Dangers

How Do People Become Addicted to Heroin?

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How Do People Become Addicted To Heroin?

Heroin is one of the most addictive substances known to man, and unfortunately its use is widespread across the United States. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), “In 2011, 4.2 million Americans aged 12 or older (or 1.6 percent) had used heroin at least once in their lives. It is estimated that about 23 percent of individuals who use heroin become dependent on it.”

How Do People Become Addicted To Heroin 4.2 Million

Heroin is within the opioid class of drugs, as a synthetic that is derived from morphine. Heroin comes in several forms, namely powder (either brown or white), or in a sticky form, called “black tar heroin.” All hold great potential for addiction. In order to better comprehend the repercussions of addiction, we need to understand the means by which a person got there.

Why Do People Use Heroin?

People come from all walks of life; each individual has specific experiences, battles, thoughts, and behaviors that can create and foster their drug addiction.

Generally, when most people use heroin, they are seeking the intense euphoric effect that it creates. Heroin is taken via three routes: through smoking, intravenous injection, or inhalation, specifically by snorting or sniffing it. All three of these deliver a rapid and potent high, which is the main reason why people favor this drug.

In addition to its euphoric effects, heroin can dull the senses, including that of pain, this is called analgesia. The drug may lead a person to feel removed from the world around them, including a perceived absence from any portent problems, and it may also lead a person to experience a sense of contentment, or false wellbeing. Some people may gravitate towards this drug to experience these things as they stand, or as a means of self-medication. On top of this, the price of heroin has dropped, and its prevalence has skyrocketed, making it more obtainable to those that seek these effects.

Why Is Heroin So Addictive?

The first time a person uses is typically by choice, however, as the drug use gains momentum, a person is unable to oversee their self-control and dictate the decisions regarding this use, which is characteristic of an addiction. According to NIDA, “Brain imaging studies of people with addiction show physical changes in areas of the brain that are critical to judgment, decision making, learning and memory, and behavior control. Scientists believe that these changes alter the way the brain works and may help explain the compulsive and destructive behaviors of addiction.”

How Do People Become Addicted To Heroin Physical Changes

Foremost, heroin’s capacity for addiction begins with its administration. All three venues of use lead the user to feel the drug’s effects quickly. In the case of intravenous users, a rush may be present before it subsides to the high. The reason why this high is so rapid is because of the drug’s potency paired with these delivery methods. Due to this, it very quickly crosses the blood-brain barrier, leading to this fast and intoxicating high.

Now we must understand the drug’s chemical components along with your body’s physical and physiological interactions with heroin. When you use heroin, your body is flooded with the opiate, it overwhelms your body’s system and is put in a unique place to affect the workings of your brain.

What is interesting about this process, as explained by NIDA, is that when you use heroin, it actually converts back into morphine—another powerful opiate. It is this drug that seeks out the opioid receptors that are present throughout your body and brain. These receptors help to dictate your awareness and experience of pain, and are also elemental in your reward systems. Though our bodies are designed to encounter activation within these receptors, they were never intended to bear the weight of this chemical form and intensity.

How Do People Become Addicted To Heroin IntensityThe structural components of morphine are somewhat similar to endorphins, which are our body’s naturally-occurring feel-good chemicals. When a person uses heroin, the intensity of the drug overrides our body’s endorphins, making our natural state pale in comparison to the created one. For this reason, as a person quickly learns that they can control these feelings, they become motivated to use more and more, in order to further generate these feelings of pleasure or analgesia.

As part of this process, areas of your brain’s limbic reward system kick into overdrive. The heroin, now morphine, causes an excess production of a chemical called dopamine, which is an important neurotransmitter that is responsible for sending messages and signals across regions of the brain.

It is also tasked with creating feelings of pleasure and a sense of reward. It acts on the receptor sites that spoken about above, and eventually, as a person increases their use, these sites are overstimulated and essentially forget how to work on their own without the presence of the drug. This is what causes tolerance and dependence, and symptoms of withdrawal when use is ceased.

One study outlined the impact that these changes within the brain have on cravings. It spoke about how certain areas of the brain form memories that are specific to the attachment between the hallmark feelings of pleasure and the circumstances that created them. Specifically it stated that “These memories, called conditioned associations, often lead to the craving for drugs when the abuser re-encounters those persons, places, or things, and they drive abusers to seek out more drugs in spite of many obstacles.”

As a person’s body comes to rely on heroin as a mechanism for chemical change, their body’s physiology begins to experience modifications, which transition spurs a person towards addiction.

The Emergence Of A Tolerance And A Dependence

As a person uses more drugs, they find that they need more to achieve the same effects that a lower dose granted; this is called a tolerance. Eventually, they may develop a dependence, which means that their body and brain have come to rely on the drug to moderate and alter its functions. Both of these things further the propensity towards addiction.

