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What is Heroin Addiction |
Heroin addiction is
without a doubt, the worst drug addiction in the world.
Heroin addiction is both physical and psychological slavery
in the worst form possible.
Once a user becomes a heroin addict, they become a
slave by default. They have to have it or else they'll
become very sick and desperate. If that heroin
doesn't hit those receptors in the brain soon
then the user will begin to go into severe and painful
withdrawal.
For an addict,
heroin is the only cure.
A heroin addict can not
function properly without heroin in their system
unless he or she is on a mission to get their
fix.
Then that's when the addict turns into a
desperate James Bond and begins to plan and
execute reckless missions in order to avoid
withdrawal and feel normal.
Heroin is essentially a faster acting form of
morphine which completely relieves painful
H withdrawals within seconds.
No one decides they're
going to become a heroin addict. That
was not part of the plan. He or she may
start off by experimenting with a friend.
They most likely start off snorting or smoking
the drug. Soon after their first introduction of
the drug into their system, they may become
nauseous and vomit the first, second and even
third time.
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You would think that this alone would be
enough to deter them, but that's not the case.
They can then continue using
heroin as an occasional past time and soon progress to
weekend use. By this time, they learn not to eat before
getting high in order to enjoy their high and avoid
nausea and vomiting.
Then he/she may enjoy the high and will start using heroin every 2 to 3 days,
then every other day, until one day, they start feeling
strange without it. |
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The 'soon to be addict' wakes up one morning with cold
chills running through his body and cant understand
what's going on until he puts a new dope bag down in his
system. Then all of a sudden, just like magic, the
chills are gone in seconds. He feels normal once again.
He is healed!
From their it begins. 1 bag per day. The once occasional
weekend user is now beginning to become a heroin addict.
Now he or she starts using every day, not because they
want to, but because they have to in order to feel
normal and to keep from getting sick. If they don't use then they'll become sick a.k.a
“dope sick”.
If the user has been snorting or smoking only 1 to 2 $20
heroin bags per day for 1-2 months then they still have
a good chance to quit heroin cold turkey with the help
of family, drug-free friends and counseling. They will
still go through serious withdrawal but only for a short
time, meaning 7-10 days, then followed by mild flu
symptoms for several days.
Once you past this stage, then you truly become a heroin
addict. The user must have it or else.
The first thoughts on the morning agenda are how to get
that first bag, “the cure”, in order to feel normal. The
'rush' is a
bonus. Their main concern is the cure.
Soon after that, snorting and smoking heroin just
doesn't do the trick any longer. It helps them to feel
normal and may give them a little buzz but that in
itself is not enough.
Their body needs more. Their mind desires the true
heroin high - the
rush. And even though the snorter, smoker or dragon
chaser have repeatedly told themselves that they would
never shoot up, somehow, the opportunity to inject
heroin arises. It could be through a friend, at the dope
spot or just out of pure curiosity, but in time is
happens more often than not.
The user now has a serious heroin addiction.
The reason why I refer to it as a “serious heroin addiction” is because you have
to be out of your mind to stick a needle in your arm
every single day, several times per day. I know because
I've been there myself 16 years ago. I used to always
tell myself that I would never shoot up and stick a needle in my arm.
Then one day, after having gone a couple of weeks cold
turkey, I returned to the dope city from which I was
trying to escape. I quickly found myself with 2 of my
closest dope-friends. They pulled out the dope-bags. I
was waiting to snort mine until they said, “we
don't sniff any more - we shoot it now”.
I said “oh my God, no way, that's crazy!”. Needless to
say, I tried it and got hooked all over again. Shooting
was a totally different high from snorting. I continued
to shoot up every single day for a very long time. It
was slavery to live in such a manner day in and day out.
Snorting heroin was no longer sufficient for me and could not
match the rush one gets from injecting. It was a
horrible nightmare. But I'm very thankful that
those days are over! I am no longer a slave to heroin. I
haven't touched the stuff in over 16 years. |
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Many addicts continue to suffer
the same horrific nightmare each and every day for many many
years. Again, it's not because they want to, it's
because they have to, or else they will get very, very sick
and feel as if they were going to die, and they may come close.
