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Heroin is a dangerous, illegal drug deriving from the opium poppy. The drug is related to morphine and other prescription narcotic painkillers like fentanyl and oxycodone. When people snort, smoke, or inject heroin, they will feel an intense, euphoric high when the central nervous system depressant takes effect. Unfortunately, according to data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), around 354,000 Americans report using heroin within a given month.
As one of the most addictive drugs in the world, using heroin, just one time can result in tolerance, dependence, and addiction. When people try to quit or cut back on heroin, they will experience a range of painful withdrawal symptoms, some of which can last for months or years after cessation, but getting help for heroin addiction is critical. The long-term physical and psychological effects of the drug are devastating.
What is heroin addiction?
When someone uses an addictive substance like heroin, their brain and body are significantly impacted. With heroin, in particular, the body develops a physical tolerance and dependence on the drug quickly. Tolerance is what happens when someone takes a hit of heroin and gets high. But their body becomes used to that dose of heroin fast. The next time they use heroin, they won’t get the same intense effect from the drug at the same dosage. Instead, they will need to use more of the drug. As they continue to use heroin, the brain and body become more tolerant of ever-increasing heroin levels. As a result, physical and sometimes psychological dependence on the drug emerges.
This process of tolerance and dependence with substance addiction happens when someone uses any addictive material, but with heroin, it happens more quickly and intensely. When someone is physically dependent on a drug like heroin, they will experience painful withdrawal symptoms once they attempt quitting. These withdrawal symptoms occur because the brain and body are used to having heroin in their system.
What are the short-term impacts of heroin use?
When someone snorts, smokes, or shoots heroin, they will experience a range of short-term, intense effects and other signs of drug addiction.
The intense euphoria produced by heroin is highly addictive on an emotional and psychological level, but this euphoria, or high, is something that lessens as heroin addiction progresses. People addicted to heroin will continue to use increasing amounts of the drug or attempt mixing the drug with other substances as a way to experience the same level of intensity they had when they first got high on heroin. In drug addiction, this phenomenon is called “chasing the dragon.”
Continued, long-term and heavy use of heroin has devastating effects on the brain and body. Also, people who abuse heroin are at increased risk of other issues, like infections. HIV, hepatitis, and other bloodborne illnesses can happen to those who inject drugs like heroin.
What are the long-term physical effects of heroin addiction?
Lung and joint problems are not the only long-term effects of heroin. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), heroin can harm many of the body’s systems. For example, injecting heroin can lead to collapsed veins. People who use heroin may also develop infections in the heart valves. Additional complications include gastrointestinal issues like cramping and constipation and liver problems, kidney disease, insomnia, and sexual problems.
Mainly, the long-term impacts of heroin use affect the brain and the body in a few different ways. Physically, people who are addicted to heroin put themselves at increased risk of infections. While bloodborne infections and skin infections are a risk when people inject heroin, respiratory infections frequently occur in heroin users, no matter which way they use the drug.
When someone uses heroin, the drug suppresses respiration. Heroin can make someone take shallow, frequent breaths and prevents the lungs from adequately clearing themselves of mucus and other irritants. This puts someone at an increased risk of respiratory infections, such as bronchitis and even tuberculosis. Heroin can also cause problems with joint mobility. Many long-term users of heroin will develop arthritis as well.
What are the short-term impacts of heroin use?
Another short-term consequence of heroin use can be especially devastating: overdose. As NIDA reports, large doses of heroin can cause breathing to stop, which reduces the amount of oxygen delivered to the brain and can lead to coma and even permanent brain damage. In 2019, over 14,000 Americans died following a heroin overdose, which is a significant increase from the 1,960 Americans who died in 1999, but a slight decrease from the 15,469 who fell victim to a fatal heroin overdose in 2016.
Repeated, long-term heroin use will cause permanent changes in brain chemistry and structure. The brain’s white matter is mostly impacted by long-term heroin addiction. White matter is the neurological material responsible for a person’s ability to make decisions, regulate their behavior, and respond appropriately to stressful situations.
With heroin addiction, the brain is impacted in other distinct ways. Tolerance and dependence happen on a complex but fundamental level. These changes occur within a person’s neural pathways, and the changes aren’t easily reversed. Because heroin causes tolerance and dependence to happen quickly, people who struggle with a long-term addiction to heroin may completely change the way they process both risks and rewards. When attempting to quit, people addicted to heroin will experience intense withdrawal symptoms that can be difficult to overcome without outside intervention and help.
Withdrawal symptoms occur within a few hours after the last use of heroin and can create a multitude of effects. People going through heroin withdrawal and detox can experience insomnia, mood swings, depression, anxiety, chills, and aches and pains that are similar to what someone feels when they get the flu. While people who don’t abuse heroin for a long time will have their symptoms subside within a few weeks, people who’ve abused the drug long-term will experience prolonged withdrawal issues.
What is heroin use disorder?
Persistent withdrawal symptoms that occur many months or even years after quitting heroin happens to many long-term users. Distressing withdrawal symptoms, like depression, anxiety, and intense cravings, increase the risk of relapse. Repeated heroin use can result in a condition called heroin use disorder. This disorder is a chronic relapsing disease. Heroin use disorder goes beyond the physical dependence that happens with heroin addiction. Instead, heroin use disorder has more to do with the changes in brain structure and chemistry that occur with long-term heroin use. People with heroin use disorder will exhibit uncontrollable drug-seeking behavior, despite the problems it causes. Early intervention in heroin addiction is the key to preventing this devastating disease.
Signs of Heroin Use Disorder
Heroin use disorder is an official diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This manual lists diagnostic criteria that can be used to determine if a person has developed a heroin use disorder. If a person meets two or three diagnostic criteria, the heroin use disorder is considered mild, but it is moderate if they show four to five criteria. Six or more criteria are indicative of a severe heroin use disorder.
The diagnostic criteria, which are also signs of heroin use disorder, are as follows:
Heroin Withdrawal Symptoms
One of the heroin side effects that occurs with long-term use is the experience of painful withdrawal symptoms. With long-term heroin use, addiction is incredibly likely, and once the body becomes addicted to heroin, it will have difficulty functioning in the absence of the drug. This causes the following painful side effects, which can make it extremely challenging to stop using heroin:
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Long-term heroin abuse can lead to numerous consequences, including health problems, painful withdrawal symptoms, and even addiction, but treatment can help. In fact, a 2015 study found that when people reduced their heroin use, they experienced improvements in physical and mental health, so if you engage in treatment to stop using heroin, you can reverse or even avoid heroin side effects.
We serve Santa Barbara and other Southern California locations and offer multiple levels of care, including partial hospitalization and an intensive outpatient program. We can also provide several treatment tracks to meet each client’s unique needs. Contact us today to learn more.
Updated 7/25/21
Are you or a loved one exhibiting the signs of heroin addiction? Stopping heroin addiction early can prevent many of the long-term health consequences and risks associated with the disease. Please reach out to us today at Mission Harbor Behavioral Health to learn more about your treatment options.
The facilities at Mission Harbor are staffed with trained experts to best assist patients with their mental health issues. We are capable of dealing with any and all cases with a licensed staff, equipment, and approved techniques. Our mission is to help those who want to help themselves, and we support your decision in seeking help.
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