The scientific name for heroin is diamorphine. It is extracted from the dried milk of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum). Diamorphine does not naturally occur in opium poppies but is manufactured from morphine, a natural opiate. Of all the opiates, heroin has the most addictive potential. Heroin group counseling is part of a multi-step process in drug rehabilitation.
Effects
After the initial euphoria, followed by feeling calm and relaxed, diamorphine makes the user feel drowsy. Their pupils constrict, speech becomes slurred, attention is impaired and the user feels detached. It may also result in headache, vomiting and mood disturbances. This is a Class A drug, meaning that even possessing it is illegal and may lead to a prison sentence. Being illegal, it is manufactured in less than controlled conditions and cut with any number of obnoxious agents in varying proportions. It is impossible to predict what strength is being supplied and it is easy to overdose.
Short Lived
The buzz from the drug is short-lived. Tolerance builds up quickly. Very soon, larger amounts are needed and more frequently to maintain the same high and to avoid the painful and unpleasant side effects of withdrawal. Eventually, the body becomes so dependent upon the drug that larger and larger amounts need to be taken just to feel 'normal', never mind high and euphoric.
Bodily Damage
Paradoxically, despite being dependent on the drug, it has many negative effects on the body. It can damage the blood vessels, leading to thrombosis and abscesses, which can go on to become gangrenous. Gangrene can spread to the brain, bones and heart and can also lead to amputation of a limb. A leading British scientific journal rated diamorphine the single most harmful of twenty popular recreational drugs, both in terms of its addictive potential and the amount of physical damage it produces.
Withdrawal
Users who don't die from an overdose or from one of the other serious complications of using the drug may decide they have had enough and to clean up their life. Stopping on their own can be next to impossible because of the painful effects of withdrawal. Common symptoms include headache, vomiting, shakes, sweats and severe muscular pains.
Medication
Many users will go to a detox treatment center for help getting the drug physically cleared from the body. This may involve being prescribed substitutes like methadone and other forms of support to make withdrawal easier. Some people choose to undergo 'cold turkey', which is complete cessation of the drug without medical support.
Life After Detox
After 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.
Once the residential phase of rehabilitation is complete, heroin group counseling is very useful for helping people to maintain a drug-free lifestyle. Recovering addicts can provide moral support for each other as well as additional practice at interacting with non-drug users. With dedication and a lot of help from friends, family and the medical community, it is possible to come back from heroin addiction and heroin detox to live a productive, normal life.
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