Tag Archives: Effects of heroin

Addiction

Heroin addiction journey to the neighborhoods

Heroin addiction journey

Heroin addiction journey to the neighborhoods. Understanding myths about quitting addiction will enable you to make the right decisions in relations to drug addiction treatment

Heroin addiction journey to the neighborhoods: The prevalence of heroin

The cry of the society about the impact of drug addiction and in particularly heroin is making strides in to very unusual territories. It is no longer the preserve of the dangerous canners at the back yards in the city centers. It is moving into our homesteads and door steps to the disbelief of the authorities and parents. If you are in doubt then listen to this story of a college student whose name we are going to withheld and call him Felix. The story of Felix is a clear manifestation of heroin addiction journey right into our neighborhoods. To expose the picture clearly, expert at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury who is the MD and founder of the facility states that “the drug has followed prescription painkillers into new neighborhoods, an element that has surprised even the police and parents into confronting the unexpected problem.”

Heroin addiction journey to the neighborhoods: The sequence of heroin addiction

And now back to the story of Felix, he was a good student in school always scoring above-average grades. He seemed poised and self-possessed, and like many of his friends in his charming coastal town north of their town was an incredible path to the college. Then, during his freshman year in high school, he decided to experiment with drugs and alcohol. And this is how it often begins they call it experiment no wonder Felix is following suit. It was on one night when he got very drunk in company of his friends and guess what? He loved it acknowledging that it made his day and that he felt like he has always wanted to be. Before long he was smoking cigarette and marijuana. Soon after a friend graduated him to some prescription painkiller pills which made him feel even much better than alcohol and other drugs he had been taking. Because of the experience he had, he begun purchasing these painkillers secretly and unlawfully spending all his up keep money on this unworthy habit. When he could not get further funding for the same, he resorted into stealing to support his habit but even with the stolen money it was not adequate. The trend continued and his friends introduced him to heroin which was much cheaper. His response was mutual “isn’t heroin for drug addicts?”

Heroin addiction journey to the neighborhoods: High drug dependency and addiction

Yes his concern was realistic but by that time his dependence on the painkillers had become more than he could resist. And as usual he bought the heroin, snorting the powder for the very first time. Oh my goodness, six days later he was injecting himself with a needle becoming the archetype of a classic heroin addict. His anguished journey from conscientious student to heroin user is one confronting many young people in suburbs across the country and the world over. It has become a thorn in everyone’s flesh and both parents and police are struggling with the ever rising usage of heroin in suburban neighborhoods than ever before.

According to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center the rise is being driven by a large supply of cheap heroin in its purer concentrations that can be inhaled or smoked and which often removes the stigma associated with injecting it with a needle. But much of the increase among suburban teens, as well as a growing number of adults, has also coincided with a sharp rise in the use of prescription painkiller pills, which medical experts say are essentially identical to heroin. And with all these complications talking to doctor Akoury should be your starting point for a much healthier life.

Heroin addiction journey to the neighborhoods: The prevalence of heroin

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
drug addiction treatment

Understanding heroin presence in your life

Understanding heroin presence

Understanding heroin presence in your life will enable you to take the rehabilitation path

Understanding heroin presence in your life: Indicators of heroin addiction

It is always said that knowledge is power and that luck of it is the basis of many problems we are facing today. With that background, we want to be as informative as possible so that by the end of this article, you will be able to make informed decisions about substance abuse. For better understanding heroin presence in your life, doctor Dalal Akoury is sharing with us some of the questions tailored into helping individuals be on top of any possibility of heroin addiction. How you respond to the questions below will give a very strong indication about your position with heroin. Like for instance how would you respond to the following?

