Heroin is a very illegal and highly addictive opioid drug that is made from morphine and is derived from the naturally occurring poppy plant. Heroin is typically injected, snorted, or smoked. Due to its rapid effect on the brain, heroin is a particularly addictive substance. It causes a surge or rush of euphoria that is followed by a state of sedation.
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Mental Function and Heroin Addiction
Heroin has a significant impact on the user’s brain short term and long term. Not long after using heroin, a person will experience a suppression of their central nervous system. This causes mental cloudiness making it difficult to respond to people and make decisions. This suppressed mental function is a short term effect on a person and will pass as the heroin leave a person’s body, however, this clouded mental function can make it difficult to resist the cravings for this drug.
As time passes, heroin can cause permanent changes to the physiology of a person’s brain. Many studies have shown a link to heroin use and the deterioration of the brain’s white matter. Those who lose white matter lose the capability to control behavior and respond properly to stress. This causes a revolving door of heroin use.
Your Cardiovascular System and Heroin Abuse
Many people who abuse heroin often inject it. This technique is so common but it comes with some serious health risks. It has a direct impact on a person’s cardiovascular system. Intravenous heroin use can cause scarred and collapsed veins where the injection is done. IV use can also cause bacterial infections that can damage the heart valves and blood vessels. These complications are due to a lack of sterile needles and poor technique.
Since heroin is an illegal street drug, every batch has different additives and is never the same. Because of this, some of those additives can clog blood vessels. Blocked blood vessels leading to the kidneys, lungs, brain, or liver can cause a stroke or organ failure.
The Liver and Heroin Abuse
Intravenous heroin use also significantly increases the risk of getting Hepatitis C. This is contracted by sharing needles and other drug preparation equipment with those who have Hepatitis C. Around 3.5 million people in the United States have this virus. Hepatitis C is directly linked to liver disease. If it is left untreated, it causes cirrhosis of the liver; potentially fatal and chronic liver disease, and even liver cancer.
The Colon and Heroin Abuse
Whether heroin is injected or snorted, long-term use can lead to chronic constipation, which causes blockages to the rectum or colon. If this issue s left untreated, colon constipation can increase the risk of developing an intestinal blockage and even colon cancer and rectal cancer.
We are Here to Help
We at Garden State Treatment Centerunderstand the seriousness of heroin use, and we believe heroin addiction must be treated as soon as possible. If heroin addiction is left untreated, the chances of fatality continuously increase. We focus on treating addiction with a combination of effective treatments, predominantly focusing on group and individual therapy.
If you or someone you love has been struggling with heroin addiction, please feel free to give us a call today. We will discuss treatment options, and do our best to point you in the right direction. Now is the time to turn your life around. Let us help you do it. Our team of qualified professionals is available 24/7 to answer any questions or concerns you may have. It is time to put the pain and misery of addiction in your past and rebuild your life into something you are proud