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Heroin Overview

Heroin has perhaps the most sinister reputation of all illegal addictive drugs and for good reason: it is the most often abused opiate according to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). A derivative of morphine, heroin is either sold as a white or dirty beige powder or as a sticky black substance called "black tar" heroin. Its nicknames are many and include "H," "dope," "junk," "smack" among others, and its forms of ingestion are almost as varied: it can be smoked, snorted through the nose, smoked or injected. No matter how it is ingested or what form it comes in, heroin is a highly addictive and deadly drug.

The Canyon provides drug addiction treatment for those struggling with a heroin habit. Through a variety of traditional and alternative therapies molded into a unique and individual treatment plan, The Canyon provides heroin addiction detox and treatment on a sprawling estate in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Effects of Heroin

Depending upon how the heroin is ingested, its purity, the dose and the tolerance of the individual, the effects of heroin vary in strength and duration. Injecting heroin directly into the vein creates an almost instantaneous high while injecting into a muscle requires a few more minutes of waiting for the initial rush and snorting or smoking the drug takes even longer to kick in. No matter how you ingest it, it takes just one dose of heroin that is too strong, too pure or cut with the wrong substance to create an overdose. Seizures followed by respiratory arrest, coma and death are common and flesh-eating viruses have also been documented.

The long-term effects of heroin are debilitating. Injection users suffer from collapsed veins and abscesses, which can lead to infections of the heart valves and lining and cellulites as well as the risk of hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS. Pulmonary complications as well as clogged blood vessels that result in infection or the death of cells in vital organs is also a common occurrence in long-term heroin users.

Risks of Heroin Use and Abuse

Often it isn't just the heroin that can be deadly; it is the substances with which it is cut or the method of ingestion. Usually cut with innocuous substances like cornstarch or quinine, it may also be mixed with fentanyl or other poisons that can be deadly. Another risk is the inconsistent nature of purchasing heroin on the street. It's impossible to know the exact content of what you are buying, the strength or the purity. As tolerance builds, users need more and more of the drug to "get high" and if they should inadvertently happen upon a bag that is stronger or more pure than they expected, overdose is a likely result. If needles are used, the risk of Hepatitis C and HIV transmission are also serious risks of heroin use.

Though The Canyon cannot mitigate the risks of using heroin, they can increase your chances of detoxing successfully from the drug and beginning a life free from drugs and alcohol with an intensive inpatient residential drug addiction detox and treatment.

Heroin Addiction

Perhaps the most significant and inevitable risk of heroin use and abuse is heroin addiction. It takes only a few days of using regularly to create a physical dependence on the drug. When this happens, an abrupt cessation of taking the drug results in a heroin detox that is characterized by withdrawal symptoms that are overwhelming, physically and mentally. As quickly as a few hours after the last dose, a heroin user will experience intense craving for the drug, insomnia and restlessness accompanied by an overwhelming fatigue, intense muscle and bone pain, stomach cramps and vomiting, chills and sweating and involuntary leg twitching. For those who suffer from co-occurring medical conditions, heroin detox and withdrawal can be deadly. Those who live through the experience will certainly feel close to death. In fact, few who try to quit heroin "cold turkey" will be able to stand the temptation. The best way to successfully break a physical addiction to heroin is to undergo a medically supervised detox like the one provided by The Canyon.

Heroin Addiction Treatment at The Canyon

According to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, almost 4 million Americans say they have used heroin at least once and about 120,000 people confess to using heroin in the last month. Another 300,000+ people used heroin in the previous year, and almost 60 percent of them were addicted to the drug. Every year, the number of experimental users of heroin grows and with it, so too grows the number of Americans addicted to the drug. If you or someone you love is one of these people, the clinical staff at The Canyon are standing by with a comprehensive heroin addiction treatment program characterized by a medical detox and intense therapeutic treatment program followed up by an aftercare program or sober living, as needed.

If you have questions about heroin abuse and addiction or would like to schedule an appointment or a personal tour, call us at The Canyon today at .