Heroin is a narcotic that comes from the opiate family, a class of pain killing drugs (analgesics) derived from the Opium Poppy (Papaver somniferum). For 7,000 years, this plant was the most effective painkiller known to medicine. Typically sold as a white or brown-colored powder that is "cut" with sugar, starch, powdered milk or quinine, heroin can be used in many ways, including through intravenous injections, smoking and snorting. Smoking heroin has become more popular since the 1990s due to fears of HIV infection through intravenous needle-sharing. Smoking is also the major method of using heroin in Asia and Africa. Heroin exerts its primary addictive effect by activating mu-opioid receptors (MORs, similar to the endorphin and serotonin receptors which are responsible for happiness) in the brain. The brain regions and neurotransmitters affected by heroin are responsible for producing the pleasurable sensation of "reward", the relief of pain, and physical dependence. Together, these actions account for the user's loss of control and the drug's habit-forming action. In addition to being a powerful painkiller, heroin also depresses the central nervous system activity, making the heart rate and breathing slow down and suppressing the cough.  Soon after using, heroin crosses the blood-brain barrier. Heroin is converted to morphine in the brain and then binds to opioid receptors. Users report feeling a "rush" or surge of pleasurable sensation. The rush's intensity is tied to the quantity of drug taken as well as the quickness with which the drug enters the brain and binds to the receptors. Heroin is particularly addictive because it enters the brain so rapidly. The effects are almost immediate and the user may initially feel sick. A feeling of calm and warmth then spreads through the body and any troubles or pains seem very distant and unimportant.  This "high" will continue until the effects wear off, usually 6 to 8 hours after a hit. The user will then need to start thinking about where to score and/or where to get the money from for the next hit before physical withdrawal sets in. Know that heroin users can talk and think coherently. Even with doses sufficiently high to produce euphoria, there is little change to coordination, sensation or intellect. At higher doses the user slips into a dreamlike state where she is not asleep or awake, but somewhere between. Pupils become tiny (pinned) and the eyes roll back. This is referred to as 'nodding' or 'halucinodding' or opium dreams. Within as little as a week of usage, a person can develop a physical dependence on heroin. Although some users may take it occasionally, heroin offers most people an unparalleled state of mind and once used, most find it difficult not to keep going back for more.  It has been documented that it only takes three consecutive days of heroin use to become addicted, remembering that there are different levels of addition and withdrawal. Most people will not notice the subtle withdrawal symptoms after this short a period and may put it down to feeling a little down, getting a cold, etc. The two issues with addiction are the length of use and the average morphine content in the body. Usually though, people will notice that they have become addicted between one to two weeks after beginning consistent daily use. After this amount of time, stopping will result in obvious withdrawal symptoms. Once someone becomes addicted, finding and using heroin becomes her main goal. When helping a person addicted to heroin withdraw, it is important to know the facts and symptoms. Withdrawal occurs a few hours after taking the drug, once the effects start to wear off and the body has broken down the heroin in the blood stream. Heroin and other opiate withdrawal symptoms are extremely uncomfortable and are not likely to be fatal or lead to permanent injury, but can cause death to the fetus of a pregnant addict. Symptoms include restlessness, muscle and bone pain, trouble sleeping, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes, and restless legs.  For short term users: After the last dose, users will normally start experiencing mild withdrawal symptoms around 4-8 hours later. These will get worse until they peak on the second day without a hit. This is the worst day, with things slowly improving from the third day onwards. These acute symptoms are usually greatly improved by the fifth day and are largely gone in seven to ten days. For longer term users: Acute withdrawal (which is considered the first 12 hours without heroin) is followed by a "protracted abstinence syndrome" or 'PAWS' (post acute withdrawal syndrome) which can continue for up to 32 weeks afterwards. The symptoms that continue over this time are: restlessness; disturbed sleep patterns; abnormal blood pressure and pulse rate; dilated pupils; feeling cold; irritability; change of personality and feeling; and, intense craving for the drug. Often the hardest part of detox is not the withdrawing itself but staying off it altogether. To remain drug-free, a whole change of life is required. New friends, keeping away from areas where you used to score, and finding things to relieve the boredom and time you would have spent using the drug are among the things that have to change as well as wanting to stay clean. Addiction to drugs is a lifetime struggle. It takes willpower and endurance to make changes. Sobriety may be achieved, but the person may always face tremendous temptation to use. It is difficult to change your whole life, since fighting a drug addiction also means having to change other habits and parts of a person's life, such as where they go and who they see socially. Even "normal" activities like watching television are totally different when you're clean. This is why so many people get clean and then relapse. It is also worth remembering that many people use heroin to escape or cope with personal problems, such as a history of abuse or assault, low self-esteem, and depression, among other reasons. A person addicted to heroin has to fight through the agony of withdrawal only to then be faced with all the same problems she was escaping from in the first place, but now with the added burden of heroin cravings to deal with.
افهم ماهية إدمان الهيروين. تعلم الآثار الإدمانية للهيروين. انتبه إلى أن الإدمان يحدث بشكل سريع. استوعب ما الذي يحدث أثناء انسحاب الهيروين. اعرف جيدًا أن المعركة مع الإدمان ليست سهلة على الإطلاق.