Though heroin doesn’t leave your body as fast as some drugs, its effects do wane fairly quickly—a user may begin to experience withdrawal symptoms in as little as a few hours after the last dose. This is another reason why individuals that are already dependent may increase their level of addiction, as they encounter intolerable and even painful side effects of withdrawal, they may be apt to use more of the drug to alleviate and avoid these symptoms. This can develop into a compulsive need that may lead to an addiction. Though a first time user may not experience full on withdrawal, they may still encounter uncomfortable feelings that urge them towards more use.

What Are The Dangers Of A Heroin Addiction?

Using heroin is like playing with fire; you’re liable to encounter pain and measures of destruction. Heroin exerts a very heavy toll on a person’s life, it can disrupt their relationships, finances, job standing, and school ambitions.

How Do People Become Addicted To Heroin Playing With Fire

It can severely damage a person’s body and mind, leading to such problems as collapsed veins, increased risks of infectious disease (this risk is especially high for those that use intravenously), complications during pregnancy, brain damage, damage to other vital organs, overdose, coma, and death, among other risks. Some research even shows that certain areas of the brain begin to deteriorate, creating cognitive impairment.

Are There Treatments For Heroin Addiction?

Yes, even though it may be a tough road, compassionate and expert care exists to treat a person who is suffering from heroin addiction. With any substance abuse or addiction, the best rehabilitation programs offer comprehensive protocols that integrate a variety of treatments and therapies. These not only help you to gain sobriety, but maintain it in the time after you leave rehabilitation.

Effective rehabilitation should address any co-occurring disorders that may aggravate or precipitate substance abuse, and utilize medication-assisted treatment. Methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone are medications that may be used to treat heroin addiction.

These therapies may include cognitive behavioral therapy—an intensive method that assists a person in breaking harmful cycles revolving around negative thoughts and behaviors—or contingency-management and motivational incentives, which are incentive-based methods that help to support positive achievements and abstinence.

We Can Help You Overcome Your Addiction

Contact us if you or a loved are considering treatment.Though it is true that this can be one of the most difficult addictions to beat, it is not impossible. With the right help and treatment program, you or your loved one can achieve wellness and sobriety, and maintain a lasting recovery, free from the risks and damages of a heroin addiction. Contact us and speak with our experts today at DrugRehab.org to find out how you can make this a reality.

For More Information Related to “How Do People Become Addicted to Heroin?” Be Sure To Check Out These Additional Resources From DrugRehab.org:

Sources
National Institute on Drug Abuse – DrugFacts: Heroin
National Institute on Drug Abuse – Drug Abuse and Addiction
National Institute on Drug Abuse – Drugs and the Brain
University of Colorado Boulder – Neuroanatomy and Physiology of the “Brain Reward System”in Substance Abuse
National Institute on Drug Abuse – Contingency Management Interventions/Motivational Incentives (Alcohol, Stimulants, Opioids, Marijuana, Nicotine)

The Dangers Of Club Drugs

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The Dangers Of Club Drugs

Spending time in a bar, club, or party environment can be fun, as long as proper precautions are taken, such as finding a designated driver. Unfortunately, a variety of substances known as “club drugs” have infiltrated these areas and made them more dangerous. Whether a person is using these club drugs or lacing another person’s drink, they are dangerous and need to be understood if you spend any time in the bar or in clubs.

What Drugs Are Considered Club Drugs?

Club drugs are those that are used in a party setting to enhance the experience, or in some instances, to influence other people’s behaviors. They go by a variety of slang names, and to improve your knowledge on them, we are going to list each type here, their effects, and their street names, so that you know whether someone you love is abusing these substances or plans on introducing them to you:

The Dangers Of Club Drugs Rohypnol

  • Rohypnol – Commonly called “roofies,” these substances are a benzodiazepine that takes effect very quickly. They cause a variety of sedative effects, including dizziness, confusion, loss of control, anxiety, numbness, and even seizures. They are perhaps the most heavily used subset of club drugs known as “rape” drugs, as they are often used to either cause a person to be susceptible to suggestion or to put them in a state of unconsciousness.

The Dangers Of Club Drugs MDMA

  • MDMA – Often known as Ecstasy, XTC, X, Adam, Clarity, and Lover’s Speed, MDMA drugs are very similar to amphetamines and cause a variety of effects, including intense stimulation and even hallucinations. Effects last as long as six hours, with negative side effects including confusion, paranoia, hypertension, dehydration, and even anxiety. Typically taken in pill form.

The Dangers Of Club Drugs GHB

  • GHB – Known as Grievous Bodily Harm, G, Liquid Ecstasy, or Georgia Home Boy, GHB is typically taken in liquid, powder, or tablet forms. Users often combine it with alcohol to increase its effects. It is a depressant that sedates the body and decreases self control. In this way, it is often used as a “rape” drug or even as a way to poison somebody.

The Dangers Of Club Drugs Ketamine

  • Ketamine – An injection, liquid, or powder drug that causes effects similar to PCP. This includes extreme energy, hallucinations, and a disconnection with reality. It can often produce psychotic breaks that may last for extended periods. It can also cause amnesia, high blood pressure, poor motor function, and even respiratory problems. Commonly referred to as Special K, K, Vitamin K, and Cat Valiums.

