Heroin and Heroin Treatment

WHAT IS HEROIN?

Heroin is an illegal, highly addictive drug. It is the most abused of the opiates and is the one that acts the fastest. While pure heroin is becoming more common, most of the street heroin is “cut” with other drugs or substances such as sugar, starch, powdered milk, or quinine. Heroin is known on the streets as H, skag, junk, horse, brown sugar, babania, golden brown, black tar, montega, lady H, dope, juice, jude, diesel, boy, blow and smack.

Heroin, or diacetylmorphine (INN), is processed from morphine , which is a substance which occurs naturally in the Asian poppy plant.  It usually appears as a white or brown power. Heroin produces what has been described as “euphoria and blissful apathy.” Users report feeling a “rush” or a surge of pleasure. The user may also experience nausea, vomiting, and severe itching.

HEROIN DEPENDENCE

Heroin can be injected, smoked, or snorted.  When ingested, opiates such as heroin stimulate the pleasure system in the midbrain that uses the neurotransmitter called "dopamine." These midbrain dopamine neurons project to another structure called the nucleus accumbens , which then projects to the cerebral cortex. After heroin crosses the blood-brain barrier, it converts to morphine and binds rapidly to opioid receptors. This pleasure system in the brain is what produces the “high” of the drug, but it is also responsible for the addictive power of the drug.

Repeated heroin use produces a physical dependence . A heroin addict will experience withdrawal symptoms without the drug. These symptoms can include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goose bumps, and involuntary leg movements. The symptoms tend to peak between 24 and 48 hours after the last dose of the drug and may subside after about a week, but they may persist for up to a month. Heroin withdrawal is not usually fatal in an otherwise healthy adult.

HEROIN TREATMENT

Detoxification is the first step in heroin addiction recovery. While not considered a treatment, it helps in adjusting the patient to a drug-free state.  Regular doses of methadone are often prescribed for patents with repeated failures, although this generally serves only to switch the patient's addiction from one drug (heroin) to another (methadone).  A newer alternative to methadone maintenance employs use of the opioid drug buprenorphine .

The highest success rate for heroin treatment is detoxification combined with a long-term inpatient treatment of at least three to six months, supported by a strong relapse prevention program .  Relapse prevention is especially helpful for those who have repeatedly failed other forms of treatment. 

Above all, heroin addiction, while challenging, is treatable. An addict seeking recovery need not look far in order to find it. A call to Challenges at 1-888-755-3334 can be made for a confidential screening or referral to another appropriate center or agency.