Heroin Addiction Information

Heroin is highly physically addictive, more so than morphine, and at par with nicotine. Regularity of use is as important as the amount in the development of addiction.

Heroin users may become addicted in as little as one use, though it is estimated 25% or more of street users are considered physically dependent. But while there may be some regular users who do not end up looking like the images one conjures when imagining heroin addicts, this opiate is one of the most dangerous drugs to experiment with and prolonged use typically will result in addiction.

The heroin addict's body quickly builds a tolerance to the drug. Long term, larger and larger doses are needed to achieve the same effect.

Environment May Affect Tolerance

Bizarrely, tolerance also appears to be partially related to the environment where the drug is taken. Studies have shown that users who take heroin in an unusual or different place to normal are more likely to overdose.

No-one knows why this should be, but one theory is that the bodies of addicts who go to the same location to take the drug every time become conditioned to taking it there: their body gears up for what's to come and therefore they have a higher tolerance in that location. When they shoot up somewhere else, their body hasn't prepared itself and they overdose. This, however, is only speculation.

To learn more about the effects of heroin addiction, signs of dependency and abuse, potential complications, and advice on detoxing and heroin addiction recovery, please visit our full resource on heroin addiction.

Heroin Addiction Rehabilitation

Treatment for heroin addicts involves detoxification, typically a painful process that requires specialized care to ensure a safe and much more comfortable detox experience, and a heroin rehab program designed specifically to address the urges felt by heroin users. Often reintroduction to normal day to day life after rehabilitation should involve a sober living environment to decrease the chances of relapsing.