Heroin and Opiates FAQs

Heroin and Opiates

Heroin is an illegal, highly addictive drug. It is both the most abused and the most rapidly acting of the opiates.

How do I know if I have  heroin problem?

Heroin Anonymous developed the questions below as a self-test to help determine whether you may have a heroin problem.

1. Do you isolate yourself when using heroin?
2. Have you ever used more heroin than you planned?
3. Has your heroin usage interfere with your job or school?
4. Do you find yourself concealing your heroin usage from others?
5. Are you experiencing financial difficulties due to your heroin usage?
6. Has your heroin usage caused problems with your partner/spouse or family?
7. Do you wish you could stop using heroin and find that you are unable to quit?
8. Have you experienced legal difficulties from your heroin usage and yet you continue to use?
9. Do you consume the entire amount of heroin you have and then immediately desire to get more?
10. Have you failed to cut down or quit heroin entirely?
11. Do you wish you had never taken that first hit, line, or injection of heroin?
12. Have you continued to use heroin even after you experienced an overdose?
13. Do you fear other people will find out about your heroin usage?
14. Are you preoccupied with getting heroin when you do not have it?
15. Do you have to use larger amounts of heroin to get the same high you once experienced?
16. Has anyone ever told you that you may have a problem?
17. Have you ever lied or misled those around you about how much or how often you use heroin?
18. Do you use heroin at work or in the bathroom in public facilities?
19. Have you ever pawned something in order to buy heroin?
20. Are you afraid that if you stop using heroin that you will not be able to function?
21. Do you find yourself doing things that you are ashamed of in order to purchase heroin?
22. Have you ever stolen drugs or money from family or friends in order to buy heroin?

If you answered “YES” to one or more of these questions, you may have a problem with heroin.

What is heroin and how is it used?

Heroin is an illegal, semi-synthetic drug processed from morphine, a substance extracted from the opium poppy. It is used as a recreational drug for the intense feelings of relaxation and euphoria it induces. Heroin is typically sold as a white or brownish powder or as a black, sticky substance known as “black tar heroin.”

Most street heroin is “cut” with other drugs or with substances such as sugar or starch. Heroin can also be cut with poisons like strychnine.

Heroin is usually dissolved and injected, or the powder is snorted or smoked. All forms of heroin are psychologically and physically addictive, and a tolerance to the drug builds quickly. IV or intramuscular heroin use poses special problems because of the potential for transmitting infectious diseases.

Heroin is a significant drug of abuse in the United States—hundreds of thousands of people in our country are addicted. Over the past decade, researchers have observed a shift in heroin use patterns, from injection to snorting and smoking. With this shift comes an even more diverse group of users.

A recent study by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) showed the number of individuals struggling with heroin addiction has increased by 90%—from 213,000 to 399,000—since 2007.

Heroin use statistics: “Monitoring the Future,” an annual survey published by the University of Michigan, found that:

• 14% of admissions to public-funded drug abuse programs in 2006 were for heroin.
• Heroin was involved in 189,780 emergency department visits in the U.S. in 2006.
• 70% to 80% of all new cases of Hepatitis C come from intravenous drug use.

Effects of Heroin Use

Short-term effects: Soon after administration, heroin crosses the blood-brain barrier. Users report feeling a surge of intense pleasure (a “rush”). This is usually accompanied by a warm flushing of the skin, dry mouth, and a heavy feeling in the extremities. Nausea, vomiting, and severe itching may also occur.

After the initial effects, the heroin user will typically be drowsy for several hours. Mental function is clouded by heroin’s effect on the central nervous system. Cardiac function slows. Breathing also slows—sometimes to the point of death.

List of short-term heroin effects

• Euphoria
• Depressed respiration
• Flushed skin
• Clouded mental functioning/sedation
• Nausea and vomiting
• Suppression of pain
• Infectious diseases

Long-term effects: One of the most detrimental long-term effects of heroin abuse is addiction itself. Addiction is a chronic disease, characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use despite negative consequences, and by changes in the brain. Heroin also produces profound degrees of tolerance and physical dependence, which contributes heavily to abuse. Painful withdrawal symptoms occur if use is reduced abruptly.