Heroin addiction is a chronic,
relapsing disease, characterized by compulsive drug
seeking and use, and by neurochemical and molecular
changes in the brain. Heroin literally changes the
person from who they once were into an unpredictable and
reckless addict. Many become criminal minded. Heroin produces profound degrees of
tolerance and physical dependence, which are powerful
motivating factors for compulsive and every day use.
If the addict doesn't get their
fix in time, if that heroin doesn't hit those opiate
receptors soon, then the user will go into severe and painful
withdrawal. Symptoms of heroin withdrawal include but
are not limited to:
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Ice cold chills |
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Bone crushing leg pains
(restless legs) |
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Severe muscle cramps |
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Painful stomach cramps |
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Nausea and vomiting |
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Diarrhea |
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Shaking and tremors |
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Anxiety and panic |
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Insomnia and restlessness |
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Loss of appetite |
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Watery eyes |
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Runny nose |
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Excessive yawning |
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Extreme depression |
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and crying... crying for heroin |
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This is the reason why heroin
addicts can not stop using heroin just like that. It's
not that simple. A heroin addict knows very well that
all withdrawal symptoms vanish within seconds once they get
that heroin into their system. This is why relapse is a
common occurrence.
No one wants to suffer death-like
symptoms by choice. No one wants to feel as if they were
going to die. This is the reason why parents,
friends and loved ones of heroin addicts need to be
patient, understanding, and long suffering towards the
addict. |
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Heroin addiction is why addicts
gradually spend more and more time and energy obtaining
and using the drug. Once you are addicted to heroin, your primary
purpose in life becomes planning, seeking and using
heroin regardless of how many people are hurt in the
process. The heroin literally and chemically changes their brain
function and behavior.
The once honest son, daughter, or decent young adult
turns into a dishonest liar and a thief. An addict will not
hesitate to lie, cheat and steal from their own mother.
I realize that this is not the
case with every heroin addict and that there is such a
thing as a functional addict yet both become very
dishonest people deceiving all of those around them
while the typical addict will lie, cheat and steal
almost daily in order to support their heroin addiction
and to avoid going into withdrawal.
Physical dependence develops with
higher intake and every day use. With physical
dependence, the body adapts to the presence of the
heroin and withdrawal symptoms occur if use is reduced
or stopped, and in time intake must be increased.
Withdrawal may occur within a few
hours after the last time the drug was taken. But I can
assure you, withdrawal will occur. Heroin is an
extremely dangerous drug and has been proven to be one of the
most addictive, with heroin addicts relapsing more than
with any other drug. It is important to spot heroin
addiction in it's early stages.
For parents, friends and loved ones of heroin addicts, here are several
common signs of heroin use and addiction:
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One moment awake and the next moment drowsy |
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Signs
of infections from the injections |
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Disoriented,
dazed,
poor mental functioning |
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The user scratching his head and face |
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Drowsiness and grogginess |
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Runny
nose and watery eyes when in withdrawal |
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Slurred
speech, slow talking and low toned voice |
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Closed
eyes, dropped head and constricted
pupils |
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Nausea
and possible vomiting |
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Unkept
appearance and careless hygiene |
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Missing
cash and valuable items |
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Stealing and/or borrowing money |
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Lying and deception all of the time |
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Possession of unexplained valuable items |
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More common signs of
heroin use and addiction:
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Droopy appearance, with they're mouths
hanging open |
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Signs of injection on the bending part of
the arm, (some shoot it through other areas) |
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Shallow and slow breathing |
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Snorting hard as if to swallow their own
mucus |
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Using the same clothes day after
day and skipping showers |
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Making up detailed stories all of the time
in order to obtain money |
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Change in performance, academic and work |
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Drug paraphernalia, aluminum foil, spoons, syringes,
small white empty baggies |
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Lethargy and apathy |
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Flu like symptoms in the morning before they
go out |
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Change in friends from good friends to bad
friends |
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Little or no motivation to do anything other
than getting high |
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Ignores the consequences of their behaviors and
actions |
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Withdrawal from usual friends, family, activities,
or other interests |
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Eyes appear lost, droopy, dazed or as if in another world |
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No interest or desires in future plans |
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Broken commitments and promises |
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Hostility towards others and always in
denial |
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Unexplained absences from work,
social events, or
school |
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Poor and careless self-image |
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Girls, not caring to put make up on before
going out |
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Running away from home |
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Difficulty in maintaining employment |
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Signs of a
heroin addiction overdose include: |
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Shallow breathing |
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Pinpoint pupils |
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Clammy skin |
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Convulsions |
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Coma |
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Again, major withdrawal symptoms peak between 48 and 72
hours after the last dose of heroin was taken and decrease after
about 7-10 days. However, some people have shown
persistent withdrawal symptoms for many months. Heroin
withdrawal is not fatal to otherwise healthy adults, but
it can cause death to the fetus of a pregnant heroin addict.
A heroin addict will keep using the drug even though
they are going through chaos in their life as the
result. They cannot choose whether they are going to use
or not. In their minds they have to use and that
determination drives them to find ways of obtaining the
drug. This need to use in order to keep from going into
withdrawal becomes the driving force in their daily
life. In many cases, the heroin addict will do anything
to get their fix.
Physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms were once
believed to be the key features of heroin addiction.
This may not be the case entirely, since craving and
relapse can occur weeks and months after withdrawal
symptoms are long gone. Because of this, counseling,
meetings, and/or therapy is strongly recommended.
Heroin addiction is one of the most destructive and
painful addictions in the world and has been rapidly
increasing in North America, giving rise to alarm
amongst the authorities and health professionals.
The rising epidemic of heroin addiction cuts across
gender, class and race lines, making it harder to
contain. The joy during the use of the drug and the
painful feelings during withdrawal add to the rate of
increase addiction versus successful addiction recovery
numbers.
Heroin addiction remains one of the most complex and
frustrating drug addictions in the world. Despite
the upward battle in prevention and recovery, there are
some positive gains in terms of awareness made towards
discomforting heroin addiction.
Heroin, a dangerous and extremely addictive opiate
continues to destroy millions of lives not only by means
of addiction, but overdose and death as well.
Can heroin addiction really be conquered?
Yes it can! Although 'few there be' that quit heroin and
stay clean, an addicts' strong heartfelt desire to quit
heroin once and for all can eventually bring them to the
place of actually becoming free from heroin for good. A
variety of effective methods are available for heroin
addiction.
Treatment tends to be more effective when heroin
addiction is identified early. The treatments that
follow vary depending on the individual. Quitting heroin
cold turkey should always be Plan A, yet methadone,
eliminates withdrawal symptoms, and has a proven record
of success for getting heroin addicts off of
the heroin. Yet getting them off of the methadone is
another battle altogether. Thus Plan A. |
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Please keep in
mind that methadone is also a highly addictive drug and
is much more difficult to come off of than heroin itself.
For this reason, it is best to use the methadone for no
longer than 30-45 days while tapering down every 4
days. Methadone should only be used as a crutch in order
to help get the addict off of the heroin and then weaned
quickly from the methadone.
Doctors and clinics may tell you otherwise, but heroin addicts and
x-addicts know better. No one wants to stay hooked on
methadone forever.
Other pharmaceutical approaches, such as buprenorphine,
and many behavioral therapies and counseling are
also used for treating heroin addiction. Buprenorphine is a
recent addition to the selection of medications now
available for treating heroin addiction and addiction to
other opiates.
Buprenorphine is different from methadone in that it
offers less risk of addiction (so they say) and can be prescribed in
the privacy of a doctor's office although methadone
tablets can also be prescribed in the same manner as
well.
Buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) is a combination drug
product formulated to minimize abuse.
He/she can conquer heroin addiction and stay clean by
implementing and executing any of the following plans
accompanied by counseling, strong moral support and
relapse prevention therapy (RPT) and especially having
someone there always keeping an eye on them for many many
months:
Plan A:
Quitting Heroin Cold Turkey
Plan B:
Quitting Heroin Warm Turkey
with lesser evil opiates such as Valiums and Vicodins
Plan C:
Quitting Heroin with Methadone
and/or Suboxone
Plan D:
Quitting Heroin in a Drug
Rehabilitation Facility
Please explore this website for additional information
on heroin, heroin addiction and quitting heroin once and
for all. If I can do it, then you or your loved ones
can do it too! Whatever you do, don't give up by any
means and don't lose hope. Keep pressing on and keep
moving forward! |
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