Heroin is a highly addictive and illegal opioid drug derived from morphine – a substance taken from the seeds of an opium poppy plant. It’s either made into a white powder, brown powder, or a sticky substance known as black tar heroin. According to the HHS, roughly 750,000 people used heroin in 2019, including roughly 87,000 people between the ages of 18 and 25, and more than 650,000 people above the age of 25. The CDC estimates that more than 14,000 people died of a heroin overdose in 2019 alone. It doesn’t matter if it’s being sniffed, smoked, snorted, or injected; heroin is one of the most dangerous opioids on the streets today. While it has proven to be deadly, many heroin addicts can turn over a new leaf in their life with the help of a proven and effective heroin detox center in Indiana.
How Does Heroin Impact the Brain?
When someone uses heroin, it travels through the bloodstream and eventually crosses the blood-brain barrier. Once it enters the brain, it’s metabolized into morphine and attaches itself to opioid receptors, producing the ‘high’ feeling. That feeling is what people get addicted to.
While the body and brain produce natural opioid chemicals to relieve pain and discomfort, heroin is much more potent and effective. The dopamine and other neurotransmitters released as a result of heroin use can make it extremely hard to quit – eventually leading to an addiction.
To make matters worse, prolonged heroin use reduces the amount of natural opioids released – increasing the need for a higher dosage of heroin to ease pain. Heroin can also deteriorate white matter in the brain, create chemical imbalances in the brain, and alter the vascular structure of the brain.
What are the Signs of Heroin Addiction?
The most common short-term effects of heroin use include a sudden rush of euphoria, dry mouth, skin flushing, arms and legs feeling heavy, nausea, vomiting, itching, reduced cognitive function, and going back-and-forth between a state of consciousness and semi-consciousness.
Some of the long-term effects of prolonged heroin use include insomnia, collapsed veins, heart complications, abscesses, constipation, stomach cramps, liver disease, kidney disease, lung disease, depression, antisocial personality disorder, sexual dysfunction, and menstrual issues.
If you notice any of the signs and symptoms of heroin use, misuse, abuse, or addiction in someone you love, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. If their heroin use continues, they can face dire consequences – not just physically, but mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and socially.
What are the Symptoms of Withdrawal for Heroin?
While quitting heroin is necessary for anyone that wants to live a happy, healthy, and rewarding life, that doesn’t mean it’s easy, and it certainly won’t come without its fair share of obstacles – one of which being withdrawal symptoms, the number one reason why people find it so hard to quit.
The length and severity of withdrawal for heroin largely depend on how long the patient has been using heroin, the amount of heroin taken, the method they used heroin, and how frequently they used it. Let’s take a look at some of the most common symptoms of withdrawal for heroin:
- Upset stomach, nausea, and vomiting
- Abdominal pain and muscle spasms
- Cravings and temptations for heroin
- Sweating, shaking, tremors
- Insomnia, having difficulty sleeping
- Nervousness, agitation, anxiety, and depression
The withdrawal symptoms will be difficult to cope with, and everyone will have a unique experience with them, but overcoming withdrawal for heroin is necessary for those that are finally ready to quit. It’ll be one of the most significant decisions you ever make in your life.
How to Find a Heroin Detox Center in Indiana
When you enter an Indiana rehab program for heroin, one of the first steps in the recovery process is completing a heroin detox program. This rids your body and brain from the heroin and other substances in your system. Of course, this is when withdrawal from heroin is at its worst.
You’ll also be undergoing therapy and will be prescribed medication to help you cope with the withdrawal symptoms. By the time you complete the heroin detox program, you’ll be much more ready and prepared to continue recovery – a drug-free, healthy life awaits you.
Are you trying to find a heroin detox center in Indiana? Are you ready to put your heroin use to rest and begin your journey toward a better life? If you answered yes to any of those questions, contact See Purpose Treatment immediately. We can’t wait to help turn your life around.
