Heroin Addiction-The hard facts about Heroin

Heroin is an addictive drug and has great negative effects on human life

One of the most addictive substances in our streets today is heroin it’s appropriate to make emphasis that is an extremely addictive opioid synthesized from the opium poppy, morphine. It is currently categorized with other narcotics under the Schedules I and IV of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and internationally UN estimates that there are over 50 million regular heroin users today thereby confirming its extreme addictiveness throughout the globe. Because of this addictive nature heroin addicts normally register an intense rush on the first use of the drug and after the rush the can describe the feelings of euphoria, ambition, drowsiness, relaxation and nervousness.

Nevertheless the short-term effects will come down after the initial use. There are three major ways of intake of heroin, it can be injected, smoked or snorted irrespective of the method used when used in greater units to reach the desired limit/high and users begin to develop tolerance to heroin then addiction takes place. Long-term effects of heroin include:

• Substance addiction
• Collapsed veins
• Heart infection
• Pneumonia
• Decreased liver function
• Systemic abscesses.

These effects can result to an opioid withdrawal syndrome can begin within 6 to 24 hours of discontinued drug use.

Heroin Addiction-Psychological symptoms

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Lack of motivation
• Decreased libido

Physical withdrawal symptoms are numerous and can be extremely dangerous.

Heroin Addiction-Physical withdrawal symptoms

• Vomiting
• Fever
• Insomnia
• Severe muscle and bone aches
• Diarrhea

In order to minimize heroin withdrawal symptoms, some addicts look to methadone treatment. Methadone is a synthetic opioid used for moderate to severe pain management. It is also used to appease physical heroin withdrawal symptoms and its maintenance stops the rapid cycling between intoxication and withdrawal. However methadone itself can be addictive and its use for treatment can only be recommended to people who have tried to detox numerous times from heroin with little success. It is important that during methadone maintenance the patient should be under observation by a medical professional to reduce the risks of further addiction.

After a medically monitored detoxification, people who are addicted to heroin can seek treatment. A heroin addict can check into a residential treatment center specializing in substance addiction. In a rehab facility, the addict works with professional therapists and psychiatrists on the issues surrounding their addiction. Issues can include family problems and childhood difficulties. Often heroin addicts are dual diagnosed by a psychiatrist meaning that along with their substance abuse, they also have an emotional disorder.

Heroin Addiction-Emotional disorders

• Depression
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Eating disorders

In addition to individual therapy sessions, patients participate in group therapy. Group therapy can include topics of relapse prevention, codependency, and anger management. In these groups a heroin addict can interact with fellow addicts. They learn to share their stories and experience a common bond beyond chemical dependency.

Although there is no cure for addiction, heroin addicts learn a new freedom to live free of chemical dependency. With the help of therapists, 12-step programs, and sober fellowship, heroin users can recover from their addiction and lead happy, sober lives.

Heroin Addiction-Heroin Overdose

As with all narcotics, when an individual uses heroin, they are running the risk of overdose. A heroin overdose is simply when the user takes too much of any one, or any combination of substances into their body, causing a shutdown of normal body function. Heroin is very dangerous with many fatally overdosing from use. The lethal range of heroin is from 200 to 500 mg, but habitual users can survive doses of over 1800mg.

Yet, a very common misconception is in how easily it is to overdose on heroin. Many believe that it is very easy to overdose on heroin alone. But the fact is that an individual, who is addicted to heroin and uses habitually, is very unlikely to overdose by accident. The user generally knows and manages the amounts that are taken in. The majority of overdoses involving heroin are usually because the opiate had been mixed with either sedatives or alcohol.

When a heroin overdose is sparked by heroin alone, usually it was during a relapse, in which the addict went back to an old dose that they no longer have the tolerance to handle. The reason that a heroin overdose can be so deadly is because the overdose simply provides an over the top effect of the opiate. Heroin is a pain killer derived from morphine. Its most basic effect is that it attacks opioid receptors in the brain resulting in a flood of endorphins. But what causes heroin to be potentially deadly is its effect on the repertory system. Opiates slow breathing, and when an opiate overdose occurs, the lungs slow to an almost nonexistent rate, and sometimes stop completely. So essentially when someone dies of a heroin overdose, they suffocate under the weight of their own chest. And the user is too numb from the pain killer to recognize that they are suffocating. The basic symptoms of a heroin overdose are unconsciousness and skin turning blue from lack of oxygen

Heroin Addiction-How to kick Out Heroin Addiction

As had been mention above heroin is a semi-synthetic substance derived from the opium poppy, is powerful and extremely addictive opiate. It can be taken orally, as a suppository, intravenously, smoked, and snorted. Although different methods create different highs, heroin is invariably addicting and tolerance-building. By the time one is dependent upon or addicted to heroin, they generally have a great struggle attempting to quit by themselves.

Quitting heroin causes withdrawal symptoms, some of which seem unbearable to its user.

• A detoxification program is often the best chance an addict has of cleansing their body.
• In most cases, heroin withdrawal requires medical attention.
• Trained professionals may prescribe medications lessen the pain of detoxification, as well as drugs like Naltrexone, which inhibits the opioid from binding to their receptors, preventing the user from being able to get high from heroin.
• After detox and in order to maintain their sober body, a treatment program is recommended.
• Residential programs are the safest environments as there are no drugs to tempt the recovering addict.
• Professionals are available at every hour to assist patient needs.
• There is also outpatient programs, in which people only partake in activities for a portion of the day, and are allowed to leave during the remainder.
• Generally, in treatment programs, recovering addicts might attend group therapy sessions, individual counseling sessions, family counseling, and learn how to live life sober.

Transitional living, such as a halfway house or a sober house, is a great way to ease back into real life. Transitional livings allow recovering peers to work together, find camaraderie, and learn how to take on everyday tasks with a new attitude. All this put together with the help of a team of experts from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of Doctor Akoury’s will go a long way into helping you get better and better. Doctor Akoury will focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE

Heroin Addiction-The hard facts about Heroin