subject: Heroin Addiction: Must-know Information [print this page] Addiction to heroin begins with dependence on occasional drug use. When utilized for a long period of time, the body of the user will be governed by the drug and heroin use will control the person's behavior.
Due to the painkilling nature of heroin, individuals who use it become addicted. Addiction to this particular drug results from the attempt of an individual to self-medicate emotional burden or to alleviate withdrawal discomfort. When overused, used with alcohol or sedatives and overdosed, heroin will probably lead to death.
Immediate and Short Term Effects of Heroin Abuse
When heroin is injected or inhaled, it crosses into the brain and is converted to morphine that will bind with opioid receptors. Heroin users believed that they instantly feel a pleasurable feeling. The drug is addictive as it rapidly enters the brain. The immediate feeling often comes with symptoms like dry mouth, vomiting, nausea, itchiness and skin warm flushing.
Long-Term Effects of Heroin Use
Dependence on heroin is already a detrimental effect of heroin abuse. This is described as compulsive dependence on the drug and molecular as well as neurochemical brain changes. As a person becomes dependent on heroin, he'll need to spend time to use and abuse the drug which would eventually change his behavior.
Some experts on heroin addicts stated that addicts will be bodily dependent on the drug especially when he uses it at higher doses. When this occurs, the body of the person will get used to having the drug inside the system and he'll have to suffer from withdrawal symptoms when he lowers his intake. These symptoms include bone and muscle discomfort, restlessness, diarrhea, insomnia, vomiting and cold flashes.
Available Remedies
There are many effective treatments for heroin dependency. Methadone, which blocks heroin effects and eradicates withdrawal symptoms, has been confirmed to treat this addiction. But abusers of the drug can also be treated with some behavioral remedies and buprenorphine, which provides less addiction risk.
Long-term remedies for heroin use should be started with a detoxification to help the individual recover without relapses. Detoxification is aimed at cleansing the abuser's system from the drug and other chemicals. The process of healing will involve long-term or constant help and expert monitoring that include counseling as well as group or individual therapies.
Heroin abuse remedies could be more effective when the addiction is determined at the early stage of addiction. A concerned loved one will be able to detect the problem by considering the symptoms experienced by the drug abuser.
