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Heroin is also known by the scientific name of diamorphine. It is synthesized from morphine, found in the dried milk of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum). Heroin is the most addictive of all the drugs that come from opium. The heroin group counseling can be an effective and important stage in diamorphine rehab.

Effects

Following an initial feeling of euphoria, the user experiences a feeling of calm relaxation. Then they become drowsy, their speech slurs and their pupils contract. They may feel detached. It can also produce nausea, vomiting, headaches and disturbance in mood. Because it is a Class A drug, which means that it is illegal even to be in possession of it, it is manufactured under less than standard conditions and can be cut with any number of substances from cough medicine to baby powder.

Short Lived

The initial high does not last long. This means that several doses are required to reproduce the initial buzz. Tolerance builds up rapidly, leading to larger and larger doses. Soon, increasing amounts are required just to avoid experiencing the unpleasant and seriously painful withdrawal symptoms. Soon, the body becomes so severely gripped by the drug that bigger and bigger doses are needed not to feel euphoric, but just to feel an approximation of what the user remembers as ‘normal’.

Bodily Damage

It is perhaps ironic that, in spite of the body’s dependence upon the drug, it exerts seriously harmful effects. Among these is damage to blood vessels, such as thrombosis and abscesses. Abscesses may progress to gangrene, necessitating the amputation of a limb or spreading to the bones, heart and brain. A major British medical journal listed heroin as the most damaging of all popular recreational drugs in terms of both addictive potential and its ability to cause physical damage.

Withdrawal

Those who are lucky enough to avoid an overdose or any of the other harmful complications of the drug may at some point choose to leave their drug-using days behind them and overhaul their life. They often seek out help because the effects of withdrawing from the drug can be intolerable. These include vomiting, headache, severe muscle cramps, sweats and shakes.

Medication

Fortunately, there are detox treatment centers where people can go to get help with becoming clear of the drug. Here, they may have controlled access to substitutes such as methadone, as well as other forms of support to help them get through this difficult phase. There are some people who decide to go through what is known as ‘cold turkey’, or the sudden complete cessation of the drug without any form of support.

Life After Detox

After heroin medical detoxification, the next step is learning how to live without the drug, the emotional side. One of the strengths of residential treatment centers is they physically remove the recovering addict from the physical and psychological cues that trigger the drug seeking behavior to begin with. This also provides practice at developing relationships with people who do not take drugs.