Heroin Drug Abuse Signs & Symptoms
It can be hard to tell if someone has been using heroin. If someone has one or more of the following warning signs, they may be using heroin or other illicit drugs.
Your Brain
Heroin enters the brain quickly. It slows down the way you think, slows down reaction time and slows down memory. This affects the way you act and make decisions.
Your Body
Heroin poses special problems for those who inject it because of the risks of HIV, hepatitis B and C, and other diseases that can occur from sharing needles. These health problems can be passed on to sexual partners and newborns.
Super-Addictive
Heroin is highly addictive because it enters the brain so rapidly. It particularly affects those regions of the brain responsible for producing physical dependence.
It's Not What it May Seem
Despite the glamorization of "heroin chic" in films, fashion and music, heroin use can have tragic consequences that extend far beyond its users. Fetal effects, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, violence and crime are all linked to its use.
It Can Kill You
Heroin is one of the most frequently reported drugs by medical examiners in drug abuse deaths.
Know the Risks
Because the strength of heroin varies and its impact is more unpredictable when used with alcohol or other drugs, the user never knows what might happen with the next dose.
Know the Law
Heroin is an illegal Schedule I drug, meaning that it is in the group of the most highly addictive drugs.
Quick Facts About Heroin - Any method of heroin use -- snorting, smoking, swallowing or injecting the drug -- can cause immediate harm and lead to addiction.
- The untimely deaths of several popular musicians and other celebrities may have influenced many young people to stay away from heroin use, but to others, the dangers are still not clear. The average age of first use was 20.7 in 2006.
- There is no safe way of ingesting heroin. You can die from an overdose or become addicted by snorting or smoking it.
