Heroin Addiction

Heroin is a highly addictive substance that as much as one per cent of the UK population use regularly. There used to be a register of addicts but it was closed in 1997 with a figure of 40000 people. This was probably not accurate anyway as not all addicts will have registered. Using heroin is not something to be taken lightly and a reliance on the drug will have serious consequences for the user.

Often known as skag, junk or smack, heroin is an extract of opium which contains the powerful painkillers, morphine and codeine. It comes in the form of a powder which can be adapted to different ways of using such as smoking or inhaling the fumes. The most common method of taking heroin and the most commonly known about is injecting the drug into the blood stream.

Users of heroin get a immediate feeling of euphoria and then a general sense of well being accompanied by drowsiness and warmth. The problem is that these feelings are short lived and afterwards muscular cramps and paranoia set in. Further compounding this issue is the fact that, like many other drugs, tolerance to heroin builds up very quickly indeed and users quickly find that they need to take more and more of it just to achieve the same high.

Heroin is illegal in the United Kingdom and those caught in possession of it can look forward to very severe penalties and often imprisonment. But the substance is so addictive that users often ignore these risks in their quest to get more of the drug. As the habit increases in size, so does the financial burden placed on the user. A vicious cycle ensues where use of the drug often leads to loss of employment but money is needed to finance its purchase. For this reason, heroin addiction is associated with crime in many parts of the United Kingdom.

The health effects of heroin addiction are worth bearing in mind too. Malnutrition often occurs because of the user’s lifestyle and losses of appetite which are associated with use. Injecting the drug causes its own problems of damage to veins and with so many users sharing needles, HIV/AIDS has become a palpable risk. Heart attacks and strokes can be brought on by an overdose of the drug.

Beating a heroin addiction can be very hard work indeed and addicts who are attempting to ‘come off’ the drug experience many deleterious side effects such as the afore mentioned muscle cramps and paranoia as well as sickness and hallucinations.

There are a number of government funded programmes which are aimed at helping heroin addicts to get over their problem and you can find more information about them by contacting your GP.