heroin-addiction : Symptoms, Causes, Treatment & Prevention

What is Heroin Addiction?

Heroin is a substance that is both illegal and extremely addictive. The substance derives from opium from the poppy plant before it is refined to morphine, then further chemically modified to become heroin.

What are the behavioral symptoms of Heroin Addiction?

Behavioral signs of heroin abuse and addiction include:

• Lying or other deceptive behavior
• Avoiding eye contact, or distant field of vision
• Substantial increases in time spent sleeping
• Increase in slurred, garbled or incoherent speech
• Sudden worsening of performance in school or work, including expulsion or loss of jobs
• Decreasing attention to hygiene and physical appearance
• Loss of motivation and apathy toward future goals
• Withdrawal from friends and family, instead spending time with new friends with no natural tie
• Lack of interest in hobbies and favorite activities
• Repeatedly stealing or borrowing money from loved ones, or unexplained absence of valuables
• Hostile behaviors toward loved ones, including blaming them for withdrawal or broken commitments
• Regular comments indicating a decline in self esteem or worsening body image
• Wearing long pants or long sleeves to hide needle marks, even in very warm weather

What are the side-effects of Heroin Addiction?

Short-term physical side effects of heroin use include:

• Depressed respiration (shallow breathing)
• Clouded mental functioning
• Decreased pain from either physical conditions or emotional challenges
• Uncontrollable feelings of itching that result in compulsive scratching or picking at skin (itchy blood)

Heroin abuse and dependence produce serious medical side effects, which may directly or indirectly result in death:

• Heart problems, including infection of heart lining and valves
• Infectious diseases spread by shared needles (HIV and hepatitis B and C)
• Chronic pneumonia or other pulmonary diseases
• Blood clots or tissue death resulting from collapsed veins or impurities
• Bacterial infections
• Liver disease
• Arthritis and other rheumatologic problems
• Seizures

Why Do People Use Heroin?

Heroin is abused for the immediate pleasurable feelings it can elicit, including:

• A surge of enjoyable feelings called the "rush."
• A warm, calm feeling.
• A heavy, slowed feeling in the arms and legs.
• An increased sense of well-being and confidence.

What are the treatments of Heroin Abuse?

Many people transition from detox treatment to a rehabilitation program for continued treatment. Rehabs are residential programs that vary length based on the needs of the individual in recovery. This allows for outside distractions to be eliminated and recovery to be the primary focus.

some aspects of heroin addiction treatment are consistent including:

• Behavioral therapy - Done in outpatient, inpatient, and residential settings, behavioral therapy will work to make you aware of your patterns to find ways to modify them towards healthier alternatives.
• Medication management - Methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexone, and other drugs are used during different stages to aid in heroin recovery. Some work by activating the same opioid receptors as heroin does, and others block the receptors so heroin's effects are not felt.