All There is to Know About Heroin
Heroin is responsible for 51% of all drug related deaths in the U.S. Crack is a reduced form of Cocaine that is usually free-based (smoked) or snorted. The side effects of using heroin? Why it is so dangerous? Common side effect of Heroin. How Heroin is abused. Map of Heroin abuse in the U.S. Heroin has been associated with multiple medical risks in the United States.
The abuse of illegal substance is a problem that requires treatment. Heroin is a deadly drug that can result in physical dependence within a short period of time. Due to the dangers of the drug, it is important to seek treatment when dependence starts to develop.
Facts About Heroin
The creation of heroin comes from opium poppies. The flowers are used to create several opiate prescription medications. The flowers are grown in several countries, but heroin is primarily produced in Afghanistan and Mexico. Unfortunately, the compounds that reduce pain are also addictive. All opiate drugs require the supervision of a medical doctor.
Heroin is commonly taken as a recreational substance due to the impact on the body. The chemicals cause feelings of pleasure. In many cases, individuals become involved with heroin due to abusive environments in childhood.
Abusing the substance depends on the individual, but using a needle to inject a liquid form of the drug is common. Other individuals might smoke the drug or take it as a pill. Using a powdered form to breath in the material or creating a suppository might occur in some cases. The amount of time before the drug reaches the blood stream depends on the method of taking the substance.
Regardless of the method of taking the drug, the risk of death is similar. The number of deaths from heroin has increased from around 2,550 to more than 3,000 individuals from 2006 to 2008. The trend shows an increasing problem, but it is possible to fight the addiction to heroin.
Side Effects of Heroin
The impact of heroin on the body shows the danger of the drug. The possible impacts on the body include:
- Throwing up or upset stomach
- Problems with breathing
- Inability to feel or process pain
- Sickness from infectious diseases
- Veins that become damaged
- Taking too much
- Damage to the kidneys and other organs
- Dying or near-death experiences
While the side effects are severe, it is not the only danger associated with the drug. Since heroin is commonly injected into the body with needles, the risk of contracting diseases from sharing needles is high. Some individuals will develop HIV or AIDS after using the drug.
Dependence on heroin leads to roughly 84,000 hospitalizations each year and accounts for more than half of the drug-related deaths in the country. Due to the high expense of the drug, it can also lead to financial ruin since many individuals with an addiction spend around $150 to $200 per day on the substance.
Heroin Withdrawal Symptoms
Drugs made from the opium poppy lead to addiction. Depending on the dosage and level of addiction, withdrawal symptoms can start within 6 to 24 hours of the last dose. Common withdrawal symptoms include:
- Symptoms that are similar to a cold or flu
- High body temperatures
- Pain in the muscles, bones and joints
- Upset stomach
- Feeling hot and cold
Detoxifying the body is a challenge that requires medical supervision. With professional help, it is possible to get through the first difficult step of recovery.
Heroin addiction is a serious problem that impacts many individuals. While inmates in prison have a high rate of using the drug for a lifetime, roughly 1.5 percent of the American population has tried the drug at least one time. When an addiction develops, it is important to seek help. If the addiction is not controlled and overcome, then it will lead to financial strife and health complications. While the addiction is hard to overcome, it is possible to fight and live a drug-free life.
How bizzare – there are plenty of negative effects of heroin but the long term ones you chose were all related to using dirty equipment/sharing needles. All of those – bacterial infections, heart infections, HIV and Hep C – all avoidable.
I’ll give you ODs, crime deaths and lost lives. If heroin was availabe to users (cutting out crime) and centers were available with clean rigs and staff to oversee possible ODs, then people might move through an addiction to heroin and come out relatively intact.
Of course, conservative factions and the mob are both against this solution. Paulette
Well said Paulette.