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What Parents Should Know About Heroin Use

It used to be true that the majority of heroin addicts used needles to inject the drug, a practice which scared off teenagers and those interested in simple experimentation. Not so today. Heroin is now just as often snorted intranasally or smoked as it is injected. This means that more and more teenagers are trying the drug and subsequently developing habits at an early age.

Whether it is smoked, snorted or injected, heroin is highly addictive. Any user can overdose or die no matter how they ingest heroin, however, the national Monitoring the Future poll of students shows that more than 40 percent of high school seniors believe that trying heroin once or twice won't lead to addiction and isn't a big deal.

Unfortunately, it is a big deal. If your teenager is using heroin, The Canyon is here to help. We can personalize a treatment program just for your teen based on his or her drug history, integrating alternative and traditional therapies to create a unique and successful addiction treatment.

Heroin: The Basics

The seed pod of the Asian poppy plant naturally produces morphine, a substance from which heroin is processed in the form of a brown or white powder. Depending on where you live, your teenager will most likely have a tiny plastic bag with a brownish-white powder inside or a stickier dark brown substance called black tar heroin. The powder is found more often on the East Coast of the United States while black tar heroin is found in the Western states.

When under the influence of heroin, your teenager will most likely claim to feel sick or tired and spend hours laying down. Depending on how it was ingested, the effects of the heroin dose will kick in between five and 15 minutes and will last for a few hours. After a rush, your teen will "nod out" slipping in and out of wakefulness, finding it difficult to think or express herself.

The Physical Dangers of Heroin Use and Abuse

There are a number of risks associated with heroin use and abuse even before drug addiction sets in. Infection, for example, is common at injection sites as well as internally. The additives in heroin can clog blood vessels and cause infection or death of small patches of cells in major organs, such as infections in the heart lining and valves and staph infections that cause abscesses. Possible long-term effects of heroin use include liver disease, collapsed veins and cellulitis. Pulmonary complications are also common among heroin users. Of course, fatal overdose is always a concern as is the transmission of diseases like HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C.

Street Names and Nicknames for Heroin

There are a number of different nicknames and street names used to refer heroin. Your teenager may use one of these terms as a sort of code to hide her references to heroin. Some of the most popular include:

  • Junk
  • Smack
  • Dope
  • H, Heron or Herone
  • Skag
  • Chiba or Chiva
  • Tar
  • Boy or He
  • Girl or She

Get Heroin Addiction Treatment for Your Teenager at The Canyon

The Monitoring the Future survey showed that heroin injection among 8th graders increased in 2007, as did past year heroin use without a needle among 12th graders. In general, heroin use is on the rise and mentioned in 14 percent of drug-related emergency room visits. It's imperative that you get help for your teenager as soon as possible if he or she is abusing heroin. At The Canyon, we can provide you with all the support and information you need to turn your child's recovery into a reality, beginning with a drug rehab intervention and following through with detox and treatment to aftercare when they have completed their program. Family therapy will be a part of your child's individualized treatment.

If you have questions about teenage heroin use or about The Canyon's unique approach to drug addiction treatment, contact us today.

Call 877.714.1319
If The Canyon isn't right for you, we'll find the place that is.