Heroin
addiction is caused by long term intake of
Heroin. Heroin is a highly addictive drug,
and its use is a serious problem in the United
States. Recent studies suggest a shift from
injecting heroin to snorting or smoking because
of the increased purity and the misconception
that these behaviors will not lead to dependency.
Heroin
is processed from morphine, a naturally occurring
substance extracted from the seedpod of the
Asian poppy plant. Heroin usually appears as
a white or brown powder. Street names for heroin
include "smack," "H," "skag," and "junk."
Other names may refer to types of heroin produced in a specific geographical
area, such as "Mexican black tar."
Health
Hazards
Heroin
abuse is associated with serious health conditions,
including fatal overdose, spontaneous abortion,
collapsed veins, and infectious diseases such
as HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.
The
short-term effects of heroin abuse appear
shortly after a single dose and disappear
in a few hours. After a heroin injection,
the user reports feeling a surge of euphoria
("rush")
accompanied by a warm flushing of the skin, a dry mouth, and heaviness
in the extremities. Following this initial euphoria, the user goes "on
the nod," a state of alternating wakefulness
and drowsiness. Heroin depresses the central
nervous system which clouds the user's mental
functioning.
Long-term
effects of Heroin appear after repeated use.
Chronic users may develop collapsed veins,
infection of the heart lining and valves,
abscesses (pus-filled pocket inside inflamed,
infected tissue), cellulitis (a bacterial
infection of the skin), and liver disease.
Pulmonary complications, including various
types of pneumonia, may result from the poor
health condition of the abuser, as well as
from heroin's depressing effects on respiration.
Additionally,
street heroin may contain additives that do
not readily dissolve thereby clogging the blood
vessels that lead to the lungs, liver, kidneys,
or brain. This can cause infection or even
death of small patches of cells in vital organs.
Reports from SAMHSA's 1995
Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), which collects
data on drug-related hospital emergency room
episodes and drug-related deaths from 21 metropolitan
areas, rank heroin as the second highest drug
involved in drug-related deaths. From 1990
to 1995, the number of heroin-related episodes
doubled. Between 1994 and 1995, there was a
19 percent increase in heroin-related emergency
department episodes.
(From National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute
of Health)
Get
Heroin Help Now
Call
us today to discuss how the Waismann Method
can free you from your Heroin dependency
and get your life back.
Call
(310) 205-0808 or (888) 987-HOPE (4673)
during business hours. for more
information about rapid detox treatment
for prescription drug addiction
After-hours
and weekends, please call (310) 927-7155.