  • Do you isolate yourself when using heroin? In other wards you are avoiding people when using heroin, does that describe you? That should help you in understanding heroin presence in your life.
  • Have you ever used more heroin than you planned? If you have records of usage it will be helpful however you can also evaluate this by auditing your spending on heroin. Has it been constant or has it been fluctuating?
  • Has your heroin usage interfered with your job or school? Take stock of how many times you have lied to be sick and stayed off duty or if you have not been meeting your assignment deadlines inconsideration.
  • Do you find yourself concealing your heroin usage from others? Interesting, are you proud of this habit?
  • Are you experiencing financial difficulties due to your heroin usage? You may not realize this if you have more than enough to spend but evaluate from your spending how much is going into heroin account, in other word has it become one of the item you spend on heavily?
  • Has your heroin usage caused problems with your partner/spouse or family? Take a closer look at your present and your past before you got into heroin, are you still faithful in that relationship? How often do you hide certain information from your family? Dig deep in your past and respond honestly.
  • Do you wish you could stop using heroin and find that you are unable to quit? Many times users are very frustrated with their habits and are struggling to quit but because they are deeply hooked they are unable. Does this describe your situation?
  • Have you experienced legal difficulties from your heroin usage and yet you continue to use? Of course heroin is illegal and the authorities will not let you go without being punished. You may have escaped once or twice but will you escape forever?
  • Do you consume the entire amount of heroin you have and then immediately desire to get more? And have you become extravagant all over sudden?
  • Have you failed to cut down or quit heroin entirely? You know this is an illegality and probably you have been making effort of quitting but you keep meeting resistance and challenges. Does this describe you?
  • Do you wish you had never taken that first hit, line, or injection of heroin? In your years of addiction, somewhere along the way have you had any regret however small?

Understanding heroin presence in your life: Indicators of heroin addiction

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Addiction

Disturbing heroin addiction realities

Disturbing heroin addiction

Disturbing heroin addiction realities requires all of us embrace healthy lifestyle for the whole family

Disturbing heroin addiction realities: Understanding the drug as it is

Having discussed the question how do I know if I have a heroin problem in the previous article, we want to take time and discuss the remaining three in this article to appreciate the effects of heroin addiction and treatment. Again we are going to be relying on the expert opinions from AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury’s care. Dr. Akoury is also the founder of the facility and has been in the medical practice for well over two decades making her to be one of the most experienced medical doctors when it comes to drug addiction and other areas of concern.

 

  1. How Do I Know if I Have a Heroin Problem?
  2. What is Heroin and how is it Used?
  3. Effects of Heroin Use
  4. Treatment for Heroin and Opiate Addiction

What is heroin and how is it used?

Heroin is an illegal, semi-synthetic drug processed from morphine, a substance extracted from the opium poppy. It is used as a recreational drug for the intense feelings of relaxation and euphoria it induces. Heroin is typically sold as a white or brownish powder or as a black, sticky substance known as “black tar heroin.” Most street heroin is “cut” with other drugs or with substances such as sugar or starch. Heroin can also be cut with poisons like strychnine.

Heroin is usually dissolved and injected, or the powder is snorted or smoked. All forms of heroin are psychologically and physically addictive, and a tolerance to the drug builds quickly. IV or intramuscular heroin use poses special problems because of the potential for transmitting infectious diseases. Over the past decade, researchers have observed a shift in heroin use patterns, from injection to snorting and smoking. With this shift comes an even more diverse group of users.

Disturbing heroin addiction realities: Effects of heroin use

Short-Term Effects: Soon after administration, heroin crosses the blood-brain barrier. Users report feelings a surge of intense pleasure (a “rush”). This is usually accompanied by a warm flushing of the skin, dry mouth, and a heavy feeling in the extremities. Nausea, vomiting, and severe itching may also occur. After the initial effects, the heroin user will typically be drowsy for several hours. Mental function is clouded by heroin’s effect on the central nervous system. Cardiac function slows. Breathing also slows sometimes to the point of death. The following are some of the short term heroin effects:

  • Euphoria
  • Depressed respiration
  • Flushed skin
  • Clouded mental functioning/sedation
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Suppression of pain
  • Infectious diseases

Long-Term Effects: One of the most harmful long-term effects of heroin abuse is addiction itself. Addiction is a chronic disease, characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use despite negative consequences, and by changes in the brain. Heroin also produces profound degrees of tolerance and physical dependence, which contributes heavily to abuse. Painful withdrawal symptoms occur if use is reduced abruptly. The following are some of the long term effects of heroin:

  • Addiction
  • Problems with the heart, liver and kidneys
  • Overdose Risk
  • Infectious diseases, for example, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis
  • Collapsed veins
  • Abscesses (at injection sites)
  • Arthritis and other rheumatological problems
  • Infection of heart lining and valves
  • Depressed lung function

We will be discussing the last bit of treatment in the next posting and you don’t want to miss that. In the meantime, you can schedule for an appointment with doctor Akoury should you have any concern about this discussion or any relating to any kind of addiction.

Disturbing heroin addiction realities: Understanding the drug as it is

 

Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin