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Drug Facts: Heroin

Heroin is a highly addictive drug. And overdose is a real, and deadly, risk. It is also known as smack, horse, brown sugar, dope, H, junk, skag, skunk, white horse, China white, or Mexican black tar.

What is it?

Heroin is one of the opiates, a class of drugs that are either naturally derived from the flowers of the poppy plant or synthetic substitutes. In the case of heroin, it's produced from morphine, a naturally occurring substance that comes from the seedpods of poppy plants. Abuse of any opiate, including heroin and many prescriptions painkillers, carries a strong risk of addiction and physical dependence. Heroin is abused by injecting, snorting, or smoking it, and all three can cause the same level of addiction, as well as serious health problems.

The Risks

Heroin enters the brain very quickly, making it particularly addictive. It's estimated that almost one-fourth of the people who try heroin become addicted. And over time, heroin users develop a tolerance, meaning that more and more of the drug is needed to achieve the same results.

It is extremely easy not only to become addicted, but to become physically dependent on heroin as well. Physical dependence occurs when a person's body adapts to the drug's presence, causing withdrawal—symptoms include muscle and bone pain, diarrhea, and vomiting—when use stops. Chronic heroin users can begin experiencing withdrawal in as little as a few hours.

Heroin suppresses breathing, which is why using heroin always carries the risk of overdose and death. Also, heroin often has additives that will not dissolve in the bloodstream. This can easily cause a blood clot to form and travel to the lungs, liver, heart, or brain, which is instantly fatal.

Long-Term Effects

In a short time, regular heroin use destroys the body. Common conditions that plague heroin users include infection of the heart lining and valves, liver disease, lung disease, as well as hepatitis and HIV/AIDS from needle sharing.

The Bottom Line

It's a fast high, but just as quickly, it can take over a person's life and become fatal. Heroin and other opiate addictions are treatable, but the path to recovery requires a commitment that can often last years or even decades.

Abovetheinfluence.com. (n.d.). Drug facts: Heroin. Retrieved April 28, 2015, from http://abovetheinfluence.com/

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