Heroin is a powerful opiate with an intense effect on the brain’s reward system. Heroin disrupts this reward system by acting as a catalyst for the production of feel-good chemicals in the brain, including endorphins and dopamine. Normally, the brain releases these chemicals to reward behavior conducive to survival, such as eating and helping people deal with pain.
The brain quickly correlates heroin to the activation of these chemicals in the brain’s reward system. Over time, the user forms an addiction and can’t function without the drug. This, combined with the withdrawal symptoms of heroin, makes it hard for addicts to stop on their own. Requiring higher doses of heroin to get high, or starting to inject the drug, are common signs of an addiction. Once addicted, what may have seemed like a cool way to have fun, becomes a necessary habit to function during daily activities.
This drug is a painkiller that is highly addictive; it is derived from morphine, which comes from the seeds of poppy plants. Being that poppy plants are used to create opium, any drugs that come from them are classified as opiates.
Heroin Effects
Heroin users have described the drug’s high as an intense feeling of euphoria. When someone injects heroin, they often experience what is described as a “rush” due to the drug reaching the brain so quickly. This rush from intravenous heroin use can last for about two minutes; intravenous users have compared this sensation to an orgasm in terms of pleasure. As heroin makes its way through the bloodstream, the high may last for up to four to five hours total.
The usual effects of heroin use can include (but are not limited to):
- – Decreased anxiety
- – Reduced tension
- – Contentment
- – Apathy
- – Drowsiness
The effects of heroin may appear harmless to those who are experimenting with the drug. Although it can produce both drowsiness and dizziness, these effects feel enjoyable overall. Unlike substances such as ecstasy or alcohol, there generally isn’t a “comedown” or hangover that stems from initial heroin use, which is an appealing benefit to new users.
What may seem like innocent fun or occasional heroin use often evolves into addiction because tolerance is built very quickly. Eventually, the user can no longer feel normal without taking the drug due to their brain being unable to produce natural amounts of dopamine by itself. As the user increases their dosage, they are at a higher, more hazardous risk of a fatal heroin overdose.
Signs of a heroin overdose include:
- – Slow heartbeat
- – Bluish lips
- – Shallow breathing
- – Dry mouth
- – Very small pupils
- – Tongue discoloration
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