Heroin addiction occurs due to the fact that the use of this drug produces endorphins in the brain. This signals to the body on many levels that you are feeling better than before. As a result, a person starts to crave more and more of it. The tolerance level builds up, and that is why it will take more over the course of time to get the same good feelings as before, leading to serious heroin addiction.
Heroin is categorized as an opiate. It is interesting to know that many other drugs in this particular category are used by medical professionals to help control pain. You may be surprised to learn that heroin is actually very similar in chemical makeup to morphine. Many individuals actually take heroin as a way to deal with chronic pain.
There are many different ways in which people use heroin, and all of them are illegal. For example, it may involve injecting it into the body, snorting it, or even smoking it with a pipe. All of these activities are illegal and can result in serious issues for an individual if they get caught by law enforcement using it, selling it, or having it in their possession.
The attraction to heroin is that a person can get a rush of feeling good in a very short time after using it. The body seems to find this experience to be one that it wants to have again and again. As a result, many people get addicted to heroin after using it only a couple of times. They may think they are just going to experiment with it. However, before they know it, this drug has completely taken control of their life.
There are a variety of different side effects that people with a heroin addiction exhibit. They include excessive thirst, increased body temperature, feelings of heaviness on the arms and legs, and drowsiness. What is so addictive about heroin is that one of the side effects is that it can cause depression. As a result, the person will get into a cycle of using heroin more often. This helps them to gain those good feelings that they want to have and to reduce their experiences with depression.
When a person has used heroin for a very long time, they will start to have some more severe side effects present. These include a lack of body control due to damage to the central nervous system, breathing problems, liver damage, and even kidney failure. Such damage can be irreversible, which is why a person needs to seek treatment for heroin addiction now instead of later.
Heroin is considered to be highly addictive and one of the most difficult addictions to treat effectively. However, there are some excellent programs out there for it. The best ones are those that are at a facility for at least 90 days. The first part of the treatment is to effectively detoxify the body from heroin. After that, efforts to change the behavioral attraction to the drug must be implemented.