Substance Abuse
Heroin
By Teen Health Centre
Nov 9, 2004, 18:41

Heroin 

Drug Classification: Opiate

Slang Terms: smack, junk, horse, H, tar

What It Looks Like & How It’s Taken: Heroin is most commonly found as a white powder, it can also be a very dark brown. Most heroin users dissolve it in water, and then use a needle to inject it directly into a vein. Equally dangerous, some users snort the powder.

Brown Powder Heroin

Effects: Since heroin is a depressant, users tend to feel mellow, dreamy, euphoric. This is accompanied by nausea and tiredness.

After/Side Effects: Shortly after taking heroin breathing slows down and pupils contract into very small pinpoints. These feelings are then followed by, users experiencing watery eyes, runny nose, yawning, loss of appetite, tremors, panic, chills, sweating, more nausea, muscle cramps and insomnia. Freevibe.com

Paraphernalia Associated with Use: For injecting – needles, elastic rope. For inhaling – mirrors and rolled up money/paper. Spoon and matches for melting either heroin into water for injecting or for inhaling the smoke.

Paraphernalia Associated with Use

Short Term Consequences of Use: After an injection, users report feeling a surge “rush” of euphoria accompanied by a warm flushing of the skin, a dry mouth, and heavy arms & legs. Mental functioning becomes cloudy due to a slowing central nervous system.

Long Term Consequences of Use: Most if not all first time users of heroin become addicted. Withdrawal includes watery eyes, runny nose, loss of appetite, tremors, panic, chills, sweating, vomiting and muscle cramps. These symptoms can last for days. Addicts report trouble sleeping and have high blood pressure and body temperature.
“Heroin use is associated with serious health conditions including fatal overdose, spontaneous abortion, collapsed veins and infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.” http://165.112.78.61/Infofax/heroin.html

Facts & Statistics:
Major overdose could happen at anytime; even one use can result in a coma or death.

Signs of overdose include difficulty breathing, clammy skin, tiny pupils and convulsions.

Sharing of needles can result in HIV infection or hepatitis - both are incurable.

Sources:
http://www.heroin-effects.com/index.htm 

http://www.freevibe.com 

http://165.112.78.61/Infofax/heroin.html 

http://www.heroinaddiction2.com/pictures-of-heroin%20.htm 

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