Heroin is a powerful and highly dangerous drug belonging to the opioid family. This means it is the same as substances like opium, fentanyl, and morphine. Heroin interacts with the areas of the central nervous system responsible for breathing, heart rate, and sensations such as pain and pleasure. On using heroin, you will get a feeling of euphoric relaxation. You might also fade in and out of your consciousness and cannot have clear thinking.

The power of the heroin's effect makes it difficult to resist using the drug again and again. Gradually, it becomes impossible to stop it. Once you become used to the drug, attempting to end using the drug triggers many unwanted symptoms of withdrawal.

It becomes highly difficult to deal with heroin addiction without any professional help. But heroin addiction is a treatable condition and by getting timely treatment, you can easily regain control of your behavior. With proper assistance, you can recover from heroin addiction.

Cause of heroin addiction

Heroin addiction is caused by the heroin abuse or its frequent consumption. Even if you will use heroin on a short-term basis it can cause addiction. It is so because heroin is an opioid that releases a lot of endorphins in your brain thereby causing a flood of euphoric feelings. This results in stopping the way your body's awareness of pain while developing a pleasing feeling of bliss. Your body becomes dependent on heroin both physically and mentally. 

The use of heroin results in the release of endorphins in your brain, removing all perception of pain and persuading the feeling of pleasure. When these feeling starts wearing off, the brain will start craving for more heroin-induced release of endorphins.

Genetic and environmental causes: A person becomes genetically inclined to heroin addiction if any of their family members are suffering from heroin addiction. A lot of environmental factors can also cause heroin addiction. When people are surrounded by people who are involved in drug abuse be it at home, school, or work, then there is a high chance of getting addicted to drug abuse.

How are heroin use and opioid prescription abuse linked?

Opioid prescription abuse and heroin are related to each other due to the reason that people who make use of or abuse prescription opioids have a high chance of using heroin. Opioid prescription drugs and heroin have the same pain-relieving effects, Because of this resemblance, it is not unusual for any person to get addicted to opioids to look for heroin when other substances are not available. That is why heroin detox is necessary

What are the symptoms of heroin addiction?

Symptoms of heroin use and its addiction can be psychological, social, or physical. Psychological symptoms affect the mental health of a person and their behavior. 

Psychological symptoms of heroin addiction

Here are some of the psychological symptoms you should look for while diagnosing heroin addiction:

  • Feeling shame
  • Guilty feeling
  • Thoughts of depression

It is not unusual to feel heroin's emotional effects like shame, depression and guilt when a person is addicted to heroin. When a person's body becomes dependent on heroin for the release of endorphins, it becomes difficult for the body to do it on its own. This results in a person losing their ability to obtain positive emotions thereby leading to the following results:

A feeling of hopelessness: A feeling of hopelessness, anxiety and despair is one of the common signs of heroin addiction. A person who is addicted to heroin might lack motivation and cannot take care of themselves. They might also struggle to keep up with constant jobs.

Bad judgment: Bad judgment is a sign of heroin addiction as slowly addiction takes control over your brain. Because of this, a person cannot do critical thinking and make choices that do not cause any harm to themselves.

Confused feeling and perplexity: A feeling of confusion or disorientation is a symptom of a person with heroin addiction or under the influence of heroin. Loss of memory and difficulty in thinking is also one of the major symptoms of heroin addiction.

Physical symptoms of heroin addiction

Physical symptoms are the signs that have an impact on the body and health of a person. Have a look at some of the physical symptoms of the heroin addiction:

  • Significant loss of weight unintentionally: A person with heroin addiction can suffer from significant loss of weight unintentionally. Substance abuse of heroin can result in appetite loss leading to loss of weight.
  • Feeling exhaustive and lethargic: Exhaustion and feeling lethargic are two common symptoms of heroin addiction. A person who is addicted to heroin will feel a lack of energy and will not have the motivation to get engaged in physical activities.
  • Skin issues: Heroin addiction results in some skin problems like bruising of skin mainly on the arms, feet, legs and hands.
  • Sleeping issues: Sleep issues can be caused by heroin addiction especially when the person is dependent on the drug physically. High cravings for the drug can lead to being unable to fall asleep and detrimental effects of the substance on the brain.

Social symptoms of heroin addiction

These are the effects that affect the body and health of a person. Here are a few social symptoms that are caused by heroin addiction:

Withdrawal symptoms from family and friends: When a person suddenly withdraws from his family and friends, this signifies suffering from heroin addiction. Cutting off social ties means the person is spending time abusing drugs or getting engaged in some unhealthy behaviors.

Senseless outbursts of anger: It's another sign of heroin use and its addiction. The effects that heroin has on the brain can result in a decrease in endorphins, resulting in irritability and an inability to control anger outbursts.

Diagnosis

Heroin addiction is diagnosed by recognizing physical, psychological, and social symptoms within a person. It is important to consult with a professional about diagnosing addiction whenever someone is suspicious of suffering from addiction. A medical or a rehabilitation center can do a complete evaluation to help in the determination of addiction severity.

Recognizing the problem is the main step in resolving the issue and for heroin detox. Treatment can be done once the addiction is acknowledged.