Addiction has become an epidemic in the U.S., and heroin is one of the worst substances to be addicted to. People who are addicted often go to great lengths to hide their problems, and many times even close friends and family members do not know their loved one is having a problem until it’s too late. Recognizing the signs of heroin addiction is the best — and sometimes the only — way to save a person you care about from losing their lives to this terrible problem.
What Are the Signs of Heroin Addiction?
Learn how to spot the signs of heroin addiction. If you suspect someone may be on heroin, look around their home. Heroin users often have several items that are needed in order to take the drug. Look for glass pipes, needles, spoons that have blackened burn marks on them, tubing, and elastic bands. All of these items are used to facilitate taking heroin either through smoking or shooting it.
You can also look closely at your loved one in order to spot signs of heroin addiction. People who inject heroin will have injection marks on their body, typically on their arms. However, people who are hard-core addicts can still find ways to hide the telltale marks left behind by needles. Addicts who have a serious problem may inject drugs by inserting the needle between their toes, into their scalp, and on other areas of the body where needle marks won’t show.
Know what heroin itself looks like. Finding the drug is, of course, the number of signs that someone is using heroin. It looks like an off-white, brown, or black powder that’s very crumbly. Black tar heroin is stickier and gooier than other types of heroin.
Other Major Signs of Heroin Use
People who regularly use heroin often display a number of symptoms that can be observed by others. This includes flushed skin, constricted pupils, slow breathing, and itching. Other signs of heroin addiction to look out for are behavioral. People who are on heroin often suffer from memory loss, have difficulty making decisions, and often seem to be confused or disoriented.
Know how to spot the signs of heroin addiction, and don’t ignore them. If you suspect at all that a person you care about is using this drug, act immediately. Heroin addiction can kill, and even the cure for heroin addiction can kill. Aggressive marketing from pharmaceutical companies and changes to government recommendations have led to a huge spike in oxycodone prescriptions in the last 25 years. Many heroin addicts turn to this drug when they cannot find heroin, their drug of choice. Oxyody addition has helped contribute to a massive opioid crisis that has been fatal for many users.
Opioid overdose is a horrible way for someone to die, and a terrifying tying for others to see. Know how to spot the signs of heroin use and addiction, and know that you need to take immediate action if someone you care about is displaying three or more of these warning signs. It is possible you may make a mistake, and the person you suspect is now actually an addict. However, if you are right then you may just save someone’s life.
Getting Opioid Treatment
If you see signs of heroin addiction in anyone you know, including yourself, seek out a treatment center. Attempt to talk to the person you think may be an addict, and offer to take them somewhere to get help or put them in touch with an addiction specialist who can give them the assistance they need. Addiction to heroin and opioids can be fatal, and for users who do not learn how to stop it will be fatal almost 100 percent of the time. Almost no one maintains a long-term heroin addiction. Drug abuse can also lead to crime, as users must maintain a constant influx of money in order to pay for their substances. Heroin use is a dark path that very often leads to death and/or imprisonment. Knowing the signs will help you stay better-equipped to help people in your love that you want to protect from this horrible future.
