Heroin addiction is a chronic illness that is often most effectively treated when the individual recognizes they have a problem early on and enters into inpatient or outpatient care. Repeated use of a substance as potent as heroin – or other opioids that synthesize its effects in prescription drugs – can lead to long-term changes in the way the brain functions. However, the most serious risk heroin or opioid users face is the potential for fatal overdose, making it vital to reach out for help as soon as possible.
Heroin is very often the last resort option for people who have become tolerant to prescription painkillers like Vicodin or Percocet. Because of the increased potency of illegal heroin found in San Francisco and a combination of other factors, people who start using heroin in San Francisco are rarely able to stop without professional help. This increases the risk of long-term mental health problems developing as a result of long-term heroin use, not to mention the potential for overdose.
How Heroin Addiction Develops
Heroin addiction does not develop overnight although the effects it creates can be compelling enough to want to repeat the experience after just one use. This is because heroin and other opioids affect the brain’s messaging system by interrupting neurotransmitters in the “reward system”. This basically means that the brain is flooded with feel-good sensations. It is this property of heroin that is synthesized to create opioids for pain relief.
It is when people start to use opioids regularly that they are at risk of developing tolerance which is the first phase of addiction illness. Tolerance means that the body has become used to receiving stimulus from opioids at regular intervals and so it starts to require bigger doses to get the desired effects. Tolerance is marked by the emergence of withdrawal symptoms which is the body’s way of signaling that it needs more opioids to feel better.
This creates a cycle of heroin or opioid use, withdrawal, and further use to reduce cravings. Once a person is trapped in this cycle, they are very likely to be physically dependent on opioids and may have even developed full-blown addiction. An inpatient or outpatient care program in a heroin drug San Francisco addiction center helps individuals to break the addictive cycle and introduces them to other ways of enjoying a healthy substance-free lifestyle.
Why People Abuse Heroin
As mentioned above, heroin works in such a way that it provides pain relief although this is not the only reason people use and abuse the substance. Heroin induces a feeling of total relaxation to a point that a person feels drowsy and oblivious to the world around them. This provides people with a form of relief from stress, anxiety or depression that may not have been diagnosed. Individuals can also find heroin gives them a release from the pain of a bereavement or relationship breakdown that they are unable to cope with.
Other types of opioids such as oxycodone or hydrocodone are prescription drugs although they are often abused by people obtaining them illegally. However, prescription drugs are more expensive on the street than heroin in San Francisco, which is why more people are turning to the substance after using the legal alternatives. It is estimated that street prices being charged by dealers for prescription drugs are three times the price of heroin in San Francisco.
Everyone has an individual backstory behind their initial heroin use, which is why it is important to carry out extensive evaluation and assessment of every client entering residential or outpatient care. This enables addiction specialists at the best heroin rehab centers to devise treatment programs that address their specific needs, which is important in achieving long-term recovery.
When a person has become caught in an addictive cycle of heroin abuse, they may not be using the drug through choice. As heroin addiction intensifies, withdrawal symptoms become more extreme and difficult to cope with. Many people with serious heroin addiction reach a point where they use to prevent withdrawal symptoms emerging rather than to get high.
Effects of Heroin Addiction and Abuse
Many of the side effects of heroin addiction are well-known. This is because the substance is notorious for being highly addictive, having painful withdrawal and of course its potential for fatal overdose.
Signs of Heroin Abuse and Addiction:
- The physical warning signs of heroin abuse include track marks from injecting the drug, nosebleeds from snorting it and weight loss from using by any method
- Behavioral signs include extreme mood swings, illicit or devious behavior, dishonesty and criminal acts
- Possession of related paraphernalia including syringes, foil, spoons and knives
- Withdrawal symptoms emerge progressively faster after abstaining, with increased intensity
- The individual has made several unsuccessful attempts to quit and no longer uses through choice
- A drastic decline in personal appearance, mainly due to the characteristic weight loss of heroin abuse
Author Bio:
Mike is a health editor with a degree in Journalism and Social Communications, currently writing for several USA & UK publications. He is specialized in articles around health tips, workout plans, and other nutrition-related topics. His main aim is to help health charities to raise awareness on campaigns about misunderstood or commonly misdiagnosed conditions.