About Heroin

Heroin is diacetylmorphine and it is made by the chemical conversion of morphine, which is extracted from the seedpod of certain varieties of poppy plants. Heroin was synthesized in the 1870s, shelved, then mass marketed from the 1890s until the 1920s.

Heroin is no longer the drug of back alleys in big cities; it is more socially accepted by today's youth and widely available in communities across the country. Heroin, illegal and highly addictive, is abused more than any other opiate.

Heroin is typically sold as a white or brownish powder or as the black sticky substance known on the streets as "black tar" heroin. Pure heroin is usually white, whereas street heroin is usually brown from impurities and adulterants. When sold at street level heroin is likely to have been diluted or cut with a variety of similar powders. However, there is no way to gauge the purity of heroin by its color.

Heroin Use

Heroin is usually injected, sniffed (snorted), or smoked. When heroin is sniffed or smoked, peak effects are usually felt within 10 to 15 minutes. When heroin is injected, peak effects are felt immediately.

The brain converts heroin into morphine, which then binds the endorphin receptors all over the body, creating a powerful and pleasurable warm 'cotton wool' effect. Suppressing the middle part of the brain, the locus coeruleus, heroin provides the user with feelings of safety and contentment.

Regular heroin use can lead to physical and psychological dependence. Typically, a heroin abuser may inject up to four times a day.

Heroin Overdose

Heroin use escalates as the body’s tolerance for the drug increases. This increased tolerance is the cause of many overdose deaths, given that the heroin user may be injecting 3 to 5 times the lethal dose in order to maintain their high.

Because heroin abusers do not know the actual strength of the drug or its true contents, they are at risk of overdose or death. Heroin slows down breathing, and can stop it altogether. Most heroin overdoses occur when heroin is combined with other drugs with a depressant effect, particularly alcohol and sleeping pills like Valium or Normison.

Heroin Detoxification

The goal of heroin detoxification is to ultimately eliminate the drug, and all its metabolites from the body to increase the chance of a successful recovery. Heroin detoxification involves admitting there is a problem, seeking medical help, staying focused on the goal, and rehabilitation and treatment through a continuing program.

Heroin addiction is one of the most difficult addictions to overcome. Therefore, during heroin detoxification excruciating withdrawal symptoms are ubiquitous.

Opioid agonist drugs are widely used during heroin detoxification. The opioid agonist drugs act like heroin but do not provide the same high and are administered in gradually decreasing doses. Types of opioid agonist drugs include methadone, levo-alpha-acetylmethadol (LAAM), or Buprenorphine; Clonidine, which blocks some withdrawal symptoms.

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