What Happens When Someone Has a Heroin Addiction?
For many years, heroin has been a staple in the world of illicit drug use and many people find themselves in the cyclone of addiction almost immediately. To stave off the vicious withdrawal symptoms that come from using heroin, people are driven by cravings and impulse to use more of the drug. The drug is dangerous and the problems which result from using heroin are truly devastating to an addict.
Heroin addiction is devastating and can happen to anyone; no matter who they are the drug is more powerful. Being addicted to the drug is like flirting with disaster and can cause many long term complications for many people. An addiction to heroin results in crippling withdrawal symptoms and increases the risk of overdose, hepatitis and HIV/AIDS. An addiction to heroin is like tempting fate and asking for something bad to happen, which is always certain; those who do not seek professional help often wind up in jail or dead.
There are many perceptions people have about being addicted to heroin which results in shaping how people view an addiction of the drug. Addiction to heroin involves the person experiencing an uncontrollable compulsion to take the drug, it is unlikely the person will be able to resist the urge and over time the suffering becomes unbearable. The body of an addict is physically dependent upon using the drug so much so that the chemistry of the human brain is changed and a person cannot function without using heroin.
Everyone has the potential to become a heroin addict and it can begin the very first time the drug is administered and with continuing use, with the utmost certainty an addiction will occur. For addicts who stop using heroin, there are flu-like withdrawal symptoms which can begin in a 24 to 48 hour time period. The symptoms include headache, chills, tremors, sweating, stomach cramps, gastrointestinal upset, runny eyes and nose, nausea, vomiting and many more painful and unpleasant things happen as the body withdraws from the drug.
Heroin addiction is no laughing matter and most of the time an addict will drift in and out of using patterns. Sometimes, a person will use for long periods of time and then taper back on using, this is a commonality but does not mean the situation is still not serious and needs to be treated with professional help. It is of great importance when a person tries to overcome an addiction to heroin to get assistance from a professional drug treatment center, otherwise the cycle of addiction continues and becomes worse with time.
Dependence and addiction are two entirely different things and in order to beat heroin addiction, a user must understand how to resist the physical desire to use heroin. Addiction is a process in which a person experiences cognitive, behavioral and physiological symptoms which drives a person to use heroin despite the negative consequences which result. When help is truly needed all a person needs to do is pick up the phone and contact a drug treatment facility to once and for all break the cycle of addiction and begin a happier, healthier life.
Specific Drugs and Treatment | | 
September 23, 2009 5:17 pm
