Heroin

Heroin addiction is a disease, which may end in death for some that suffer from this disease. This addiction is an illness of the mind, body and soul. All of these aspects effect the addict as a whole. This addiction actually dehumanizes the person afflicted with the disease (Heroin-Effects).

This horrendous disease shows in many different forms. The first way it does is through putting the mind into a cycle of obsession (heroin-effects). Once the mind takes its first fix of heroin, addicts can no longer view the world as they did before. Before the addict has even finished the first dose of heroin, he/she is already thinking of the next dose (Heroin-Effects). This cycle increases until the person is willing to do anything for the drug, stealing from their families and loved ones, etc. But yet, they are so concentrated on what they need, they see nothing wrong with what they are doing. As the addiction progresses, they no longer even try to hide it. They start leaving evidence all over. Many of them want help and want to kick the addiction but it’s just too hard.

Heroin can be put in the system of a person in many different ways: smoking, snorting, and intravenously (Heroin-Effects). IV drug use can lead to more than just an addiction. It can lead to HIV and Hepatitis C by sharing needles with someone who is affected. When injected, there is a feeling of pleasure. Heroin makes the person feel no pain. Taken orally, effects are felt more gradually (Pritchard). When heroin is taken, the user feels euphoric and extremely good (Pritchard). He feels a “rush” of pleasure. This is why it is highly addictive; but when the person comes down off the drug, he can feel drowsy and suffer from nausea (Pritchard). Some symptoms of the short-term effects of heroin use are restlessness, sweating, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth and increased urination.