The Dangers Of Club Drugs Methamphetamine

  • Methamphetamine – Unlike its sister drug amphetamine, methamphetamine has no medical use. Instead, it is used to increase a person’s energy to high levels by speeding up the processes of the body. This can cause a variety of dangerous symptoms, including heavy sweating, memory loss, aggression, mental damage, and even heart attacks. Commonly called Speed, Ice, Chalk, Meth, Crystal, Crank, Fire, and Glass.

The Dangers Of Club Drugs LSD

  • LSD – Often called Acid, Boomers, and Yellow Sunshines, LSD causes severe hallucinations when ingested orally. It can cause a person to lose connection with reality in a dangerous way and may lead to temporary psychosis. Increased heart rate and blood pressure, as well as sleeplessness, are also common. “Flashbacks” to a hallucinatory state can occur years after the last use of LSD.

Now that you better understand the nature of these drugs and their effects, we’re going to look at a specific circumstance when one-time use of a club drug caused serious damage to a young girl’s mind. Although club drugs might seem fun or even “safe” to many who use them, their potential danger level is high, and the risk of developing serious side effects, or even addiction, is very high.

The Dangers Caused By These Drugs

In one unfortunate instance of club drug use, a teenager purchased and took a single pill of MDMA. The effects it produced on her were instantaneous: she started to hear noises that weren’t there, had trouble speaking, and behaved in erratic ways. The girl was rushed to the emergency room for evaluation. While awake and alert, she could not communicate successfully with others. She had no past history of mental concerns and her family had a similarly clean history.

Her behavior grew increasingly erratic, and included severe crying episodes, sexually inappropriate behavior, nonsensical speech, strange claims that weren’t true, episodes of paranoia and severe social anxiety, and other problems. Even after two weeks of treatment, her behavior remained difficult to predict and she was sent home from school almost immediately. At home, she would grow agitated and leave the house at unpredictable times.

After heavy doses of a medicine used to treat dementia (olanzapine), she gradually begin behaving more normally. Eventually, she broke free and became closer to who she was before. It is important to understand that the drug wasn’t literally in her system this entire time, but that it caused a series of chemical imbalances in her mind that caused her to behavioral concerns.

In other cases, people who take club drugs may grow aggressive towards other and get into dangerous physical altercations. They have also behave in irrational and risky ways, including driving too fast or jumping off of high areas and injuring themselves. Club drugs often remove a person’s sense of self-control and put them in danger of behaving poorly. However, even people who have no intention of taking club drugs may be a risk of drinking laced liquor.

The “Rape” Drug Epidemic

The Dangers Of Club Drugs Rape DrugAs mentioned previously, many club drugs (such as Rohypnol) are used for criminal sexual purposes. These “rape” drugs sedate a person in a way similar to, but more potent than, alcohol and, at the very least, make them susceptible to influence. In this way, a person may be able to convince them to perform sexual acts that they wouldn’t have otherwise performed.

In the worst case scenario, “rape” drugs are used to make a person unconscious and unable to resist sexual advances. Cases of women waking up in a stranger’s bed with no memory of the night before are common. Even scarier, women may come to in an alley or behind a building, having been left behind by their rapist. These instances are psychologically damaging to the women who experience them.

However, women aren’t the only people who many fall a victim to these drugs. Men may also receive them and end up being violated. That’s why it’s important for everyone who plans on attending bars, clubs, or parties to understand the ways in which to avoid club drugs.

Tips On Avoiding Club Drugs

One of the best ways you can avoid club drugs is to understand them. For example, if someone at a bar offers you “vitamin K,” you now know that it is ketamine, what kinds of effects it causes, and the dangers of using it. Simply say “no” to any substance that a person offers you in a party setting, no matter what promises they make about its effects.

What about protecting yourself from getting a laced drink? The best ways to avoid this include bringing your own drinks, never taking a drink from a stranger, keeping your drink within sight, and drinking out of a sealed container which you keep on your person at all times. It’s also important to avoid getting severely drunk, as this often makes people more open to doing things they wouldn’t do otherwise.

You should also surround yourself with people whom you have known for a long time, those you trust. Everyone should make a concentrated effort to watch their friends’ drinks and make sure nobody slips anything in them. Creating a support group like this is crucial to any party situation, as it will keep everyone safe from the dangers of club drugs.

Learning More About Club Drugs

Contact us if you or a loved are considering treatment.If you or someone you love uses club drugs, is addicted to club drugs, or has been affected by them in other negative ways, please contact us at DrugRehab.org today. Our specialists can help you understand the effects of these substances and give you the guidance you need to regain a positive life.

Sources
American Family Physician – Club Drugs: MDMA, Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate (GHB), Rohypnol, and Ketamine
The Primary Care Companion For CNS Disorders – Persistent Psychosis After a Single Ingestion of “Ecstasy” (MDMA)
Palo Alto Medical Foundation – Rohypnol
Office On Women’s Health – Date rape drugs fact sheet

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