Heroin is one of the most dangerous and addictive drugs. It has an extremely destructive effect on human he alth, and the addiction related to it - heroinism - almost always leads to the social and mental degeneration of the addicted person. What does heroin look like, how does it work and how do you recognize symptoms of heroin addiction?

Heroin(slang names: hera, hercia, powder, bronze, compote) is a drug belonging to the group of opioids. It was discovered in 1874 by the English chemist C.R. Wright by long-term cooking of morphine with acetic acid. It was recognized almost immediately as a breakthrough substance in the treatment of pain and cough associated with tuberculosis and pneumonia. In 1898, heroin was registered as a drug and its production began on an industrial scale. However, it soon turned out that this drug was highly addictive. There have been an increasing number of cases of "recreational" use of heroin by people without medical indications. Only 13 years after its introduction, heroin production was discontinued, and in 1920 the United States completely banned the drug, even on medical orders.

Despite top-down regulations prohibiting the production and distribution of heroin, this substance has been at the forefront of the most popular psychoactive substances since the 1960s. In Poland, it gained its counterpart in the form of the so-called compote - a decoction of poppy straw with an oily consistency and brown in color. Heroin in this form was popular especially in the 1970s and 1980s, but today it is more often found in the form of pure powder or "brown sugar".

Heroin - what does it look like?

Pure heroin is a white, free-flowing, odorless powder with a bitter taste. Its melting point is 173 degrees C. It is obtained in the process of acetylation of crude morphine (an opium derivative, i.e. dried milk juice from unripe poppies).

The drug comes in three forms:

  • white snow- white powder with a crystal structure, the purest (90-95%) form of heroin. It has the strongest effect and is therefore very expensive. Difficult to get in Poland;
  • white heroin- a powder with a higher degree of impurity (40-50% purity), white in color, but with distinctwith darker raids and lumps;
  • brown sugar- the most contaminated form of heroin (15-25% pure), light beige to dark brown powder with visible lumps, no odor. Currently, it is the most common form of heroin that can be obtained in Poland.
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Polish heroin

In the early 1970s, two chemistry students made heroin home-made by boiling a broth from poppy straw. This is how Kompot, the Polish version of this drug, was created. The compote looks like an oily liquid ranging in color from straw to dark brown. It contains relatively little pure heroin but many toxic by-products of a chemical process. It is considered the most harmful form of heroin because it is difficult to predict how much of the active substance is in the brew and what dose is poisonous.

There are more pure forms of heroin available on the market today, and therefore drug addicts use this form of the drug less frequently.

Heroin - action

After injecting heroin, the effect appears almost immediately and lasts from 6 to 8 hours (according to some sources, 4-5 hours). The following symptoms appear:

  • initially feeling euphoric, then bliss, relaxation, sleepiness,
  • severe constriction of the pupils,
  • pain relief,
  • slowing down the intestinal peristalsis,
  • sphincter contraction,
  • slow breathing,
  • lowering body pressure and temperature,
  • reduction in urine output,
  • weakening of concentration,
  • loss of menstruation for women.

Heroin - routes of administration

Heroin can be administered in several ways:

  • intravenously with a syringe - this method of administration requires "boiling" the heroin, that is heating it, for example by placing the powder on a spoon and burning it with a flame. The liquid obtained in this way is poured into the syringe;
  • inhaling heroin vapor heated on aluminum foil;
  • sniffing;
  • orally.

The most common routes of administration are injection or inhalation of vapors - they give a strong and quick euphoric effect (the so-called "kick").

Addicts usually carry accessories necessary for taking heroin - syringes, spoons, caps, pieces of aluminum foil, acidlemon needed to dissolve the substance, cotton wool or cigarette filters. The presence of these items in a suspected addict may be evidence of a heroin addiction.

Heroin - overdose

Heroin overdose can occur from overdosing on a single drug. It is often the result of a mistake, e.g. taking exceptionally well-purified heroin, which has a stronger effect. Symptoms of overdose include:

  • slow heart rate,
  • heavy, uneven breathing,
  • blueness of lips and skin,
  • partial or complete loss of consciousness.

The immediate cause of death in overdose is usually respiratory depression, i.e. respiratory arrest.

Heroin addiction

Heroin is mentally addictive after taking the first dose. Physical dependence also occurs very quickly due to the presence of withdrawal symptoms that appear 8 to several hours after taking the last dose.

The phenomenon of tolerance increases with taking subsequent doses. In order to experience similar effects each time, the addicted person must constantly increase the dose of the drug. Over time, the patient stops feeling euphoric symptoms completely after administering even a large amount of the substance and uses it only in order not to expose himself to the occurrence of withdrawal syndrome.

The withdrawal symptoms include:

  • muscle tremors,
  • chills and "goosebumps",
  • stomach pains,
  • nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,
  • bone and joint pain,
  • increased sweating,
  • runny nose and watery eyes,
  • sleep disturbance.

Heroin withdrawal symptoms last 7-8 days. They are extremely painful and difficult to bear, so at this time the supervision over the addicted person should be performed by a doctor. If the patient goes through the entire detoxification process, his body becomes again sensitive to smaller doses of the drug.

In addition to withdrawal symptoms, HIV, AIDS, or hepatitis B, C, or D infection is a common consequence of long-term heroin addiction. It occurs from the use of contaminated needles and syringes that drug addicts exchange with each other.

Heroin - the social effects of addiction

In addition to its he alth effects, heroin addiction also has psychological and social effects. The addict focuses only on securing access to the next doses of the drug. As he needs more and more of them, he can resort to actionillegal to just get funds to buy heroin. Usually, a drug addict first goes into debt with family and friends, then sells his property, and eventually may go as far as to steal or prostitute. At the same time, she completely ceases to take care of her appearance, hygiene, breaks off contacts with loved ones, gives up hobbies, work and all activities that require spending more time and energy.

Heroin - addiction treatment

Addicted people rarely decide to undergo treatment themselves. Often the decisive factor is the reaction of the environment and the early referral of the patient to a therapeutic facility. The first step should be a visit to a mental he alth clinic where a specialist will make a diagnosis and prescribe an appropriate treatment. This could be a referral to a detoxification department or enrollment in a special drug treatment program. In the case of heroin addiction, methadone replacement therapy is often used. Methadone, given daily in low doses, prevents withdrawal symptoms. The addicted person does not feel the euphoric effect of the substance and can function normally in society. This form of treatment is usually complemented by individual therapy with a psychologist or group therapy.

Due to the difficulties in covering all drug addicts with appropriate treatment, in Poland for several years there have been activities under the so-called harm reduction program. It consists in counteracting the negative effects of addiction, e.g. by providing addicts with sterile needles and syringes. Street workers reach places at risk of drug addiction and offer addicts to exchange accessories for new ones in order to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases. Harm reduction programs do not cure drug addiction, but are designed to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS.

Category:

Psychology