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Heroin is an opioid - a very powerful painkiller.
The body and the brain are packed with opioid receptors, meant for
endorphines, the body's own natural pain-killing substances produced
in emergency moments of shock or injury.
Heroin mimicks endorphines and binds rapidly
with endorphine receptors, extending and magnifying their natural
painkilling effect. The result is a surge of pleasurable sensation,
or "rush." This rush is usually accompanied by a warm feeling and
a sense of well-being.
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rapid effect
The effects are rapid but depend on method on ingestion. Intravenous
injection provides the greatest intensity and most rapid onset of
euphoria (7 to 8 seconds).
Intra-muscular injection produces a relatively slow onset (between
5 to 8 minutes). Sniffing or smoking usually provides peak effects
within 10 to 15 minutes.
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First-time or infrequent users often experience nausea and vomiting.
Once the initial rush has passed there can be a feeling
of heaviness, as though your bones have melted down into your feet; followed by
a feeling of distance from events around you, as though you've been wrapped in
cotton wool. The result is a comforting glow. Nothing matters.
afterwards
Heroin sedates the central nervous system, clouding
mental function and making you feel drowsy for several hours after
a dose. You may appear to be asleep, but actually be awake.
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