Heroin is a powerful narcotic that floods the mind with pleasurable chemicals. It was first introduced and prescribed as a painkiller in the 1890s. Today, however, it’s more of an illicit street drug that people use for recreation rather than pain relief. When you use heroin, your body reacts in several ways to the substance, affecting your brain and body at both physical and chemical levels. In this blog, we’re going to discuss what heroin addiction entails.
Heroin’s Psychological Effects
Heroin mimics a type of feel-good neurotransmitter called dopamine, which causes intense feelings of euphoria when taken. With repeated doses, heroin use can rewire the brain’s reward system, which is how it gets its grip on users. Those changes lead to severe depression when they’re not used, also known as a withdrawal symptom. Heroin addiction also lowers chronic users’ inhibitions, making them more susceptible to addiction and more likely to engage in risky behaviors. They can become unproductive members of society due to the cognitive impairment that heroin dependency causes.
The Long-Term Physical Effects Of Heroin
Long-term effects of heroin addiction can include fatal infections, liver disease, heart disease, and cancer. Heroin use is also linked with physical problems that include constricted pupils, collapsed veins, respiratory complications such as pneumonia, cold or flu symptoms due to a suppressed immune system, skin infections, or abscesses from injection drug use. Increased heroin tolerance may lead to higher drug doses to achieve the same high. This will increase vulnerability to cardiac and respiratory complications.
Why Is It Difficult To Break The Cycle
According to studies, repeated use of heroin can change the areas of the brain that control feelings of pleasure, leading some people to become dependent on it. The likelihood of developing this dependence is higher in those who start using at a younger age. It is difficult for users who become addicted because they experience uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking it. These symptoms can include agitation, chills, trouble sleeping, diarrhea, vomiting, and muscle cramps. That’s why it’s essential to seek professional help because breaking the cycle on your own can be a challenge to heroin addiction.
Fight Drug Addiction With Medically Assisted Treatment In Baltimore
Our drug specialists at M.D M.A.T.T offer medication-assisted treatment that reduces the withdrawal symptoms you experience, along with drug therapy and counseling. With the help of technology, we help our patients bring systematic change with fewer relapses. Our recovery program equips patients with coping skills to fight heroin addiction. We offer buprenorphine and suboxone medication that helps block the effects of drugs on the brain. Get in touch with our suboxone doctors in Owing Mills to learn more.
