Important Information About Heroin Abuse
Addiction to heroin begins with dependence on occasional drug abuse. When used for a long period of time, the body of the user will be controlled by the drug and abuse of heroin will control the individual’s behavior.
Due to the painkilling nature of heroin, those who use it become addicted. Addiction to this drug results from the attempt of an individual to self-medicate psychological burden or to ease withdrawal pain. When overused, used with alcoholic beverages or sedatives and overdosed, heroin will probably lead to death.
Immediate and Temporary Effects of Heroin Use
When heroin is injected or inhaled, it crosses into the brain and is transformed into morphine that will bind with opioid receptors. Heroin users believed that they immediately feel a pleasurable sensation. The drug is addictive as it quickly enters the brain. The immediate feeling usually comes with signs or symptoms such as dry mouth, vomiting, nausea, itching and skin warm flushing.
Long-Term Effects of Heroin Use
Dependence on heroin is already a bad effect of heroin use. This is characterized by compulsive dependence on the drug and molecular as well as neurochemical brain changes. As a person becomes dependent on heroin, he will need to spend time to use and abuse the drug that would eventually change his behavior.
Some experts on heroin addictions said that addicts will be bodily dependent on the drug particularly when he uses it at higher dosages. When this occurs, the body of the user will get used to having the drug inside the system and he will have to experience withdrawal symptoms when he lessens his intake. These symptoms include bone and muscle ache, restlessness, diarrhea, insomnia, vomiting and cold flashes.
Available Therapies
There are many effective therapies for heroin dependency. Methadone, which blocks heroin effects and eradicates withdrawal symptoms, has been verified to treat this addiction. But addicts of the drug can also be treated with some behavioral remedies and buprenorphine, which offers less addiction risk.
Long-term remedies for heroin abuse should be started with a detox to aid 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 professional monitoring that include counseling as well as group or individual therapies.
Heroin abuse remedies could be more powerful 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 user.
