to 17, who used heroin at some point in their lives increased by 300%. This increase is likely due to the following:

  • It is available in various forms that are easier to use. Teens may be more open to sniffing or snorting a drug than injecting it falsely believing this somehow makes the drug safer.

  • It is more affordable.

  • Pressure from friends to use.

  • Desire to fit in with peers or to feel a certain way. Dealers know this and will exploit this by seeking out younger clients to sell to.

Does heroin affect the brain?

Yes. When heroin enters the brain it is converted back into morphine. It then binds to molecules on cells known as opioid receptors which are located in many areas of the body and brain, particularly in the areas involved in the perception of pain and pleasure.

Short-terms effects:

  • A rush of good feeling and clouded thinking

  • People want to sleep

  • Heart rate and breathing slow down

  • Once the drug wears off, people may feel a strong urge to take more

Repeated heroin use can result in:

  • Tolerance. This means that more of the drug is needed to achieve the same “high.”

  • Dependence. Dependence is the need to continue to use heroin to avoid having withdrawal symptoms.

  • Addiction. Addiction is a brain disease. If left untreated people addicted to heroin cannot stop using the drug even when they really want to and even though it has caused significant problems for their health, as well as with their social, emotional and cognitive functioning.

Are there other effects of heroin use?

Yes. Heroin can cause the following to occur:

  • Feeling sick to the stomach and throwing up

  • Severe itching

  • Slowed (or stopped) breathing

  • Increased risk of HIV and hepatitis if needles are used to take heroin

  • Coma (a deep state of unconsciousness).

Street heroin is not a controlled substance so it’s impossible to know what is it in. The substances mixed with it (such as strychnine or other poisons) can be toxic and do not fully dissolve, so they end up clogging the blood vessels leading to the lungs, liver, kidney, or brain. This can cause permanent damage to these organs.

There were more than 250,000 ER visits in 2011 because of the serious effects of heroin use.

Is heroin addictive?

Yes, heroin is very addictive. It is estimated that 23% of people who use heroin become addicted. Repeated use of heroin makes addiction very likely. Once you are addicted to heroin, finding and using the drug becomes the main thing you think about and do. And once you are hooked it is VERY hard to overcome.

Many professionals working with substance abuse clients believe that teens and tweens who begin to use drugs are at greater risk of becoming addicted to them. This is because the brain is still developing during these years and development of the brain doesn’t continue as it should once drug use is involved. This includes development (or lack of) the prefrontal cortex which is the part of the brain in charge of thought analysis and behavior regulation – basically the part of the brain that tells you not to do stupid things.

The number of people addicted to heroin doubled from 214,000 in 2002 to 517,000 in 2013.

A person addicted to heroin may experience:

  • Muscle and bone pain

  • Cold flashes with chills

  • Throwing up

  • Inability to sleep

  • Restlessness

  • Kicking movements

  • Strong craving for the drug

Can taking heroin be fatal?

Yes. You can die from using heroin. It slows, and sometimes stops, breathing resulting in death by a drug overdose.

What are the signs of a heroin overdose?

  • Slow breathing

  • Blue lips and fingernails

  • Cold, damp skin

  • Shaking

If you are with someone you think may have overdosed on heroin, call 9-1-1 or take that person to the nearest emergency room immediately.

Is there treatment available for someone addicted to heroin?

There are treatments available that can help a heroin addict to stop using and stay off the drug and medications that can help with the cravings that occur after quitting heroin use. The focus of treatment can vary depending on the facility or practitioner providing treatment. Some view treatment from a chronic-disease view meaning it is always something you have to treat, like diabetes. This can involve medications used in controlled doses to allow for normal functioning with minimal withdrawal effects. Others view this method as replacing one addiction with another and feel that full recovery means being completely clean, such as with a 12-step program.

There is no cookie-cutter method of treating heroin addicts. Understanding the addict and where they are in their addiction, considering medication-assisted treatment, and participation in therapy are all very important. Attending 12-step meeting and using urine testing for accountability can be helpful as well. Family involvement in treatment is critical so that family members can be educated about heroin addiction and treatment, as well as to receive support and guidance in dealing with an addicted family member.

How can I get help for myself or for a friend?

If you or a friend is in crisis and need to speak with someone now, please call:

  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (they cover issues other than suicide and can connect you with the help you need).

If you need information on treatment, including locating treatment facilities, you can call: