Pills and Powders... Heroin... Part 1  When it comes to dangerously addictive hard drugs, heroin just about heads the list (see article on Crack), ask anybody in the streets about drug abuse and addiction and heroin will almost always be mentioned. It’s been around for ages and it was even legal in this country until this century, hard to believe nowadays isn’t it? Well it’s not quite the same as what was taken was Opium, which comes from the seeds of poppies and is a very effective painkiller. However Heroin was then invented as an alternative to another Opium based drug, Morphine, to be less addictive, it didn’t work as heroin turned out to be 3 times more addictive!!!!!!!
So here’s the low-down on what is also known as Smack , Horse, Brown or H… So what does heroin actually look like? In it’s most pure form it’s a white powder but when the dealers get their hands on it they mix it with all sorts of stuff, so when it hits the streets it’s usually a light brown powder.  Mix it?
Yeah to make the maximum profit, drug dealers will put in stuff like sugar or dried milk and even potentially dangerous substances like talcum powder and brick dust. It starts off 100% pure and dealers buy a kilo for £40,000 but when it finally gets to the user it’s sold for £60 a gram and is only about 40-50% pure. However recently prices have fallen, while purity has risen. (August 2001)  So how’s heroin taken?
The main way is through injecting, where it’s mixed with water heated and put in a syringe and injected into a vein. However ‘chasing the dragon’ is becoming more popular, where heroin is heated on tin foil with a lighter and the ‘dragons tail’ of smoke coming off is inhaled. It can also be eaten, drunk or snorted. So what does heroin do to you?  Well because it’s actually a medically used painkiller for seriously painful and terminal illness, in this country, it shows how strong the effects of it are. It can completely remove any pain and that’s physical and emotional. When using it for the first time people generally fine it makes them puke as well as itchy and sleepy. However the problem with heroin is that the high is so immense, some compare it to having an orgasm, it becomes terrifyingly addictive very quickly and before you know has got a complete hold on you.
 Immense high?
Yeah, the brain has opiate receptors, through injection or inhalation heroin reaches the brain extremely quickly, the heroin reaches the receptor and depresses the brains actions, as it’s a depressant drug like alcohol. This gives immediate feelings of euphoria, happiness and feeling fantastic as well as removing pain and making you drowsy. How can you tell if someone is on heroin?  The telltale signs are scars on arms, red eyes, paleness, sweatiness, yellow coloured skin, weight loss, running nose, spasms, itching, restlessness, tiredness, easily irritable and nervousness.
Where to get help: If you or anybody you know are having problems with heroin try the following places for help and support @ the Addictions Links Page. Read:
by ChrisM
|
|
Pills and Powders... Cocaine and Crack