What Is Heroin And Why Is It So Dangerous?
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Heroin is made from a process of refining the resin which comes from the opium poppy planet. The first process of refining the resin creates morphine. Morphine can be found in powder form, liquid form, or pill form. For prescription narcotic opioid painkillers, morphine or a morphine substances is one of the base ingredients in addition to acetaminophen. Heroin goes through a secondary refining process which can leave it to be incredibly potent, approximately three times as potent as morphine. Heroin is created by combining the refined resin, called diamorphine, with a chemical additive called acetic anhydride. Sometimes, heroin is pure. Other times, it is not. Whether heroin is pure or not pure, it is an incredibly strong drug with strong side effects.
Heroin is an opioid
Opioid drugs affect the brain through the opioid receptors and by depressing the central nervous system. In addition to sensations of euphoria, opioids like heroin induce analgesia, which is the pain relieving effect. In high doses at high potency, heroin slows the body down too much. The body becomes numb and difficult to move. The brain can no longer function the way that it used to. As someone on heroin slips into an overdose, they are unable to notice their symptoms worsening. Respiratory depression is the shallowing of the breath which eventually causes the heart to stop beating. Unable to move their body, ask for help, or overcome the strength of heroin in their system, many people die of overdose.
Today, heroin can be laced with fentanyl
Heroin is known to be laced with many different substances. Using heroin is dangerous because users cannot be guaranteed of what is in the heroin they have purchased. Today, heroin poses a special threat because it is frequently laced with fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, meaning it is chemically engineered to mimic opioids like heroin but is not naturally sourced from the poppy plant. Fentanyl is reported to be up to 100 times stronger than morphine and in some cases stronger. Tasteless, odorless and otherwise undetectable, fentanyl cannot be distinguished in heroin until it causes an overdose.
You can overcome heroin addiction. Lifetime abstinence from opioid substances is possible. At Design For Change, we believe everyone is capable of recovery because everyone is capable of change. We know you can do it. Let our treatment programs show you how. For information on our residential treatment programs and various options for care, call us today at (877) 267-3646.
