Heroin addiction is nothing short of dangerous. Narcotic drugs are so strongly addictive, it can take over someone’s life in short order. Overdose is a realistic possibility with nearly every use. It’s like playing Russian Roulette – when the gun points at you, will it be loaded this time? Or will it be a friend that dies this time? It can be hard to see a way out of this kind of hellish maze. People can and do survive heroin addiction, but it takes courage to get help.
How Heroin Works And How It Kills
Heroin is a narcotic drug, once used medicinally in the early 1900’s. It’s highly addictive potential makes it a very dangerous street drug today. Heroin is often snorted or injected to become quickly introduced into the blood stream. Heroin users are commonly thought of as urban homeless criminals. However, heroin use cuts across all ages and lifestyles.
Heroin can kill with an overdose, most often because of respiratory failure. The drug acts as a depressant to the natural body systems in charge of breathing. The purity of heroin is often so unpredictible, making the risk of an overdose everpresent. The same amount from one day to the next can be disappointing or fatal. It is also common for heroin deaths to occur from heroin being taken with other physical depressants like alcohol.
Heroin And A Risky Lifestyle
Since the addictive powers of heroin are so strong, heavy users are likely to do just about anything to be sure they have a steady supply. Not only do they have a strong urge to use the drug over and over, they also try to avoid deeply unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. If getting heroin means they need to take risks, then they will take whatever risks are necessary.
People may offer sexual favors, take money from friends and family, comitt crimes, or even sell drugs to get what they need. They spend time around shady characters who won’t hesitate to kill if they don’t like the drug deal. They risk being put behind bars and getting caught up in a life of crime. They may create a lifestyle no one would have predicted for them, all because they are compelled by the heroin.
Getting Sober From Heroin
Getting sober is no easy task, especially with heroin. People in recovery from heroin addiction can have withdrawal symptoms for several days at a time. Cravings can come and go long after their last use. Sobriety is ultimately better than active addiction, but daily life can be full of tests and temptations.
It takes a good support network and committment to a high quality drug program to make sobriety work. But even with all this, the addict really has to want and work for addiction each and every day. They have to be the one who makes sobriety their ultimate priority, no matter how tough, no matter how tedious, no matter how inconvenient. But in time, sobriety can become more familiar than addiction. Surviving heroin addiction is possible – contact us today to learn more or get started today.
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